DramaTV Movie

The Death of Richie

- A father's fight to save his son from self-destruction.

A sensitive but confused teenager feels pressure from all directions and turns to drugs, which causes problems for him in school and at home.

Release Date : 1977-01-10

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Henry Jaffe Enterprises Inc.NBC

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : RichieDeath of Ritchie

Cast

Character Name : George Werner

Original Name : Ben Gazzara

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carol Werner

Original Name : Eileen Brennan

Gender : Female

Character Name : Richie Werner

Original Name : Robby Benson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Russell Werner

Original Name : Lance Kerwin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Norlon

Original Name : Shirley O'Hara

Gender : Female

Character Name : Elaine

Original Name : Jennifer Rhodes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Norlon

Original Name : John Zaremba

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eddie

Original Name : Jesse Emmett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brick

Original Name : Charles Fleischer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Peanuts

Original Name : Clint Howard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mark

Original Name : Harry Gold

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sheila

Original Name : Cindy Eilbacher

Gender : Female

Character Name : Janie

Original Name : Susan Pratt

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pat

Original Name : Sean Roche

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kurt

Original Name : John Friedrich

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nancy

Original Name : Jane Marla Robbins

Gender : Female

Character Name : Morris Polk

Original Name : Herb Voland

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Sullivan

Original Name : Kathryn Ish

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Sullivan

Original Name : Tom Tarpey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Blair

Original Name : Alice Hirson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Arthur Edmunds

Original Name : Richard Stahl

Gender : Male

Character Name : Domenic

Original Name : Barry Miller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ernie

Original Name : William Bogert

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ken

Original Name : Al Dunlap

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Perzik

Original Name : Richard Seff

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Nurse

Original Name : Carol Locatell

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Principal

Original Name : Jack Kosslyn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Franklin

Original Name : Judith Searle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Chekko

Original Name : Alan Haufrect

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Cass

Original Name : Alan McRae

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minister

Original Name : Paul Larson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Receptionist

Original Name : Robina Suwol

Gender : Female

Character Name : Judge Feinberg

Original Name : Anne Newman Bacal

Gender : Female

Character Name : Policeman at Accident

Original Name : Edward Cross

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pinball Alley Manager

Original Name : William Bronder

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man at Regal Burger

Original Name : Buddy Lewis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman at Regal Burger

Original Name : Ivy Bethune

Gender : Female

Character Name : Waitress

Original Name : Elinor Childs

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman Customer

Original Name : Sarah Jane Miller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Policeman

Original Name : Fred Lerner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Betty Firmani

Original Name : Rose Gregorio

Gender : Female

Character Name : Priest (uncredited)

Original Name : Bob Harks

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-06-23

Instead of coming-of-age, a teen comes-to-death RELEASED TO TV IN early 1977 and directed by Paul Wendkos, "The Death of Richie" is a drama about a teen, Richie Werner (Robby Benson), who turns to drugs and increasingly troubles his family to the point that his father (Ben Gazzara) is compelled to take extreme measures in solving the problem. Eileen Brennan plays the mother. The movie is based on the real-life account detailed in the book “Richie” by Thomas Thompson about the 1972 death of George Richard "Richie" Diener Jr. from Long Island at the hands of his father, George Diener, who was not charged with a crime. The drug culture was still relatively new in the 70s and so parents were generally ignorant of the pitfalls thereof, which explains why the parents wait too long to tackle Richie’s drug problem by sending him to rehab or whatever. The movie illustrates how teens are drawn into the druggie lifestyle via hanging around the wrong crowd and the corresponding peer pressure. As they say: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Mr. Werner should have banned Richie’s drug-inclined buddies from his property WAY before he does, not to mention get him hooked-in with a serious counseling program. Of course not everyone who turns to drugs for recreation turns out like Richie and the movie never suggests this, but it does convey that the misuse of chemicals is a generally negative road and SOME personalities, for whatever reason, can’t handle them because they have no sense of moderation and in some cases morph into psychos, like Richie. It’s like alcohol: I rarely drink but, when I do, it makes me happy and pleasant. Yet I know people who become meaner than a junkyard dog when they drink. It depends on the personality in question. These types have to stay away from recreational drinking & drugs altogether. “The Death of Richie” isn’t as good as “Go Ask Alice” (1973), but it’s still a potent 70’s anti-drug flick. The movie shows Richie’s potential and how he was actually a nice, respectful boy when he was sober. There are coming-of-age elements but, unfortunately, this is a story about coming-of-death and it’s just grueling and sad. In real-life, the father, George Diener, died of cancer about 9 years after he killed Richie in April, 1981, at the too-young age of 52. Richie’s friend Brick in the movie was Lenny Langone in real life; he died on August 25, 2010. He was with Richie 15 minutes before the killing and to his dying day defended Richie as “too effed up” to be a threat to anyone and insisted that his father was a cold bastage looking for the right moment to kill Richie and legally get away with it. What he doesn’t tell you is that Richie came at his dad with a friggin’ ice pick and Lenny wasn’t present during the encounter. It’s easy to defend a drug-addled wacko with an ice pick when you’re not the one being threatened. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour, 37 minutes and was shot at Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, California. WRITERS: John McGreevey wrote the teleplay based on Thomas Thompson’s book. GRADE: B-/C+