Adam Thornton (Edward Asner), a grumpy, ill-tempered executive who walked out on his wife and family some years before, learns from his doctor (John Randolph) that he only has a little time left to live (30 to 90 days). He decides that he wants to make peace with his wife and family, and to have one last reunion of the family at Christmas before he dies. He confides this information to his estranged wife Kate (Maureen Stapleton) -- but when his doctor says that it won't be good for him to travel, she suggests that they should call their four adult children and invite them all to come home for Christmas.
Adam agrees to this scheme, but only with the provision that the adult children must not be told of his illness and impending death. The major problem is that most of them are not exactly fond of their father, not only because he walked out on their mother (Adam's estranged wife Kate), but also because he has an ill-tempered and stubborn nature. Adam is nervous about seeing his adult children again, including the eldest son Tom (Lawrence Pressman), who ultimately figures out why his father asked all of them to come home for Christmas. However, Adam is the most nervous about seeing Bud (Gregory Harrison), to whom he hasn't spoken for several years since he had an angry argument with Bud regarding the Vietnam War and Bud's subsequent move to Canada in order to avoid the draft.
The film was followed by the 1979 sequel The Gathering, Part II, which picked up two years after Adam's death (Edward Asner did not appear in it), and largely concerned Kate's relationship with a new man (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). It was also produced by Hanna-Barbera.[2]
The film was released on DVD on Christmas 2009 by Warner Home Video through its Warner Archive label. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. This release includes The Gathering - Part II as a bonus.
