The film ‘Cry of the Innocent‘ (1980) was an American made-for-television thriller, directed by Michael O’Herlihy.
Cast included: Australian actor Rod Taylor as Steve Donegin; Joanna Pettet as Cynthia Donegin / Candia Leighton; Nigel Davenport as Gray Harrison Hunt; Cyril Cusack as Detective Tom Moloney; Walter Gotell as Jack Brewster; Jim Norton as Jasper Tooms [He also played Bishop Len Brennan in ‘Fr. Ted’.] and Alexander Knox as Thornton Donegin.
Stand-ins: [Latter persons who substitute for the main actors during the technical setup of a scene, such as lighting and camera blocking], were Miss Ireland 1973 Ms Yvonne Costelloe (Dublin), then a former model acting as stand-in for Ms Joanna Pettet, and George Willoughby (Wexford, Wicklow & later Thurles), acting as stand-in for Rod Taylor, Nigel Davenport, and Cyril Cusack.
Mr Taylor came to Thurles, visiting Hayes Hotel to promote the above film in 1979. On arrival in Thurles, I was to discover that for several days Mr Taylor had been suffering from a severe and persistent toothache. Despite it being Sunday, a quick phone call to the home of then Thurles Dentist, the now late Mr Noel Treacy, and twenty minutes later Mr Taylor’s tooth problem was solved with Mr Treacy refusing to accept any payment for his work.
Film Plot: Steve Donegin (Rod Taylor), a U.S. insurance executive and former Green Beret, loses his wife and children in a mysterious plane crash. Determined to uncover the truth, Steve embarks on an investigation that reveals a deadly conspiracy involving corporate interests, espionage, and murder.
The screenplay was based on a story by the acclaimed English novelist and journalist Frederick Forsyth (1938–2025), latter who sadly passed away in June of this year, 2025.
Production:
Filming was completed in just three weeks in locations, Wicklow, including Ardmore Studios, and the slopes of Mount Branden in Co. Kerry.
The above photo was taken by the then films stills photographer John Morris, husband of former Irish television presenter and artist Ms Thelma Mansfield. John Morris is the son of the late Michael Morris (1914–1999), [3rd Baron Killanin], and twin brother of Tipperary racehorse trainer and former professional jockey Mr Michael “Mouse” Morris.
So lets take a closer look at those featured in the above picture, viewing left to right and starting with director Michael O’Herlihy.
Michael O’Herlihy; Director Michael O’Herlihy (1929–1997) was an Emmy and Gemini Award-nominated Irish television producer and director.
Born in Dublin, he began his career in Ireland as a stage designer before moving to the United States in the mid-1950s. There, he built a successful career in television, directing episodes of many landmark series, including ; ‘Maverick’; ‘Star Trek’; ‘Hawaii Five-O’; ‘MASH’, and ‘The A-Team’.
Alongside his television work, Mr O’Herlihy also directed several films for Disney, such as ‘The Fighting Prince of Donegal’ (1966), ‘Mosby’s Marauders’ (1967), and ‘The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band’ (1968). His connection to ‘Star Trek’ endured long after his passing: in 2002, the Enterprise episode “First Flight” paid tribute to him by naming a fictional astronaut crew “O’Herlihy,” a nod to his direction of the original series episode “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” which first mentioned the Earth–Saturn mission.
Mr O’Herlihy was the younger brother of Oscar-nominated actor Dan O’Herlihy. The former was married to Elizabeth Patricia O’Herlihy (née Ryan) a native of Thurles, Co. Tipperary, (a fact which we later discussed with me, during the making of Barbra Cartland’s ‘The Flame is Love’, when he discovered I had since moved to reside in Thurles, Co. Tipperary). I was given to understand that his wife Elizabeth O’Herlihy (nee Ryan), herself, a writer who contributed to the film “The Big Red One”, was from Thurles, connected to Ryan’s of the Brewery Store, whose home once resided at the junction of Mitchel Street and Kickham Street, facing unto Cathedral Street, Thurles.
