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Glenn Jordan

Glenn Jordan

Director and producer · Born April 5, 1936 (90) · San Antonio, Texas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Glenn Jordan (born April 5, 1936) is an award-winning American television director and producer. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Jordan directed multiple episodes of Family and has helmed numerous television movies, several based on real persons as diverse as Benjamin Franklin, George Armstrong Custer, Lucille Ball, Christa McAuliffe, and Karen Ann Quinlan. His directing credits include small-screen adaptions of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Les Misérables, Hogan's Goat, Eccentricities of a Nightingale, A Streetcar Named Desire, O Pioneers!, and A Christmas Memory. Additional television directing credits include Heartsounds, Sarah, Plain and Tall, To Dance with the White Dog, Barbarians at the Gate, The Long Way Home, and Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End. Jordan has directed three feature films: Only When I Laugh, The Buddy System, and Mass Appeal. Jordan has been nominated for thirteen Emmy Awards and won four, for producing the miniseries Benjamin Franklin for producing and directing the Hallmark Hall of Fame production Promise and for executive producing the HBO production[ "Barbarians at the Gate"]. He won two New York area Emmys for the PBS series ["Actor's Choice"] and ["New York Television Theater"].He won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series for Family and was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Specials or Movies for Television for Les Misérables. Three of his productions ("Benjamin Franklin" "Heartsounds" and "Promise") have won Peabody Awards. Description above from the Wikipedia article Glenn Jordan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 5, 1936 (90)
From
San Antonio, Texas
Works as
Director and producer
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 62 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 42% in 30 days

What are Glenn Jordan's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama20 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
33%
Morality
22%
Survival
18%
Self
14%
Society
8%
Power
4%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds13 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief10 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 29 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 10 · Dark 12

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 26 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 20 · Intense 4

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 20 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 23 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 15 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 7 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 9

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 20 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
17
Tense
14
Warm
11
Hopeful
11
Bittersweet
7
Other
13

How their films linger

Hopeful16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet18
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Glenn Jordan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Glenn Jordan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

62 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page.

  • Lucy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Midwives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Producer

  • Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End(1999)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Night Ride Home(1999)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Legalese(1998)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Long Way Home(1998)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • A Christmas Memory(1997)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Mary & Tim(1996)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • After Jimmy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Producer

  • Jake's Women(1996)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • A Streetcar Named Desire(1995)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • My Brother's Keeper(1995)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Jane's House(1994)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • To Dance with the White Dog(1993)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Barbarians at the Gate(1993)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • O Pioneers! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Producer

  • The Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Producer

  • Aftermath: A Test of Love(1991)

    Director · Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Sarah, Plain and Tall(1991)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Challenger(1990)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Home Fires Burning(1989)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Jesse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director

  • Echoes in the Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Producer

  • Echoes in the Darkness(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Promise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Producer

  • Something in Common (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director

  • Dress Gray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Toughlove(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Mass Appeal(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Heartsounds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • The Buddy System (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal(1982)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Princess and the Cabbie(1981)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Only When I Laugh(1981)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Women's Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Supervising Producer

  • The Family Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Les Miserables(1978)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Sunshine Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer(1977)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Delta County, U.S.A.(1977)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Displaced Person(1977)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Eccentricities of a Nightingale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

  • One of My Wives Is Missing(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Shell Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • Rock-a-Die Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • Song of the Succubus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • The Lives of Benjamin Franklin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • The Picture of Dorian Gray(1973)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • A Prowler in the Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Frankenstein (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Frankenstein (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Particular Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director

  • Hogan's Goat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director · Producer

  • The Typists (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Paradise Lost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director · Producer

  • Dragon Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Producer

  • Let Me Hear You Whisper(1969)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 271 episodes · Director · Producer

Career shape

A full career of 62 titles from 1951 to 2003.

Biggest box office

Only When I Laugh (1981)

$26M worldwide

Highest rated

Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Echoes in the Darkness (1987)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing62 of 62: 36 only directing, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score54thProducing26 of 62: 0 only producing, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score55th

62 titles, 26 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 26 of them.

By decade

1950s1 · crew1960s1 · crew1970s25 · crew1980s15 · crew1990s18 · crew2000s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Glenn Jordan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 29; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 51st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Reach · how many have seen their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th13
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · director, producer

Let Me Hear You Whisper (1969)

98th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, producer

To Dance with the White Dog (1993)

Midcredits 87th · 79% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 52/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Glenn Jordan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Glenn Jordan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David A. Simmons shares the most, 8.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers