In 1976, a television miniseries of Captains and the Kings was made. Directed by Douglas Heyes and Allen Reisner, it starred Richard Jordan, Ray Bolger, Patty Duke Astin, Joanna Pettet, and Barbara Parkins. It was one of the first such miniseries, and, because another syndicate hastened to purchase Testimony of Two Men, Caldwell was the only author with the distinction of having two such miniseries going at the same time. Caldwell was never partial to scenes of sexual descriptions, so the miniseries was forced to make numerous additions. Caldwell herself did not follow much of the miniseries; she was confused by the added sex scenes and, at the time, she was almost totally deaf.

But according to Jess Steam, the miniseries made apparent the reason that her books were never successfully converted to motion pictures. They are simply too long. Only a ten- or twelve -hour miniseries made for...