Promise
represented the first of several momentous TV-movie teamings of James Garner and James Woods. Garner plays an affable middle-aged salesman. When his mother dies, Garner is compelled to fulfill his long-ago promise to her: to look after his schizophrenic younger brother Woods. What begins as a fitfully painful experience for both men culminates with an unexpected, powerful climax, predicated by a memory-laden fishing trip. Piper Laurie co-stars as an old flame of Garner who finds herself a compassionate spectator to the troubled and bizarrely touching relationship between the two long-estranged brothers. Written by Richard Friedenberg,
The Promise
premiered December 14, 1986. Emmy awards were bestowed upon James Woods, Piper Laurie, Richard Friedenberg, director Glenn Jordan, and the film itself.