Michael O’Herlihy sadly passed away in Dublin on June 16th 1997, at the age of 69, and was laid to rest in St Fintan’s Cemetery, Sutton, County Dublin.
Joanna Pettet: Actress Joanna Pettet, partially hidden in the picture, behind Director Michael O’Herlihy, was born in England in 1942, and enjoyed a versatile career in film and television during the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in projects such as ‘The Shuttered Room’ (1967) and ‘Petulia’ (1968).
Known for her charm and poise on screen, Ms Pettet often took roles that highlighted her dramatic range and understated elegance, earning her recognition in both Hollywood and in British cinema.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, Ms Pettet made appearances on the television series ‘Harry O’; ‘Banacek’; ‘McCloud’; ‘Mannix’; ‘Police Woman’; ‘Knight Rider’; ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ (the UK series), ‘Cry of the Innocent’ and ‘Murder, She Wrote’. In 1984, she appeared as herself in a James Bond tribute episode of ‘The Fall Guy’ with ex-Bond girls Britt Ekland and Lana Wood.
It was in 1968, Ms Pettet married the American actor Alex Cord and gave birth to a son, Damien Zach. He was given the last name “Cord”, however, his biological father was British actor Terence Stamp. Ms Pettet and Cord were later divorced in 1989, after 21 years of marriage.
Ms Pettet was one of the last people to see actress Sharon Tate alive. She had visited Ms Tate, with her 10-month-old son, Damien Zachary at Tate’s Benedict Canyon home, for lunch, on the afternoon of August 8th, 1969. Later on that night, the pregnant Ms Tate and four others were brutally murdered by the Manson gang.
This chilling brush with history is depicted in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”, in which Ms Pettet is portrayed by Rumer Willis. The incident remains a striking moment in her life story, highlighting both her proximity to Hollywood history and the personal tragedies she endured.
Yet more tragedy was to follow. Her only child, the aforementioned Damien Zachary Cord, fell into a fatal coma, following an acute heroin overdose in 1995, at age 26 years.
She later became the caregiver and companion of her friend, actor Alan Bates, until his death from cancer in 2003.
In August 2021, Ms Pettet became trapped under a boulder for three hours, while collecting stones for her garden, near Anza, California. As a result, she required surgery to replace her shoulder and rotator cuff.
Alexander Knox: Alexander Knox (1907–1995) [pictured seated with back to the camera] was a Canadian actor, writer, and journalist. Active from the 1920s to the late 1980s, he appeared in more than 100 film, television, and stage productions. He received a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in “Wilson” (1944).
His career in the United States was limited during the McCarthy era (1950–1954), and he subsequently worked mainly in the United Kingdom.
In addition to acting, Alexander Knox published several novels, often historical in theme, and contributed articles to newspapers and magazines. His later screen roles included the character of ‘Thornton Donegin’ in the film “Cry of the Innocent”.
His novels included ‘Night of the White Bear’ (1971), a novel set in the Canadian Arctic; ‘Raider’s Moon’ (1976), a historical novel also set in colonial Canada and ‘The Kidnapped Surgeon’ (1977), again, set in colonial times.
Josie MacAvin: Ms Josie MacAvin (1919 – 2005), was a physical education teacher, ballet dancer (Irish Ballet Club Gate Theatre 1943), set decorator, art director and costume designer. She won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for ‘Out of Africa’ (1985). She was also nominated for her work on “Tom Jones” (1963) and “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” (1965) and received a Primetime Emmy Award in Art Direction for “Scarlett”, latter a sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel ‘Gone with the Wind’, thus making her the only Irish designer to claim both honours.
Born in Dublin her credits include ‘Ryan’s Daughter’, ‘Educating Rita’, ‘Michael Collins’ and ‘The Butcher Boy’. Renowned for her meticulous design and collaborative approach, she frequently worked with directors such as Tony Richardson and John Huston.
Ms MacAvin’s Oscar and Emmy statuettes, along with her sketches and papers, today are on display at the Irish Film Institute. She is interred in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.
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