Hallmark Hall of Fame's Acclaimed The Magic of Ordinary Days Is Special Encore Presentation on CBS
Keri Russell, Skeet Ulrich, Mare Winningham Star in Critical and Popular Smash Airing Saturday, Jan. 30
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Jan. 7, 2010) — Golden Globe winner Keri Russell (Felicity) stars opposite Skeet Ulrich (As Good As It Gets) and Oscar Nominee Mare Winningham (Georgia) in The Magic of Ordinary Days, which becomes the 238th presentation of the Hallmark Hall of Fame when it is broadcast on CBS Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, 9-11 p.m. ET/PT.
When it first aired in January 2005, critics raved. Barry Garron wrote in The Hollywood Reporter, “Once again, `Hallmark Hall of Fame’ cares enough to send the very best, at the same time proving that the simplest stories can become the most beautiful movies.”
Under a headline proclaiming “Hallmark Makes Magic,” Robert Bianco in USA Today called The Magic of Ordinary Days “extraordinary,” and said, “There’s a warmth to Keri Russell’s performance that practically shimmers through the screen.” Dorothy Rabinowitz in The Wall Street Journal hailed Skeet Ulrich’s “fine performance,” and added, “This tale of hard-won love ought to warm more than a few hearts on a cold winter night.”
When first broadcast, The Magic of Ordinary Days was seen by nearly 19 million viewers. It was one of the highest-rated films on television of the last decade.
Keri Russell plays unmarried Livy Dunne, who becomes pregnant during World War II. Her stern father sends her away, into a marriage of convenience with a lonely farmer, Ray Singleton (Skeet Ulrich), in tiny Wilson, Colo. Initially, Livy and Ray are wary of each other. Worldly Livy is bored by Ray and the hardscrabble life he leads.
As the months and seasons pass, Livy learns more about this calm, practical man and his sister, Martha (Mare Winningham) – “a queen among women” – and her family.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Livy realizes she may have found a home – and love – in the most unlikely place, with the most unlikely person.
Interviewed while The Magic of Ordinary Days was being filmed, Keri Russell said, “I love the idea of the two of them [Ray and Livy] being thrown into this relationship. Most of my scenes with Skeet are incredibly awkward. We don’t look each other in the eye. We certainly don’t touch. We try to stay out of each other’s space.”
Skeet Ulrich, also interviewed on set, said, “The great thing about this story is watching this guy who’s been alone for so long, who’s not expressive verbally, fall in love with Livy, and the way she evolves emotionally and slowly opens up to him.”
The Magic of Ordinary Days, directed by Brent Shields (The Valley of Light), is based on the novel by Ann Howard Creel; the teleplay is by Camille Thomasson (who went on to write the teleplay for The Valley of Light, and co-write Pictures of Hollis Woods, both Hallmark Hall of Fame productions). Richard Welsh (Back When We Were Grownups) is the executive producer; Andrew Gottlieb (A Dog Named Christmas) is the producer. It is from Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, Inc.