Will: G. Gordon Liddy
| Will: G. Gordon Liddy | |
|---|---|
_video_tape_cover.jpg) The video tape cover for Will. | |
| Genre | Biography Drama |
| Written by | Frank Abatemarco |
| Directed by | Robert Lieberman |
| Starring | Robert Conrad John Mahoney Danny Lloyd |
| Music by | Mike Post Pete Carpenter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Joan Conrad |
| Producer | John Ashley |
| Production location | DeKalb, Illinois |
| Cinematography | Paul Vom Brack |
| Editor | Howard S. Deane |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Production company | A. Shane Company |
| Budget | $2 million[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | January 10, 1982 |
Will: G. Gordon Liddy is an American
Plot
The film follows the rise and fall of convicted Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy. Robert Conrad is cast as the adult Liddy, who is sentenced to 20 years in prison. The film follows the convicted felon through the four and half years he spent behind bars. While in prison, the film portrays Liddy as capable and able to match up to any man in the prison. The film includes several famous details from Liddy's 1980 autobiography including the legendary "hand held over the burning flame," and Liddy's oath, "I will kill for you, Mr. President."[2]
Background and production
The film was based on Liddy's 1980 bestselling autobiography, Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy, and directed by Robert Lieberman.[2][3] Courtroom scenes for the movie were shot in Illinois, at the 1905 DeKalb County Courthouse.[4] The film was a personal project of lead actor Robert Conrad; his daughter was billed as executive producer.[citation needed][5]
It was produced by John Ashley, a former actor who was a friend of Conrad's.[6] Ashley recalls adapting the book being very difficult, not because of censorship but because it was hard to know what to leave out.[7]
Cast
- John Byner as the voice of Richard Nixon
- Robert Conrad as G. Gordon Liddy
- Danny Lloyd as Young G. Gordon Liddy
- Katherine Cannon as Fran Liddy
- Gary Bayer as Jeb Magruder
- Peter Ratray as John Dean
- James Rebhorn as Peter Maroulis
- Red West as Kaworski
- Maurice Woods as Copperhead
Distribution
The made-for-television film debuted in the United States on NBC on January 10, 1982.[8] Copies of the film are held in the Nixon Presidential Materials collection of the U.S. National Archives.[9]
Reception
Will was the subject of a review by
Comedy sketch show SCTV spoofed Will, depicting Liddy as a rat-eating sociopath who repeatedly suggests to Nixon that they kill their political opponents with piano wire. Canadian actor Dave Thomas played Liddy in the spoof.[10]
In the September/October 2004 issue of Washington Free Press Dr. John Ruhland included the film on a list of "Rad Videos" summarized as "Dirty Politics in the United States." He called the film a "campy and terribly acted account of the Watergate break-in." He noted the film's value as a tool for giving a view into the workings of the
References
- ^ Lamont, John (1990). "The John Ashley Filmography". Trash Compactor (Volume 2 No. 5 ed.). p. 27.
- ^ a b Erickson, Hal (For AMG). Will: G. Gordon Liddy, "Movies," New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
- ^ von Hoffman, Nicholas. Gong Ho, "The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy," The New York Review of Books. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
- ^ History of DeKalb County Courthouse, 16th Judicial Circuit, 2005. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
- ^ Joan Conrad Biography, Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (December 2019). "A Hell of a Life: The Nine Lives of John Ashley". Diabolique Magazine.
- ^ "The John Ashley Interview Part 2". Trash Compactor. Vol. 2, no. 6. 1992.
- ^ a b O'Connor, John J. "Is this autobiography really necessary?," New York Times, January 10, 1982. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
- ^ Main Video File Collection Finding Aid, "Nixon Presidential Materials," National Archives & Records Administration. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
- ^ [1]," Turner Classic Movies
- ^ Ruhland, John. "#20: Dirty Politics in the United States", Rad Videos, Washington Free Press, September/October 2004, no. 71. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
