Character Relationship Map: Kent State

Characters

• Allison Krause (played by Jane Fleiss) — protagonist

  A nineteen-year-old Kent State University student who becomes one of the four young people killed when Ohio National Guardsmen open fire on May 4, 1970. The film dramatizes her anti-Vietnam War involv...

• Barry Levine (played by Charley Lang) — protagonist

  Allison Krause's boyfriend and a Kent State student who is with her at the May 4 rally. He is at her side when the National Guard firing begins and is part of the small circle of students whose storie...

• Sandy Scheuer (played by Talia Balsam) — supporting

  A twenty-year-old speech therapy major at Kent State who is shot and killed while walking to class on May 4, 1970, although she was not part of the protest. She is portrayed as one of the four student...

• Jeff Miller (played by Keith Gordon) — supporting

  A Kent State University student who joins the anti-war demonstration on May 4, 1970, and is one of the four students killed by National Guard gunfire. His death is one of the pivotal moments recreated...

• Bill Schroeder (played by Jeff McCracken) — supporting

  A nineteen-year-old Kent State student and ROTC cadet who becomes one of the four students fatally shot by the National Guard on May 4, 1970. The film portrays him among the victims whose lives ended...

• Robbie (played by Peter Miner) — supporting
• Prof. Glenn Frank (played by Michael Higgins) — supporting

  A Kent State University geology professor who serves as a faculty marshal during the May 1970 protests and witnesses the National Guard shooting of the students. His scenes provide a faculty perspecti...

• Cody (played by Michael Horton) — supporting
• Prof. Ted Arnold (played by John Getz) — supporting
• Sharon (played by Ann Gillespie) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Prof. Ted Arnold → Allison Krause (Professional Mentor) — Faculty member providing guidance to student activists
• Jeff Miller → Prof. Ted Arnold (Professional Student-Professor) — Student and faculty relationship at Kent State
• Allison Krause → Prof. Glenn Frank (Professional Student-Professor) — Student and faculty relationship at Kent State
• Prof. Glenn Frank → Prof. Ted Arnold (Professional Colleague) — Faculty members at Kent State University
• Cody → Sharon (Romantic Interest) — Dating relationship between students

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Sharon → Sandy Scheuer (Social Friend) — College friends who were both victims of the shootings
• Cody → Robbie (Social Friend) — Student friends involved in the protest activities
• Bill Schroeder → Robbie (Social Friend) — College friends who attended the protests together
• Sandy Scheuer → Jeff Miller (Social Friend) — Fellow students who were both victims of the shootings
• Allison Krause → Barry Levine (Social Friend) — Student activists who participated in the protests together
• Sandy Scheuer → Bill Schroeder (Alliance Fellow Protester) — Student activists united in their opposition to the Vietnam War
• Allison Krause → Jeff Miller (Alliance Fellow Protester) — Student activists united in their opposition to the Vietnam War
• Barry Levine → Robbie (Alliance Student Protesters) — Allied in the anti-war protest
• Jeff Miller → Bill Schroeder (Social Student Friends) — Fellow students at Kent State
• Allison Krause → Sandy Scheuer (Social Student Friends) — Fellow students at Kent State

Story Analysis

The supplied reference presents a 1981 television movie about the Kent State shootings and describes its production, source material, and screenplay history.

Plot Progression

1. The Historical Subject — The supplied reference identifies the film as a 1981 American television movie about the Kent State shootings. It establishes the historical event as the work's central subject.
2. A Major Television Production — The film was directed by James Goldstone and reportedly cost five million dollars. It was filmed at Gadsden State Junior College in Alabama.
3. Books Behind The Project — The project drew on James Michener's Kent State: What Happened and Why? and The Kent State Coverup. Michener's commercial reputation helped sell the project to NBC.
4. Rewritten For Production — Gerald Green wrote the original script, while Richard Kramer later rewrote it. The reference reports that cast members were unhappy with the changes.