"Umbrella Jack" was an episode of YOUNG PEOPLE'S SPECIALS produced for HBO but often shown in Saturday morning time slots when younger viewers would catch it, location shooting in Louisville, Kentucky and French Lick, Indiana. Joey Lawrence was one of the top child stars at the time, with 78 year old John Carradine cast in the title role, a WW2 veteran still suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, carrying a battered umbrella around as it had belonged to his late mother, who died when he was still a young boy. The youngsters in this rural town join forces in taunting the 'weird' old man, until Joey's character Billy decides to find out more about the grizzled vet, even returning the Purple Heart that Jack earned as the only survivor of his regiment (too afraid to help a mortally wounded childhood friend). Loud thunder and firecrackers serve as a terrifying reminder of his cowardice, hardly the so-called hero that Billy envisions, bringing Jack cookies baked in his mother's kitchen, and going on fishing trips near his hut by the railroad tracks. His father decides to put his foot down in refusing to allow Billy to go near his elderly friend, but in sharing this with Jack the boy's foot gets caught in the path of an oncoming train, allowing a horrified Umbrella Jack to finally earn the Purple Heart after all. The two rarely saw each other again after that, but Billy lets us know how their friendship helped the lonely old man retain some of his lost humanity in his final days. Carradine's mostly silent performance was duly recognized with a Daytime Emmy, which he regarded as a gift for his seven decades in the service of acting, always a memorable screen presence despite his preference for the Shakespearean stage.