Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Highway to Heaven, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989.  The entire show is currently streaming on Freevee and several other services!

This week, Highway to Heaven moved me to tears.

Episode 2.13 “Alone”

(Dir by Michael Landon, originally aired on January 8th, 1986)

Arnie (played by John Franklin, the head little baddie in the original version of Children of the Corn) is a developmentally challenged boy who ran away from home because his father was abusive.  Now, he lives in a box in an alley and his only companion is an adorable calico kitty that he’s named Thomas.  (Some, I know, will be tempted to point out that almost all calico cats are female but it should also be remembered that cats also don’t care what we name them as long as we remember to pet and feed them.)  On his birthday, he steals a muffin, a candle, and a can of tuna.  While Thomas eats, Arnie wishes that he could have just one friend.

*sniff*  Sorry, got something in my eye….

Suddenly, Jonathan and Mark are standing in front of him.  Jonathan introduces himself as an angel and says that he’s here to make Arnie’s wish come true.

Sorry, I’m getting teary-eyed here.

Jonathan and Mark have gotten a job as construction workers for a rancher named Morgan (Gerald Gordon).  Morgan’s son, Larry (Danny McMurphy), spends all of his time in bed because he never feels well enough to go outside.  There’s nothing physically wrong with Larry.  Instead, his illness is a result of his depression over his parents splitting up.

As you can probably guess, Arnie does meet Larry.  And they do become friends.  And Arnie does give his birthday wish to Larry so that Larry can be healthy and so his parents will get back together.  And yes, Morgan and Larry do end up adopting both Arnie and Thomas.

I’ll admit that I cried while watching this episode.  Make no mistake, there was a part of me that realized just how heavy-handed the episode was.  I knew I was being manipulated and occasionally, I did resent how blatant it all was.  But I still cried, because it was a sweet story and Thomas the Calico was such a sweet kitty.  It was manipulative (there’s that word again, I know) but the themes of the story — friendship, loneliness, sadness, and the joy of taking care of an animal — were all universal and the manner that they were dealt with was almost achingly sincere.  When Jonathan admonished a store owner for wanting to call the police just because Arnie stole some cat food to feed his only companion, it’s obvious that Landon was speaking from the heart.  This episode was the epitome of Highway to Heaven — unashamedly sentimental, not at all subtle, and far more effective than it perhaps had any right to be.