Despite its far-fetched plotline, the made-for-TV Summer of My German Soldier was popular with audiences and critics alike. The film is set in Georgia during World War II. Bruce Davison plays Anton Reiker, a German POW assigned to work at a local farm. Reiker escapes, taking refuge in a barn owned by the Bergens, a Jewish family. At first terrified by her "guest," teen-aged Patty Bergen (Kristy McNichol) falls in love with Anton, zealously hiding him from the rest of her family and the authorities. First telecast October 30, 1978 The Summer of My German Soldier was based on a novel by Bette Grene. Esther Rolle, playing the Bergen's maid, won an Emmy for her performance; an additional nomination went to the script by Jane-Howard Hammerstein.