Ellis Island (miniseries)
| Ellis Island | |
|---|---|
| Written by |
Fred M. Stewart Christopher Newman |
| Directed by | Jerry London |
| Starring |
Peter Riegert Gregory Paul Martin Claire Bloom Judi Bowker Kate Burton Joan Greenwood Ann Jillian Lila Kaye Stubby Kaye Alice Krige Cherie Lunghi Melba Moore Milo O'Shea Emma Samms Ben Vereen Faye Dunaway Richard Burton |
| Theme music composer | John Addison |
| Country of origin |
 United States |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Nick Gillott |
| Editor(s) |
John J. Dumas Bernard Gribble |
| Running time | 420 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | November 11 – November 14, 1984 |
Ellis Island is a television miniseries, filmed in the United Kingdom, broadcast in three parts in 1984 on the CBS television network. The screenplay was co-written by Fred Mustard Stewart, adapted from his 1983 novel of the same title. The series tells the story of several immigrants from the late 19th century until the early 1910s, trying to achieve the American Dream and arriving on Ellis Island, hoping for a better life. Ellis Island highlighted numerous important events which occurred up to and during World War I, and many of the characters are based on real persons, such as Irving Berlin. Ellis Island marks the final appearance of Richard Burton and the series was dedicated to his memory.[1]
Reception
Ellis Island was nominated for several Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Costume designer Barbara Lane received the Emmy for Outstanding Costume Design for a Limited Series or a Special. Additionally, the series itself was nominated, along with the actors Richard Burton and Ann Jillian, but the miniseries lost in all three categories. Faye Dunaway is the only actor to have been awarded for her role. She beat five other actresses when winning a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. Ben Vereen was nominated in the male equivalent category, but lost to Paul Le Mat for his performance in the made-for-TV film The Burning Bed (1984).