Christmas Lilies of the Field

Christmas Lilies of the Field is a 1979 made-for-TV sequel to the classic 1963 film Lilies of the Field. In this sequel, directed by Ralph Nelson (his final project before his death), Homer Smith (played by Billy Dee Williams instead of Sidney Poitier) returns to the Arizona desert where he had built the chapel for the nuns. This time, Mother Maria (played by Maria Schell) convinces Homer Smith into building a kindergarten as well as an orphanage by claiming that, since the chapel lacks a bell-tower and bells, the previous job was never completed.

Christmas Lilies of the Field
GenreDrama
Written byWilliam E. Barrett
John McGreevey
Ralph Nelson
Directed byRalph Nelson
StarringBilly Dee Williams
Maria Schell
Fay Hauser
Lisa Mann
Music byGeorge Tipton
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerRalph Nelson
ProducersToby Martin
Jack N. Reddish
CinematographyRobert B. Hauser
EditorO. Nicholas Brown
Running time100 min.
Production companyOsmond Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseDecember 16, 1979 (1979-12-16)

Plot

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Cast

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  • Billy Dee Williams as Homer Smith
  • Maria Schell as Mother Maria
  • Fay Hauser as Janet Owens
  • Lisa Mann as Sister Gertrude
  • Hanna Hertelendy as Sister Albertine
  • Judith Piquet as Sister Agnes [1]
  • Donna Johnston as Sister Elizabeth
  • Robert Hastings as Harold Pruitt
  • Fred Hart as Father Brian Connor
  • Oliver Nguyen as Trang (orphan)

Production

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Parts of the film were shot in Salt Lake City and Orem, Utah.[2] The TV special was released on VHS in 1989.

References

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  1. ^ "Christmas Lilies of the Field". IMDb.
  2. ^ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423605874.
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