In
this Hallmark Hall of Fame production, a young boy (Sammy,
played by Frankie Muniz as a child, and Matthew Modine
when an adult) pretends to be deaf and mute in a strange
attempt to follow his mother's wishes. Spoiled rich brat
Tolliver (Jake) considers Sammy a moronic fool who exists
to do his bidding.
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A
schemer who's always out for a quick buck, Tollie thinks he's
going to get away with scamming the church funds. But Sammy's
got a surprise for him when he finally speaks up to reveal the
truth about the scandal.
Jake,
as always, managed to make Tolliver three-dimensional despite
some really bad writing and the generally "oh isn't this
cute and funny" style of direction.
Here
are two images sent to me by Lindsay, a UK-based Jake fan who
purchased a press kit for "What the Deaf Man Heard."
The kit included a CDROM with images, including the below Jake-esque
pics. They depict Tollie as he's trying to get Sammy to burn
a bunch of albums by "The Weevils," a fictional version
of the Beatles.
.
Check
out the last two pictures, which reveal Tolliver's final realization
that he's getting what he deserves in life: disinherited and
imprisoned. Jake imbues Tollie with a sudden self-awareness
that's genuinely touching.
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