This three-part, six-hour miniseries was based on the 1968 best-selling novel by Taylor Caldwell. Through the narration of one of the stars, Tom Bosley, the saga is set in the three and a half decades following the Civil War of two Pennsylvanian surgeons. The idealistic doctor Jonathan Ferrier (David Birney) and his irresponsible younger brother Harald (David Huffman) battle over professional ethics.

I found a presskit for Testimony of Two Men and decided to use what I can, which might prove of interest to fans of the mini-series. Please bear in mind the information & details were recorded around 1977, when the mini-series was produced.

BARBARA PARKINS DROPPED OUT AND CAME BACK ON TOP

Not many actresses suddenly drop out just as their career is flourishing and they are in constant demand. Barbara Parkins was one who did.

The lovely brunette who co-stars in MCA TV's Operation Prime Time six-hour mini-series, "Testimony of Two Men," based on Taylor Caldwell's best selling novel has this to say about her defection:

"Career-wise, the 1960s were fantasy-time for me. I was co-starring in a top TV series, "Peyton Place," and had received an Emmy nomination. I also co-starred in a top-grossing film, "Valley of the Dolls," and received the Photoplay Gold Medal Award.

"But, I was living a very limited life. My values were all 'showbiz' and 'Hollywood' and I felt that there had to be more to life than this. I wasn't really what you would call 'unhappy' but I was far from ecstatic.

"I made a brief trip to England and I just loved London. It was the antithesis of my life in Hollywood. I met wonderful people and there was culture everywhere.

"I went back to Los Angeles, packed my bags and moved to London. Using London as a base, I traveled to Russia, Africa, the Orient and all over Europe. I didn't work again for a few years, until I had to for financial reasons.

"By that time, I think I had established a different set of values so that when I went back to work I was very particular in choosing my roles.

"I didn't need to think very much about accepting 'Testimony of Two Men.' I play two roles, I age thirty years, wear fantastic costumes, work with talented people and best of all, I get paid for it."

ABOUT BARBARA PARKINS

The most challenging assignment of her career finds Barbara Parkins aging 35 years in the starring role of Marjorie Ferrier and playing, in addition, a girl who resembles Marjorie, all in the six-hour mini-series "Testimony of Two Men."

It was television's hit melodrama "Peyton Place" that first brought Barbara international fame, when for five years as Betty Anderson, she kept stealing Ryan O'Neal's heart away from Mia Farrow. Her movie career was soon launched as Anne in "Valley of the Dolls," followed by "Shout at the Devil," "The Kremlin Letter," "The Disappearance," and "Mephisto Waltz." Photoplay presented her with its annual Gold Medal Award, but Barbara shocked her associates by moving suddenly to England, determined to develop her craft there.

The striking, dark-eyed brunette re-emerged for U.S. audiences in two popular mini-series, "Captains and the Kings," made here for NBC, and "Jennie: Lady Churchill," made in London. In the latter, she co-starred as Lee Remick's younger sister, Leonie.

Other recent starring vehicles include the NBC film "Law of the Land," John O'Hara's "The Gibbsville Stories," "Taste of Evil" with Barbara Stanwyck, and "Snatched," a Movie of the Week.

A teenage dancer with the Vancouver ballet, Barbara was discovered by MCA TV on a national variety tour with Donald O'Connor. She later studied mime with Marcel Marceau and is associated with dance workshops near her two homes in London and Los Angeles. She is also an expert on Japanese art history, silk-screening, and photography. Ms. Parkins calls herself "an aesthetic athlete," active in such graceful sports as figure-skating, swimming, and skiing. With a keen interest in folkcrafts, she has gathered global artifacts which include Peruvian rugs, African furniture, and South American llama skins.

ABOUT DAVID BIRNEY

David Birney, who stars as the crusading Dr. Jonathan Ferrier in MCA TV's "Testimony of Two Men," has in a few short years become a major U.S. star because of two television series, "Serpico" and "Bridget Loves Bernie."

Born in Washington, D.C. on Shakespeare's birthday, April 23, Birney grew up in Cleveland where he earned letters in football, basketball and track at West High. He attended Dartmouth College with a growing interest in theatrical literature and, rejecting a scholarship to Stanford University Law School, he went on to UCLA for a Master's Degree in Theatre Arts.

After serving two years with the U.S. Army, he joined the Barter Theatre in Virginia as an Actor's Equity Award winner, spent one season with the Hartford Stage Company and another with the New York Shakespeare Festival.

His starring performance in the Off-Broadway play "Summertree" was acclaimed as "one of the lovliest of the season" (Newsday) and earned him both the Theatre World and the Clarence Derwent awards.

