The Final Days (1989 film)

*The Final Days*
The Final Days
	UK DVD cover
Genre	Drama
Based on	The Final Days; by Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein
Teleplay by	Hugh Whitemore
Directed by	Richard Pearce
Starring	Lane Smith; Richard Kiley
Music by	Cliff Eidelman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Stuart Samuels
Producer	Richard L. O'Connor
Cinematography	Fred Murphy
Editor	Bill Yahraus
Running time	144 minutes
Production companies	Poochie Productions; The Samuels Film Co.
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	October 29, 1989

The Final Days is a 1989 American television film adaptation of the 1976 book written by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. The film premiered on ABC on October 29, 1989. The film is directed by Richard Pearce and follows the events in the Nixon White House after the Washington Post's Watergate revelations.^[1]^[2]

Plot

J. Fred Buzhardt inadvertently reveals the existence of a taping system to the Watergate Committee minority counsel. After the committee's majority counsel discovers the information, Alexander Butterfield is interviewed and confirms the taping system's existence.

Four days after the Yom Kippur War, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns. Nixon turns over the tapes after the resignations of Elliot Richardson and William Ruckelshaus.

Later at his Key Biscayne home, Nixon holds his "I'm not a crook" press conference. James D. St. Clair is hired as Nixon's defense lawyer.

As the walls close in on Nixon, he becomes increasingly erratic. Despite his family's pleas to fight on, he accepts the advice of his advisors and resigns the presidency.

Featured cast

Actor	Role
Newell Alexander	Oliver F. Atkins
Graham Beckel	Ron Ziegler
Diana Bellamy	Rose Mary Woods
Ramon Bieri	John Sirica
Theodore Bikel	Henry Kissinger
Susan Brown	Pat Nixon
James Edgcomb	Alexander Butterfield
Ed Flanders	Leonard Garment
Milo Kevin Floeter	David Eisenhower
Alan Fudge	Gerald Ford
Gregg Henry	John Dean
Ann Hearn	Julie Nixon Eisenhower
Richard Kiley	J. Fred Buzhardt
Elizabeth Norment	Jill Wine-Banks
James Sikking	Elliot Richardson
Gary Sinise	Richard Ben-Veniste
Lane Smith	Richard Nixon
David Ogden Stiers	Alexander Haig
Wayne Tippit	Edward Gurney
Richard Venture	James D. St. Clair
Boris Sichkin	Leonid Brezhnev
George D. Wallace	Archibald Cox
Amanda Wyss	Tricia Nixon Cox

Awards and nominations

1990 Casting Society of America (Artios)

Nominated – Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week: Susan Bluestein

1990 Emmy Awards

Nominated – Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie: Fred Murphy
Nominated – Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: Richard Pearce
Nominated – Outstanding Made for Television Movie: Stu Samuels, Richard L. O'Connor, Susan Weber-Gold
Nominated – Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special: Hugh Whitemore

1990 Golden Globe Awards

Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film: Lane Smith

References

↑ O'Connor, John J. (October 29, 1989). "When the Sun Set on Nixon's Presidency". Great Falls Tribune. New York Times News Service. pp. 9F. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
↑ Kogan, Rick (October 27, 1989). "Nixon's Final Innings are Major League TV". Sec. 5, "Tempo". Chicago Tribune. pp. 1 & 9. Retrieved March 17, 2025.

External links

The Final Days at IMDb

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[O'Connor1989-1] O'Connor, John J. (October 29, 1989). "When the Sun Set on Nixon's Presidency". Great Falls Tribune. New York Times News Service. pp. 9F. Retrieved March 17, 2025.

[2] Kogan, Rick (October 27, 1989). "Nixon's Final Innings are Major League TV". Sec. 5, "Tempo". Chicago Tribune. pp. 1 & 9. Retrieved March 17, 2025.

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