The Greatest Gift

This film aired on TBN recently and I found it to be lacking. It seems that much more could have been done with it. Glenn Ford plays the lead well, but really isn't given much to work with. The story revolves around his relationship with his son who he always encourages to do the right thing and doesn't get unhappy when he fails to do so. It seems there could have been more to the father/son conversations than there was. The film does not reveal much about his relationship with his wife or daughter. The villain of the film is somewhat underdeveloped. We see him commit vandalism in the general store and blow a sale for the merchant. That was about it. I wish we could have seen more of his evil. After one surprising event, the rest of the film seems to fall into place as it is quite predictable. Perhaps the characters and plots were better developed in the TV series that followed, The Family Holvak. I like family films, but this one left me wanting.