By Pat Centner, AFA Journal staff writer

May 2001 – Christy, Choices of the Heart, a two-part mini-series will air Sunday, May 13 at 9:00 p.m. and Monday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m., Eastern and Pacific Times. The two new films will take you back in time to the early 1900s and Cutter Gap, a small settlement in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. There you'll find Christy Huddleston and the beloved characters that originally graced the pages of Catherine Marshall's novel Christy, and later charmed viewers in the TV series by the same name. 

The new films draw on Marshall's best-selling novel as the basis for the mini-series, as did the 1994 TV series on CBS. Although a fictional account, Christy reflects the life of Marshall's mother, Leonora Wood. It tells the story of a young woman who leaves her well-to-do family and travels far back into the hills of Tennessee to teach children at a mission school. Marshall's beautifully descriptive stories of Christy's faith and determination to make a difference in the lives of the poor, but fiercely proud, residents of Cutter Gap have endeared her to people everywhere. 

The May 13 film, A Change of Seasons, will focus on the testing of Christy's faith in God and, on the 14th, A New Beginning will culminate with Christy as a radiant bride, having finally chosen one of the two men she's long been torn between. 

Tom Blomquist, executive producer and co-writer of the new series, says he wants prospective viewers to know beforehand that it's not necessary for them to have prior knowledge of Christy, either as a book or a TV series. 

Lauren Lee Smith, a model and actress from Vancouver, British Columbia, is new to the role of Christy. Smith says she is thrilled to have been picked for the role. "Even though I feel I'm still just starting my career, I know that roles like Christy Huddleston don't come along very often. I knew how special the original series was, and it was a dream come true to be involved with something like that." 

"We wanted the sets, the costumes, the props, everything, to be as authentic to the descriptions in the novel as we could make them, and that takes a lot of money," Blomquist adds. "We weren't able to pay some of the cast and crew members as much as they could make on other films. But they were more than willing to work for less, just because they wanted to be a part of this project. Not a day went by that one of them didn't thank me for the opportunity." 

The fact that Christy is returning to the small screen is an incredible story within itself, and it involves a lot of very special, important people, Blomquist observes. 

First, and foremost, are the thousands of Christy fans who have worked so hard to keep alive their dream for a returning TV series, Blomquist explains. Their unquenchable enthusiasm and support are evidenced by dozens of websites and an online community of fans who have spent untold hours sending thousands of E-mails and making hundreds of phone calls, all geared to promote the ultimate return of Christy. 

It took many people, working together to make the stories come to life, Blomquist says. Some who played vital roles in the project were Jeff Sagansky, PAX TV president; Nancy LeSourd, family member and spokeswoman for the Catherine Marshall family; and actor/producer John Schneider. 

Blomquist says the way the pieces fell together was miraculous. "This whole experience has made me much less pessimistic about the TV business," he says, "that something like this, the revival of a long-deceased project that I loved, that it would even be possible, has reinvigorated my sense of optimism. From a personal perspective, I have been able to suspend all the normal rules, expectations and challenges of my life and go live, once again, with these characters I love so much."   

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