American Playhouse (TV Series) Family Business (1983) User Reviews

Touted as a Serious Milton Berle performance, but notable for the Four Sons

[richard.fuller1 · 28 January 2002]

This came out being hailed as Milton Berle in a serious role as the dying, wealthy father of fours sons and now he seeks to make amends or keep things civil until he passes, but it is the relationship of the four sons to one another that is compelling. Berle dies midway through this program (notice which son he calls for as he passes) and then it is up to the sons to repair the damage that their father's failure has inflicted upon them. Jerry, played by Jeff Marcus, is the youngest and is gay. When he comes out to his oldest brother, it isn't pretty. The other sons, Norman (David Garfield, John Garfield's only son), Bobby (Richard Greene) and Phil (David Rosenbaum). One of the sons has very unscrupulous plans for his part of the inheritance after Dad dies as well. Aside from Berle, the only other person with a name in this thing was Brian Benben, who played Jerry's lover, who is confronted by one of the other brothers in a plea for a new family, as the old one seems to be crumbling apart. Overall, a very captivating program that would be worth seeing again.