A truly great movie. Last night while on a search on the internet for information about Maureen Connolly, I was lucky enough to find this movie. And wow, what a surprise it was. As a life long follower of tennis and especially of the women's game, I was thrilled to come across this seemingly almost forgotten film biopic of the fabled Little Mo.
I can say here and now it's one of the finest if not the finest made for TV movies ever made. Depicting the life of Maureen, her success's and struggles on and off the court, it does a wonderful job.
Glynnis O'Connor is positively luminous as Maureen. And gives, in my opinion, one of the great acting performances in a female lead. The many action scenes on the court are fantastic and add a gritty realism to the movie as it concentrates on her battles to defeat certain players at different stages of her career.
Michael Learned is equally stirring as the genius but ultra-strict coach, Eleanor "Teach" Tennant, who guides her to the top, falls out with her, but is movingly reconciled with her at the end. The rest of the cast are good too. And this is definitely a film worth seeing for any serious tennis fan and especially of the women's game as it reveals the life and times of one it's most iconic and cherished competitors.