Lawrence Kerwin stars as James Hunter, a gawky Oregon teenager who moves to Boston with his family. Suffering the requisite growing pains and insecurities, James has a few problems "fitting in" with his new crowd. The boy's sincerity and likeability eventually wins the day, but the ending of the film is left open-ended enough to accommodate the subsequent TV series. Linden Chiles and Lynn Carlin co-star as James' parents, while Kate Jackson plays an "older woman" art student who sets James on the right course when the boy tries to run away from home. This 2-hour pilot first aired on September 5, 1977; the series proper (its name changed to James at 16 on the occasion of the protagonist's first sexual experience!) premiered on October 27, 1977. Kate Jackson won an Emmy nomination as an Outstanding Lead Actress for a single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series " for her role in James at 15.

James At 15 was one of TV's more honest attempts at portraying the pains and joys of growing up in the 70's. 15-year-old James was a bright, sensitive teenager who found his world completely turned upside down when his father, a college professor, moved the family from Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts in order to accept a new teaching position.

At first, James tried to run away; then he began to learn how to cope with life in a new city. Among his new friends at Bunker Hill High School were: Marlene, a "plain Jane," very intelligent girl who always took the intellectual point of view and Sly, his hip black best friend who always had a little bit of advice or, as he called it, "Slychology," when James needed it. Sandy was his teenage sister and Kathy was their older sister.

James was an avid photographer and also a daydreamer. One of the best elements of the series was his periodic lapses into daydreaming of himself as he would like it to be - heroic & suave - portrayed in special, dreamlike sequences. Although there was some comedy in James At 15, the subject matter was often rather serious: teenage alcoholism, venereal disease, a young friend who was dying of cancer and finding out that sister Kathy was having a premarital affair.

The most controversial episode was one in which James lost his virginity in an affair with a Swedish exchange student, Christina Kollberg (played by Kirsten Baker).

Although subject matter in this show was tastefully handled and NBC had high hopes for it, it did not attract a large audience and was canceled after its first year. Effective February 9, 1978 - the episode in which James lost his virginity - the show was renamed to James At 16.

James at 15 is available only on vhs. It hasn't been yet released on DVD. You can order it online or be lucky enough to track it on Ebay.