AllMovie

The 2-hour pilot for Michael Landon's celestial TV weekly Highway to Heaven was first shown on September 19, 1984. Landon stars as Jonathan Smith, a novice Guardian Angel sent to earth to do good deeds. Jonathan is far from perfect, as he proves on his first assignment, wherein he tries to save a retirement home from being sold out from under its elderly residents, including Special Guest Overactor Helen Hayes. Along the way, Jonathan renews the faith of ex-cop Mark Gordon, who as played by Victor French would remain a regular on the subsequent Highway to Heaven series. Though that series was always very careful in depicting its spirituality, the name of God was somewhat tastelessly invoked in the print ads for the initial Highway to Heaven pilot film.