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The Neon Ceiling is a 1971 American television film starring Gig Young and Lee Grant that aired on NBC Monday Night at the Movies. It was written by Carol Sobieski and directed by Frank Pierson. The film score was composed by Billy Goldenberg.

Plot

An unhappy housewife takes her precocious teenage daughter and leaves their suburban home in the middle of the night, stopping at a lonely diner in the California desert when her 1960 Ford Galaxie runs into car trouble. She runs up against, and eventually befriends, the diner's owner, a gruff, beer-drinking mechanic and artist whose life's work are the neon sculptures he creates and attaches to the ceiling.

Cast

• Gig Young as the diner owner
• Lee Grant as the housewife
• Denise Nickerson as the daughter
• William Smithers as the husband

Production

Lee Grant was set to appear in a TV film of The Price with George C. Scott when Universal sent her the script. "The moment I read that script I was hooked and couldn't let it go", she said. "It's a real departure from what is normally seen on TV."

Reception

The Los Angeles Times called it "an extraordinary experience... a work of art."

Awards and nominations

Notes

1. Also nominated in the same category for an episode of Columbo.

References

1. Norma, L. B. (Feb 7, 1971). "Sparkling script lures Lee Grant to TV movie". Chicago Tribune. ProQuest 169106335.
2. Smith, C. (Feb 9, 1971). "'The neon ceiling' a TV high point". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 156606701.
3. "The Neon Ceiling World Premiere NBC Monday Night at the Movies". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

External links

• The Neon Ceiling at IMDb
• The Neon Ceiling at the TCM Movie Database

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• 1971 television films
• 1971 films
• American television films
• Films directed by Frank Pierson
• Films scored by Billy Goldenberg
• American drama television film stubs