January 26, 2023
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Lance Kerwin, a prolific child actor in the 1970s who starred in the groundbreaking “James at 15” series, died Tuesday, his daughter Savanah announced on Facebook. He was 62.
Kerwin was also known for a prominent role in the 1979 miniseries “Salem’s Lot,” adapted from Stephen King’s novel.
The Newport Beach, California, native had dozens of roles in the decade, including on “Little House on the Prairie,” “Gunsmoke” and “Wonder Woman.” His heartbreaking portrayal of a teen bed-wetter who became an Olympic marathon champion in “The Loneliest Runner” TV movie (1976) reunited him with Michael Landon of “Little House.” (The story was based in part on Landon’s youth.)
But it was the coming-of-age NBC series “James at 15” (1977-1978) that cemented him as one of the top young actors of the era.
The show “was an attempt by creator-writer Dan Wakefield to present a more realistic depiction of teenagers than was common at the time,” Deadline noted.
After the show was renamed as “James at 16,” Kerwin’s character lost his virginity to an exchange student in what was considered a bold move.
Kerwin’s show-business career continued with mostly guest TV roles into the 1990s. His final credit listed on IMDB was the 2022 leprosy movie drama “The Wind & the Reckoning.”
Kerwin later became a pastor, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While in Hawaii, Kerwin worked with a ministry to help people with addiction, a GoFundMe page noted. The post said he had back and other health issues and that his income had dried up.
His daughter did not mention a cause of death on Facebook but said more information would be forthcoming.
The actor is survived by five children, Variety reported.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/uyVx5q3AwrI?rel=0&enablejsapi=1</div>","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Retro TV","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCazylJNgjlAUOrVcC1BZsLw","cache_age":86400,"description":"James at 15 : Episode 1 10/27/1977 nnEpisode 1 : Friends nnSynopsis :nnJames (Lance Kerwin) throws a party for classmates in an effort to win friends. Paisley: Lisa Pelikan. Hazeltine: J.A. Preston. Mrs. Hazeltine: Lee Chamberlin. Father: Linden Chiles. Mother: Lynn Carlin. Sly: David Hubbard. Marlene: Susan Myers. Sandy: Kim Richards. Kathy: Dierdre Berthrong.nnnJames at 15 (later James at 16) is an American drama series that aired on NBC during the 1977–1978 season.nnThe series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie James at 15, which aired on Monday September 5, 1977, and was intended as a pilot for the series. Both were written by Dan Wakefield, a journalist and fiction writer whose novel Going All the Way, a tale of coming of age in the 1950s, had led to his being contacted by David Sontag of Twentieth Century Fox.nnSontag, the senior vice-president of Creative Affairs at Fox, had had a lunch meeting in New York City with Paul Klein, the head of programming at NBC. At lunch Klein said he needed a series for Sunday night. On the spot Sontag created the idea for a coming of age series seen through the eyes of a teenage boy including his dreams, fantasies, and hopes. Klein loved the idea and asked Sontag who would write it. Sontag suggested Dan Wakefield. Despite the above unsourced account of the creation of the series, the on-screen credit reads "Created by Dan Wakefield."nnnSeries Synopsis :nnProtagonist James Hunter (Lance Kerwin) was the son of a college professor (Linden Chiles) who moved his family across the country to take a teaching job, transplanting James from Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts.[1] James, who had Walter Mitty-like dreams and dabbled in photography, had a hard time fitting into his new surroundings. During the series run, when James turned 16, the title was updated accordingly.nnWakefield, who was born and raised in Indianapolis but eventually moved to Boston, said he chose Boston both because he wanted to write about a city he knew well and also because he was tired of television’s tendency to give programs Los Angeles or New York City settings.[1] To update his own memories of growing up, the writer spoke with adolescents from Boston.nnCast :nnLance Kerwin as James HunternLinden Chiles as Paul Hunter, James’ fathernLynn Carlin as Joan Hunter, James’ mothernKim Richards as Sandy Hunter, James’ sisternDeirdre Berthrong as Kathy Hunter, James’ sisternDavid Raynr as Ludwig "Sly" Hazeltine, James’ friend (billed as David Hubbard)nSusan Myers as Marlene Mahoney, James’ friendnKevin Van Wieringen as a deaf student in James’ class[2]nTV moviennnThe movie premiered to high ratings, topping the ratings for the week of September 5–11, 1977,[3][4] with a 42% share of the viewing audience,[5] quickly prompting NBC to approve a series.[3] Associated Press writer Jerry Buck said of the pilot movie that it "captures the essence of growing up in America," adding, "It makes up for all the drivel we’ve had to put up with, such as Sons and Daughters and Hollywood High."[1]nnnCritical reception and controversynnnThe show was highly praised for its realism and sensitivity, with a New York Times reviewer applauding the program’s avoidance of stereotyping characters: "Sly, a jiving black student … has solidly middle-class parents deeply involved in classical music" and a lower-middle-class classmate discovers that her father makes more money as a plumber than James’ professor father.[3] Tom Shales of The Washington Post opined:nnNot perfect, not revolutionary, not always deliriously urgent, James at 15 is still the most respectable new entertainment series of the season. Consistently, it communicates something about the state of being young, rather than just communicating that it wishes to lure young viewers. And if it romanticizes adolescence through the weekly trials and triumphs of its teen-age hero, at least it does so in more ambitious, inquisitive and authentic ways than the average TV teeny-bop.[6]nnCritics also approved of its handling of James’ first sexual experience, with a Swedish exchange student (Kirsten Baker) in the episode which aired February 9, 1978— at which point the show assumed the name James at 16. 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