SAGET'S `HOPE' IS TRIBUTE TO HIS SISTER.Byline: Nancy Hewitt Daily News Staff Writer Bob Saget <noinclude></noinclude> Robert Lane Saget (born May 17, 1956) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer, director, producer, and game show host. He is well known for his role as Danny Tanner in the ABC sitcom Full House has laughed in the face of death. He has also cried - two years ago, the host of ``America's Funniest Home Videos'' and former star of ``Full House'' lost his only sister, Gay, to scleroderma scleroderma or progressive systemic sclerosis Chronic disease that hardens the skin and fixes it to underlying structures. Swelling and collagen buildup lead to loss of elasticity. The cause is unknown. , a collagen-related disease that hardens the skin and quite often attacks the internal organs. Saget wanted to share her story, but his pain was too raw to write it himself. He recalls being on the set of ``Full House'' just after his sister died. ``Lori Loughlin Lori Anne Loughlin (pronounced LOCK-lin) (July 28, 1964) is an American actress who gained prominence in the 1990s as playing the wife of John Stamos's character, Rebecca Donaldson, on ABC's, Full House. Recently, she played Dr. (a `Full House' co-star) said to me: `Why don't you do a movie about your sister? You wanted to direct.' Then, my publicist said, `Why don't you do a movie? (about your sister)' and I just cried,'' he said. ``For Hope,'' written by Susan Rice and directed by Saget, who also is one of the executive producers, airs Nov. 17. The telepic, based loosely on Gay's two-year battle with scleroderma, stars Dana Delany (``China Beach'') as a school teacher and single mother who turns to her family for support when she becomes too ill to take care of herself. Polly Bergen Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin on July 14, 1930) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress, singer, and entrepreneur. Biography Early life Bergen was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. , Harold Gould Harold V. Goldstein (best known stage name Harold Gould) (born December 10, 1923) is a five-time Emmy Award-nominated American actor best known for playing Martin Morgenstern in the 1970s sitcom Rhoda, a role he reprised from his earlier recurring role in , Henry Czerny Henry Czerny (ʧeɾniː; born February 1959) is a Canadian actor. Czerny was born to Polish parents in Toronto, Canada.[1] His mother was a bakery worker and his father a welder. , Tracy Nelson Tracy Nelson is the name of several American artists:
According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Saget, `` `For Hope' is a dark comedy filled with odd humor. It's how my family dealt with (his sister's illness and death).'' Delany agrees. ``The movie is funny and irreverent, but it's not like a disease-of-the-week film.'' An example of this odd humor Saget refers to is captured in an early scene in the film where Hope is crying in her mother's arms. ``I'm supposed to be taking care of you, not you taking care of me. I'm so ashamed,'' she sobs. At this point her father (Gould) enters the room and exclaims: ``You know we've been waiting for you kids to move out so we can get a divorce.'' The three of them erupt in laughter. Scleroderma is a disease that either affects the skin by causing it to lose elasticity or it attacks the heart, lungs and kidneys as well as destroying the esophagus. Sharon Monsky Sharon Monsky (October 23, 1953 in Omaha, Nebraska - May 11, 2002) was the founder of the Scleroderma Research Foundation.[1] Monsky was an Olympics figure skating contender, winning the Senior Ladies Gold Medal Compulsory Skating Award in 1965. , a California businesswoman, is a survivor of scleroderma. The founder of the Scleroderma Research Center in Santa Barbara was diagnosed in 1982 and given less than 10 years to live. She has a cameo role as herself in the film. Despite the fact her face is disfigured dis·fig·ure tr.v. dis·fig·ured, dis·fig·ur·ing, dis·fig·ures To mar or spoil the appearance or shape of; deform. [Middle English disfiguren, from Old French desfigurer , her hands are not always reliable due to lack of blood flow, and she is in constant pain, this diminutive crusader continues to fight. ``I'm on a mission to find a cure,'' she said. ``My husband and my children keep me going. But I know in a couple of years - in two years - fewer people will die.'' Monsky refers to the research currently being done that indicates a cure could be found in as little as two years but more likely five years. Scleroderma kills. ``Over 80 percent of its victims are women, primarily of childbearing age, the majority of whom die from kidney, heart or lung failure within seven years,'' Saget explained. His voice softens when he talks about his sister and how bravely she fought. ``She was always so unrelentingly positive. She was always saying `I'm gonna beat it,'' he said. Saget contends that ``For Hope'' is truly a tribute to his sister and his family. He was especially pleased when Rice produced a ``fabulous first draft'' after living with the Saget family for a week. He also commends Delany for her portrayal of a dying woman. ``Dana reached into the depths of her soul,'' he said. ``No one's ever seen her like this. She had to endure six hours of makeup to show the disfiguring.'' Although he admits to being very proud of the film, he adds that he has not been able to sit all the way through it. ``Filming it was easy, there were so many people around,'' he explained. ``Editing it was the hardest thing to do. Having to watch her die a thousand times - enough already.'' Saget's voice is tinged with pride when he recalls his sister's last days.``(I remember) how strong she became the sicker she got.'' Monsky also expressed her excitement about the film. ``It's very good. It's based on a true story. And it's a launching point for people to make a difference, especially if they don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. about scleroderma,'' she said. According to Saget, more than a half-million people have scleroderma, making it almost as common as muscular dystrophy muscular dystrophy (dĭs`trōfē), any of several inherited diseases characterized by progressive wasting of the skeletal muscles. There are five main forms of the disease. and multiple sclerosis. While working on the film, he learned that ``Seinfeld'' co-star Jason Alexander's sister has scleroderma. Bergen's sister was diagnosed with the disease just before filming began. She had been suffering for a long time, but didn't know what was wrong. Delany said she has two hopes for the film: ``My main hope is that people are educated about scleroderma because we are on the brink of a breakthrough,'' she said. ``My second hope,'' she continued. ``is that people realize how talented he (Saget) is. There's a stigma against him from the video shows. He's such a fine director. I would really like to work with him again.'' When: 9 p.m. Nov. 17 Network: ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. Starring: Dana Delany, Polly Bergen CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Cover--Color) Polly Bergen, left, Dana Delany and Harold Gould co-star in `For Hope,' the story of one woman's struggle to survive incredible odds (2) Clockwise from bottom left, Bob Saget, Henry Czerny, Dana Delany and Sharon Monsky share Hope's story. |
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