One of the very first times I watched actress Tyne Daly practice her craft was in a made for television 1974 movie, “Larry,” which was based on a true story.
At that time, I really didn’t know who Tyne Daly was, nor that she was then daughter of actor James Daly.
The story in “Larry,” was unforgettable, not the usual fare for TV movies. It was about a young man who had been living in a “home” for mentally challenged people for more than 20 years. At a casual glance, there wasn’t anything remarkable about these circumstances, until Tyne Daly’s character, a nurse, discovered the unusual fact that Larry had been dumped at the home without anyone confirming his condition.
What made it even more compelling was that Daly and other medical personnel began to conduct tests that eventually would show that Larry didn’t belong in the home because he wasn’t really “retarded.” It was learned that Larry started living in the home as a toddler and he took on behavior and actions that would be considered proof he was indeed mentally challenged. It was a strange twist on the adage, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
The piece de resistance came when Larry told told Daly he felt sorry for all the young people he formerly claimed as friends, noting they would never get out of the home and they would have to be cared for until they died.
Larry was sent out into the world to attempt basic living tasks, and it was troublesome that some people tried to take advantage of him. Yet the medical personnel knew they had to let go of him.
A couple of decades later, I applied the lessons of this movie to my step aunt, Jean Goodwin, who at a very early age was believed to suffer from mild “retardation.” After her father died, she and her mom, Marguerite Goodwin of Croton, proprietor of Goodwin’s Market, moved into a small home and sold the market.
I became painfully suspicious and aware that Jean wasn’t really mentally challenged. Because she had absolutely horrible eyesight, she was sent to special homes in the 1940s and 1950s. She certainly was unusual in her behavior, almost childlike and simple. However, she see,ed to be very aware of everything that was going on around her.
But in 1983, her mother died, and she faced the task of living alone in the nearby community of Newaygo. She was able to get by on social security and she continued to attend the Newaygo United Methodist Church, which made up the vast majority of her social life.
Somewhere along the line, she was able to have an operation to improve her eyesight. After the procedure, she was greatly impressed and excited by what she now could see, in contrast to her life beforehand. It was as though a whole new world opened up for her.
Then came the news that she and a man were getting friendly in church, eventually leading them to get married. After the ceremony, Jean’s brother, Wayland football coach Wayne Goodwin flatly declared, “If Grandma Goodwin was still alive, that would have never happened.”
Indeed, when I spoke at her funeral years later, I advanced the notion that Jean’s life began when she was 50 years old, lost her mother, had serious corrective eye surgery, lived on her own and then met a man who married her.
“They say that life begins at 40,” I said, “But in Jean’s case it began at 50.”
She died of cancer not long ago, leaving her devoted husband broken hearted. But through all of the developments, I came to believe that Jean was just like Larry. She had been misdiagnosed as “retarded” in her youth when actually her real problem was serious vision problems.
To this day, I feel good when I recall that she was able to overcome the misunderstandings people had about her.
A lot like Larry.
