The Best Episodes of American Playhouse Season 8

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

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   #1 - A Raisin in the Sun

   S8:E12/1/1989

   Walter Lee Younger is a young man struggling with his station in life. Sharing a tiny apartment with his wife, son, sister and mother, he seems like an imprisoned man. Until, that is, the family gets an unexpected financial windfall.

   Director:Bill Duke

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Bill Duke

   Writer:Unknown
2. 

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   #2 - Ask Me Again

   S8:E22/8/1989

   Rebellious young literary editor Elizabeth Leopold clashes with her wealthy, snobbish mother over her life choices, including her job and a leftist boyfriend, as her mother tries to arrange a more 'suitable' marriage for her.

   Director:Deborah Reinisch

   Writer:Richard Greenberg

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   Director:Deborah Reinisch

   Writer:Richard Greenberg
3. 

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   #3 - Stacking

   S8:E32/15/1989

   After her father is injured, a teenager and an alcoholic employee struggle to save their financially troubled farm in 1954 Montana.

   Director:Martin Rosen

   Writer:Victoria Jenkins

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   Director:Martin Rosen

   Writer:Victoria Jenkins
4. 

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   #4 - My American Cousin

   S8:E42/22/1989

   Sandy Wilcox is a pre-teen girl in rural 1950s British Columbia whose longing to be treated as an adult is roused even further when her older American cousin, Butch Walker, comes for a visit.

   Director:Sandy Wilson

   Writer:Sandy Wilson

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   Director:Sandy Wilson

   Writer:Sandy Wilson
5. 

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   #5 - Love and Other Sorrows

   S8:E53/1/1989

   In St. Louis, circa 1950, Ben Griffin lives with his widowed mother and beautiful older sister, Dodie. The restoration of the family's affluence seems to hinge on Dodie's romances and hoped-for-marriage to a wealthy husband. But Dodie's ambivalence toward the rich and eligible Sonny confuses and upsets Ben. He wants to trust and believe in love, but worries that he may never find a girl to understand his romantic ideals.

   Director:Steve Gomer

   Writer:Dick Goldberg

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   Director:Steve Gomer

   Writer:Dick Goldberg
6. 

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   #6 - Stand and Deliver

   S8:E63/15/1989

   Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a poor Hispanic neighborhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students.

   Director:Ramón Menéndez

   Writers:Tom Musca, Ramón Menéndez

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   Director:Ramón Menéndez

   Writers:Tom Musca, Ramón Menéndez
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7. 

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   #7 - The Silence at Bethany

   S8:E73/22/1989

   A young man, seeking meaning and focus in his life, returns to the Mennonite farm community where he was born.

   Director:Joel Oliansky

   Writer:Joyce Keener

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   Director:Joel Oliansky

   Writer:Joyce Keener
8. 

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   #8 - The Lawrenceville Stories, Part 3: The Beginning of the Firm

   S8:E84/5/1989

   Hickey and Tennessee Shad combine their mischievous talents to make life miserable for an insufferable freshman while staying one step ahead of the headmaster.

   Director:Allan A. Goldstein

   Writer:Jan Jaffe Kahn

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   Director:Allan A. Goldstein

   Writer:Jan Jaffe Kahn
9. 

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   #9 - Life Under Water

   S8:E94/12/1989

   Feeling alienated from the world and his mother, Kip enters a complicated relationship with two girls he meets on the beach.

   Director:Jay Holman

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Jay Holman

   Writer:Unknown
10. 

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    #10 - A Great Wall

    S8:E104/15/1989

    When computer programmer Leo Fang is passed up for promotion, he feels it is because he is Chinese, and quits. He takes his Chinese-American family to Mainland China to visit his relatives, the Chao's, for a vacation. The clash of cultures, between the men, wives, and teenagers, leads to some confusion, and misunderstanding.

    Director:Peter Wang

    Writers:Shirley Sun, Peter Wang

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    Director:Peter Wang

    Writers:Shirley Sun, Peter Wang
11. 

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    #11 - The Diaries of Adam and Eve

    S8:E114/26/1989

    Explores the humorous conflicts and eventual partnership between the sexes, with Adam portrayed as a reclusive creature of habit and Eve as a curious, enthusiastic innovator who names the animals and discovers fire.

