I have vague memories of watching this TV movie, as a teenager back in 1977, and always wanted to watch it again when I saw it mentioned anywhere. Until this month, it never seemed to be anywhere to watch, but is currently on Peacock. (After writing this review, I see it can now be watched at Amazon in various ways.) It starts off with the freak horseback riding accident that killed 16-year-old Mary White, the daughter of noted Kansas journalist William Allen White. Her father, well played by Ed Flanders, is narrating the story in flashbacks. He's actually reading the obituary he wrote for her. He does so without tears and without rage. He obviously accepts her death and does not see her or the family as unfairly victimized by the universe.

Mary was a crusader like her father, someone trying to right the injustices in the world. Unfortunately, that all quickly became tiresome in this film. Mary's self-righteousness and anger at not conquering all the country's evils becomes boring. Add to this her anger as being seen as her father's daughter and not a person in her own right, as well as being seen as Peter Pan by her father, and I had to start resisting the temptation of turning off the movie for good. Don't get me wrong here. There was nothing wrong with Mary White's desire to help others and improve the world. There was something wrong with the script of this movie.

It received an Emmy for best writing, too! This was back in the 1970s, however, when impressionable teenagers, like me, as well as others born after WWII, often felt we had to do something important and change the world, or our lives would be meaningless. Mary White fit right in with the 1970s, expressing the feelings of many teenagers at that time period, even though she lived in the early 1900s. Plus, seeing someone die tragically in their teens is another thing that can deeply move a teenager. It's truly too bad the writer of this film didn't give Mary White the type of excellent lines given to William Allen White. Instead she was given truly tiresome, repetitious dialogue.

Memorable! This exquisite production brings to life the words of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, William Allen White in reminiscence after the death of his teenaged daughter in 1921. This is a feast for the literate, the discerning and the humanist. It must also be the peak realization of Ed Flanders' memorable career. He is well remembered here for his brilliant portrayal of the author.

On November 18, 1977 everyone in Emporia tuned in to watch "Mary White", the made-for-TV movie about our hometown girl. That year was the only time I saw the work, but it stayed vivid in my mind. So, recently for a gift to myself, I bought the DVD of this movie filmed in my hometown.

From the beginning we know Mary dies. This film dramatizes what the White family, Emporia and, perhaps, the world lost. Because of her father's editorial fame and by her 16th year, Mary had dined with presidents, chatted with literati and consorted with the social thinkers of the day, all in her own home. She was bright, self-actualizing and a champion for doing the right thing. Then in 1921, she dies. Her father grieves in the only way he knows, through the press; and the world comes to know of Mary White, so much so that 56 years after her death, this work was filmed. Mary White was a remarkable young woman, and she is played superbly by Kathleen Beller.

The made-for-TV movie takes some dramatic license with the facts, has period gaffes and seasonal continuity problems (it was filmed in the spring); but, on the whole, is an inspiring and poignant portrayal of a teenage girl with a social conscience and the courage to work for change. I can only think of what contribution Mary would have made as an adult. Would her contribution have eclipsed her father and brother?

The William Allen White home is now an official site of the Kansas State Historical Society, open to the public. Many of the scenes in this film were shot within and on the grounds of Mary White's home.