Heidi

The 1968 television film Heidi, directed by Delbert Mann, is an adaptation of Johanna Spyri's classic children's novel. The story follows Heidi, a young orphan girl sent to live with her reclusive grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Heidi's cheerful nature softens her grandfather's heart, and she finds joy in mountain life.

Later, Heidi is sent to Frankfurt to be a companion to Clara Sesemann, a girl confined to a wheelchair. Despite forming a bond with Clara, Heidi longs for her mountain home. Her homesickness causes her to sleepwalk, leading a doctor to send her back to the Alps. Clara eventually visits Heidi, and with Heidi's encouragement, Clara learns to walk. The film captures the heartwarming narrative of the novel, though it is perhaps best remembered in the U.S. for a controversial broadcast decision that interrupted a football game.12