As a member of the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center, Birney assumed classical roles in "The Miser," "The Playboy of the Western World" and "Antigone," and was singled out by the New York Times as "one of the most promising leading men to have surfaced in recent years." He simultaneously assumed the lead in the daytime drama series "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" before moving to Hollywood for the controversial, highly rated "Bridget Loves Bernie" series. Both Photoplay and Sixteen Magazine cited him as "the season's most promising newcomer."

When the series ended, he married his co-star Meredith Baxter and joined the American Shakespeare Theatre in Straford, Connecticut, where he "provided a Romeo of power and feeling," according to the New York Times. The movie "Trial by Combat" followed, with a wide variety of television guest roles. He is particularly proud of his portrayal of John Quincy Adams in "The Adams' Chronicles" and of two episodes of "Police Story" in which he played the titles roles, "Officer Dooley" and "Captain Hook."

Last year, Birney assumed the title role of "Serpico," finished shooting just in time to take on the demanding and highly dramatic role of Jonathan Ferrier.

Birney is 5'10", 155 lbs. with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He lives in Santa Monica with Meredith and their three children, Ted, Eva, and tiny, new Kate.

ABOUT STEVE FORREST

Steve Forrest, who stars as Dr. Martin Eaton in MCA TV's six-hour "Testimony of Two Men," describes himself as a political liberal and conservatively private. He lives quietly in Los Angeles with his wife Cris and their three sons, Michael, Stephen, and Forrest (Forrey). Steve and Cris met at UCLA where he was a psychology major. Two years later, they eloped. Steve sold ties at Bullock's and Cris worked as an interior decorator. Steve had appeared in plays at UCLA and rejected film offers in order to earn his degree.

When Gregory Peck, Mel Ferrer, and Dorothy McGuire, the founders of the La Jolla Playhouse, offered him a small role in their production of "Goodbye, Again," Steve took the acting plunge. A screen test arranged by Peck led to his movie debut in "So Big" and a contract at MGM from Dore Schary who changed Steve's name from his original Bill Andrews. Yes, he is Dana Andrews' younger brother.

"The Bad and The Beautiful," "Rogue Cop," "The Band Wagon," "Heller in Pink Tights," and "The Second Time Around" were among his first 25 feature films.

The youngest of nine children of a Baptist minister in Texas, Steve is a much-decorated U.S. Army veteran of World War II, whose languages included French, German, Spanish, Greek, and Japanese. An avid golfer, he raises bees, whose honey Cris uses for her pastry specialities.

At 6'3" with blue eyes and blond hair, Steve first became a leading man in the title role of the Broadway musical "Body Beautiful." His first television series, "The Baron," was a huge success in its native England, while his latest series "S.W.A.T." achieved global fame last year. His waking hours are highly-organized and constructed. Steve's credo is hard work. "In every failure, there is success. In every success, there is some degree of failure. They are intermixed," he says. "Be able to accept failure and don't look for easy ways out." Steve and Cris love spur-of-the-moment vacation trips, armed with mystery books, very casual clothes, and two cats and a poodle. And he never tires of movies, since his father permitted him to see only two films during his entire childhood -- "Naughty Marietta" and "King of Kings."

SHORT SHORTS

David Birney's favorite line in "Testimony of Two Men" is "The two places the public should never see are the kitchen of a restaurant and the basement of a hospital."

For her wedding scene with David Birney in "Testimony of Two Men," Linda Purl wears a $25,000 dress designed in 1910 by Worth of Paris. MCA picked it up via auction. "Not only am I not eating this week while wearing it," Linda says, "I have commanded my pores to stay closed."

Have you seen that dress before? Sharp-eyed viewers can spot Barbara Parkins wearing two famous gowns in "Testimony of Two Men." For her husband's death scene, she wears the blue satin first worn by Loretta Young in the 1939 film "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell." For her baby's christening, Barbara wears an off-white striped gown which Eva Marie Saint introduced in 1957 in "Raintree County." The rest of the 52 dresses Barbara wears in the mini-series are newly designed.

Costume designer Bill Jobe has come up with some arithmetic on "Testimony of Two Men" and reports a grand total of 2,008 costumes used in the mini-series.

The christening garments used in "Testimony of Two Men" were originally made for John Jacob Astor's new-born child in 1902.

Leonard Rosenman, composer of the "Testimony of Two Men" score, was given a surprise party by the cast upon winning his second Oscar March 28. His first Academy Award came two years ago for "Barry Lyndon."