    Director:William Woodman

    Writer:David Birney

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    Director:William Woodman

    Writer:David Birney
12. 

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    #12 - The Meeting

    S8:E125/3/1989

    In 1965, at a hotel in Harlem, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X engage in a conversation.

    Director:Bill Duke

    Writer:Jeff Stetson

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    Director:Bill Duke

    Writer:Jeff Stetson
13. 

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    #13 - A Walk in the Woods

    S8:E135/10/1989

    A true story about one US and one USSR delegate who, during 1982 talks in Geneva between USA and USSR on limiting medium-range nukes in Europe, met by accident in a nearby forest while on a stroll and informally started a key discussion.

    Director:Kirk Browning

    Writer:Lee Blessing

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    Director:Kirk Browning

    Writer:Lee Blessing
14. 

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    #14 - Big Time

    S8:E145/17/1989

    In the fast-paced materialistic world of the late 1980s, three morally ambiguous players navigate an unfulfilling corporate world, emphasizing themes of greed, ambition, and emotional detachment.

    Director:Jan Egleson

    Writer:Keith Reddin

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    Director:Jan Egleson

    Writer:Keith Reddin
15. 

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    #15 - The Thin Blue Line

    S8:E155/24/1989

    An unorthodox investigation into the wrongful conviction of Randall Dale Adams for the 1976 murder of Dallas police officer Robert Wood. Using stylized reenactments and interviews with key figures, conflicting testimonies and evidence are presented to argue that Adams was framed by a corrupt justice system, ultimately leading to his exoneration.

    Director:Errol Morris

    Writer:Errol Morris

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    Director:Errol Morris

    Writer:Errol Morris
16. 

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    #16 - Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss

    S8:E165/31/1989

    Follows Ralphie's first summer job, his family's chaotic road trip to the 'Haven of Bliss', and the misadventures that ensue, including losing their dog, Fuzzhead.

    Director:Richard Bartlett

    Writer:Jean Shepherd

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    Director:Richard Bartlett

    Writer:Jean Shepherd
17. 

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    #17 - Imagining America

    S8:E176/7/1989

    An anthology consisting of four shorts with the central theme of life in the United States, including a surreal narrative about a man's search for his past in Los Angeles (This Ain't Bebop); an impressionistic look at American myths and rituals, featuring a large dance sequence (Tribe); a stylized portrait of the South Bronx (Reflections of a Native Son); and a delve into the history of Route 66 (Get Your Kicks on Route 66).

    Directors:Ralph Bakshi, Ed Lachman, Matt Mahurin, Mustapha Khan

    Writer:Ralph Bakshi

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    Directors:Ralph Bakshi, Ed Lachman, Matt Mahurin, Mustapha Khan

    Writer:Ralph Bakshi
18. 

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    #18 - Belizaire the Cajun

    S8:E186/14/1989

    Belizaire Breaux, a charismatic herb doctor, becomes entangled in a struggle for his people's survival against prejudiced vigilantes, while also dealing with a romantic rivalry.

    Director:Glen Pitre

    Writer:Glen Pitre

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    Director:Glen Pitre

    Writer:Glen Pitre
19. 

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    #19 - Rachel River

    S8:E196/21/1989

    A divorced radio personality in a small Minnesota town returns to her roots and investigates the life of a reclusive, recently deceased woman.

    Director:Sandy Smolan

    Writer:Judith Guest

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    Director:Sandy Smolan

    Writer:Judith Guest
20. 

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    #20 - Thousand Pieces of Gold

    S8:E2011/30/1989

    In 1880s China, Lalu is sold into marriage by her impoverished father. Rather than becoming a bride, Lalu ends up in an Idaho gold-mining town, the property of a saloon owner renames her China Polly, with plans to sell her as entertainment for the locals. Refusing to become a whore, Lalu ultimately finds her own way in this strange country filled with white demons.

    Director:Nancy Kelly

    Writer:Anne Makepeace

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    Director:Nancy Kelly

    Writer:Anne Makepeace