The Thorn Birds (TV miniseries)

The Thorn Birds is an American television miniseries broadcast on ABC from Marchto 30, 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, and Philip Anglim. It was directed by Daryl Duke and based on a novel by Colleen McCullough. The series was enormously successful and became the United States second highestrated miniseries of all time behind Roots both series were produced by television veteran David L. Wolper.

The novel begins in New Zealand on December 8, 1915, Meggie Clearys fourth birthday. The miniseries begins in Australia five years later.In the novel, Meggie Clearys titian red hair is mentioned frequently, and used as a plot device. Rachel Ward, who played Meggie in the miniseries, had auburn hair which is a reddishbrown. In the miniseries, Meggie and Stuart visit Frank in prison, where Frank eventually dies. In the novel, Ralph acts as a gobetween and no one in the Cleary family sees Frank until he is released from prison afteryears. ........

Source: Wikipedia