Hollywood employment is very low in the spring, with most series on hiatus, explains Kathleen Nolan, president of the Screen Actors Guild. "In the middle of the drought comes this wonerful project which offers 200 speaking parks and employs 1,000 extras -- including me," she notes. Operation Prime Time, a new production source, is helping the Hollywood recession and that has to be good for the economy of the country."

It seems most of the actors weren't exactly the correct weight for their "Testimony of Two Men" roles. Some were told to gain, some had to lose, and the great poundage total of both losses and gains has topped 1,000.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

BARBARA PARKINS: "I don't feel at all self-conscious about taking off my clothes. I trained as a dancer, I watch my diet and I take care of my body. If a script calls for a bedroom scene, I say do it. When I have a brief affair with Steve Forrest, it would look ridiculous for me to get into bed wearing a robe and nightgown. I do object to a nude scene when it is gratuitous. My nude scene in 'Captains and The Kings' was unnecessary and I'm sorry I did it."

DAVID BIRNEY: "Critics often take advantage in a cheap shot by putting down actors, writers and directors who work in television. It makes me mad as hell, because there is so much in TV that is good. True, many of us do series which are no strain on the intellect for the viewer, but obviously there is a need and demand for these shows. For every no-think show, there is a 'My Sweet Charlie,' a 'That Certain Summer,' 'Adams Chronicles' and 'Missiles of October.' And the wonderful money we make from television carries us over when we appear for minimum on a non-commercial station or on the stage."

STEVE FORREST: "We are all studies in contrast. How dull it woul be to be categorized as either sophisticated or unsophisticated. I speak four languages, I'm a gourmet cook, I make my own wine. On the other hand, I hate formal clothing, I'm a country boy and I stick to rural expressions. Instead of saying a friend lives close by, I always say he lives a hoot-and-a-holler down the road."

WILLIAM SHATNER: "For an actor, a long death scene is fun. But a tense audience will look for a situation to laugh at in order to relieve tension. So you can't overplay. You close your eyes and try to breathe as little as possible. Why is it at that moment you always develop some kind of itch?"

KATHLEEN NOLAN: "They were ready to shoot my death scene, when I touched my heart and realized I didn't have my padding. Stop, I yelled, I've forgotten my chest! No matter how well-endowed a lady is, a little extra never hurts when you're wearing a nightgown."

LINDA PURL: "I play a real bitch, mean, conniving and promiscuous. The part would at once time have been played by Bette Davis. Nobody ever remembers the sweet ingenue roles but, when you play a rat, they remember you forever."

THEODORE BIKEL: "I'm engaged in an anti-phoenix crusade. Many people insist their birth was like the birth of the phoenix, suddenly springing one day out of the middle of a desert. You must explore your roots in order to pinpoint your place in the present or to be entitled to a future."

RANDOLPH MANTOOTH: "When 'Emergency' clicked, my private life became an open book. I just couldn't deal with it. I didn't want to be worshipped, I didn't want a squeaky clean image. I want to go to a movie without being noticed. I was so up-tight that I wouldn't give interviews. I am much looser now. Some of the star worship has died down, and some other unfortunate actor's privacy is being invaded."

TAYLOR CALDWELL: "There seems to be some kind of idea that if a novelist's books are widely read, they can't be serious books. This is maligning the intelligence of the public. Tolstoi said, if you are not widely read, then your book is a failure."

Taylor Caldwell's novel stayed ten months on the best-seller list.

Actress Kim Cattrell has a cameo role as a child actor.

51 sets, 17 locations used. The mini-series took 54 days to complete and almost $5 to film.

Click here for poster

Cast List:

David Birney.................... Jonathan Ferrier

Joan Van Ark...................Jane Robson

Theodore Bikel................ Peter Heger

Ralph Bellamy...................Dr. Jim Spaulding

Randolph Mantooth...........Father Frank McNulty

Leonard Frey....................David Paxton

Steve Forrest....................Martin Eaton

David Huffman................. Harald Ferrier

Jeff Corey.........................William Simpson

Barry Brown......................Howard Best

Laurie Prange ...................Jenny Heger

Barbara Parkins ...............Marjorie Ferrier/Hilda Eaton

Linda Purl ....................... Mavis Eaton

Logan Ramsey .................Dr. Emil Schaeffer

Trisha Noble ............... .. .Edna Beamish

Margaret O'Brien .............Flora Bumpstead Eaton

Kathleen Nolan ................Myrtle Heger

Cameron Mitchell .............Jeremiah Hadley

William Shatner ................Adrian Ferrier

Ray Milland ......................Jonas Witherby

Lynn Tufeld.......................Elizabeth Best

Kario Salem......................Francis Campion

Inga Swenson....................Amelia Foster

Tom Bosley........................Dr. Louis Hedler (Narrator)

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