The Neon Ceiling

The Neon Ceiling is a 1971 American television film starring Gig Young and Lee Grant that aired on NBC Monday Night at the Movies. It was written by Carol Sobieski and directed by Frank Pierson. The film score was composed by Billy Goldenberg.

Plot

An unhappy housewife takes her precocious teenage daughter and leaves their suburban home in the middle of the night, stopping at a lonely diner in the California desert when her 1960 Ford Galaxie runs into car trouble. She runs up against, and eventually befriends, the diner's owner, a gruff, beer-drinking mechanic and artist whose life's work are the neon sculptures he creates and attaches to the ceiling.

Cast

• Gig Young as the diner owner
• Lee Grant as the housewife
• Denise Nickerson as the daughter
• William Smithers as the husband

Production

Lee Grant was set to appear in a TV film of The Price with George C. Scott when Universal sent her the script^[which?]. "The moment I read that script I was hooked and couldn't let it go", she said. "It's a real departure from what is normally seen on TV."[1]

Reception

The Los Angeles Times called it "an extraordinary experience... a work of art."[2]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1971	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role	Gig Young	Nominated	[3]
		Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role	Lee Grant[a]	Won
		Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming – For a Special or Feature Length Program Made for Television	Edward Rosson	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for Entertainment Programming – For a Special or Feature Length Program Made for Television	Robert F. Shugrue	Nominated

Notes

1. Also nominated in the same category for an episode of Columbo.

References

1. Norma, L. B. (Feb 7, 1971). "Sparkling script lures Lee Grant to TV movie". Chicago Tribune. ProQuest 169106335.
2. Smith, C. (Feb 9, 1971). "'The neon ceiling' a TV high point". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 156606701.
3. "The Neon Ceiling World Premiere NBC Monday Night at the Movies". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

External links

• The Neon Ceiling at IMDb
• The Neon Ceiling at the TCM Movie Database