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When Hell Was in Session is a memoir by U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton, recounting his experiences as an American prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. A Navy pilot, Denton's jet was shot down over North Vietnam in July 1965. Denton and his navigator, Bill Tschudy, parachuted down and were soon taken prisoner. Both men spent seven years and seven months in North Vietnam as often-tortured POWs. In 1979, the book was made into a television movie starring Hal Holbrook. It was adapted by screenwriter Jake Justiz, also known as Lee Pogostin.
Original Release
10/08/1979
US Release
10/08/1979
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Hal Holbrook | Cmdr. Jeremiah A. Denton |
| Eva Marie Saint | Jane Denton |
| Mako | Maj. Bai |
| Ronny Cox | Maj. Frank Perrin |
| Renne Jarrett | Nancy Tschudy |
| Richard Evans | Lt. Alec Vardis |
| James Hong | Nguyen |
| Tom Bower | Lt. Jim Norton |
| Stephen Keep Mills | Lt. Bill Grainger |
| Byron Chung | Quoc |
Directors
Writers
S. Lee Pogostin, Jeremiah Denton, Eddie Brandt, Robert Hamner
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Hal Holbrook | Cmdr. Jeremiah A. Denton |
| Eva Marie Saint | Jane Denton |
| Mako | Maj. Bai |
| Ronny Cox | Maj. Frank Perrin |
| Renne Jarrett | Nancy Tschudy |
| Richard Evans | Lt. Alec Vardis |
| James Hong | Nguyen |
| Tom Bower | Lt. Jim Norton |
| Stephen Keep Mills | Lt. Bill Grainger |
| Byron Chung | Quoc |
| William Kirby Cullen | Jerry Denton |
| Paul Mantee | Captain Brown / Capt. Brown |
| Rod Browning | Ed Brandt |
| Rod McCary | T.V. Host |
| Ric Carrott | Lt. Hadley |
| Laurence Haddon | Williams |
| Sab Shimono | Cao |
| Emily Banks | Betty Phillips |
| Tom Kindle | Lt. William Tschudy |
| David Chow | Diem |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| James T. Aubrey | Executive Producer |
| Robert Hamner | Producer |
| R.J. Louis | Producer |
Editors
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1980 | Emmy | Outstanding Film Editing for a Limited Series or a Special | Nominated |
