The Littlest Victims

1989 American TV film directed by Peter Levin

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The Littlest Victims

Genre| Drama
Screenplay by| J.J. Towne &
Kenneth Cavander
Story by| J.J. Towne
Directed by| Peter Levin
Starring| Tim Matheson
Theme music composer| Joel Rosenbaum
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
Production
Executive producer| Marian Brayton
Producers| Derek Kavanagh
Fern Field
Norman G. Brooks
(supervising producer)
Anne Carlucci
(supervising producer)
Production location| Atlanta, Georgia
Cinematography| John McPherson
Running time| 1hr. 40 min.
Production company| CBS
Original release
Network| CBS
Release| April 23, 1989 (1989-04-23)

The Littlest Victims is a 1989 CBS-produced biographical drama about Dr. James Oleske. The TV film was written by Kenneth Cavender and J.J. Towne based on a story by Towne and directed by Peter Levin. Dr. Oleske was the first U.S. physician to diagnose AIDS in children during the epidemic's early years when it was widely thought to be spread only though homosexual sex. It starred Tim Matheson as Oleske and was first broadcast on April 23, 1989.[1][2]

## Storyline[edit]

In 1982, Oleske is practicing medicine at Newark, New Jersey's New Jersey Medical School when he discovers several of his pediatric patients failing to thrive and suffering from what appears to be suppressed immune systems. Most of his patients are impoverished inner city African Americans and Hispanics who are either intravenous drug users or the heterosexual partners thereof. His efforts to convince the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that AIDS is the cause of this threat falls on largely deaf and hesitant ears, while another doctor asks him about whether or not Bible belt politicians will enjoy having to tell their voters that their taxes are being spent on homosexuals and I.V. drug users living in the largely liberal coastal cities where most AIDS cases were and still are reported from.

Later, he receives a report from the CDC about infected transfusions and blood products and finds one of his pediatric patients had received blood from a donor who later developed and died of the disease, much to the anger of the patient's family over not being told this beforehand. TV reporters appear in the hospital wearing disposable latex gloves, surgical clothes and masks, afraid of becoming infected by being in the same room or building with Oleske and his AIDS patients.

Another of his patients, an adult female former prostitute and I.V. drug user, is informed by him that her child has the disease, indicating that its virus was passed to her child through her blood while she was pregnant, meaning that she became infected before she gave up drugs and prostitution. After her child dies of AIDS, she returns to her former lifestyle.

The publicity of Oleske's work on AIDS also causes problems with his family in his private life as his children are subjected to ridicule from their peers about this. In 1984, when it's announced that the virus that causes AIDS has been isolated, another one of his child patients dies of AIDS and is buried in a Gospel music style funeral that Oleske attends, and Oleske finally receives approval of his work from the CDC and promises to continue his work among his patients, even though they will eventually die young.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Willman, Chris. "TV Reviews : A Lowbrow Look at the 'Littlest Victims' of AIDS" Los Angeles Times, April 22, 1989
2. ^ The Littlest Victims hollywood.com, accessed February 27, 2016

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Films directed by Peter Levin

* The Comeback Kid (1980)
* Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case (1980)
* The Marva Collins Story (1981)
* The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana (1982)
* A Reason to Live (1985)
* Popeye Doyle (1986)
* Gone to Texas (1986)
* The Littlest Victims (1989)
* A Killer Among Us (1990)
* My Son Johnny (1991)
* Precious Victims (1993)
* The Perfect Mother (1997)
* In the Name of the People (2000)
* Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003)
* In from the Night (2006)
* A Perfect Day (2006)
* Queen Sized (2008)

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