MovieChat Forums > ABC Afterschool Specials (1972) Discussion > The Exchange Student

The Exchange Student

posted 19 years ago by mcade
9 replies | jump to latest

I seem to remember an episode from the mid 1980's about a girl from India who is a foreign exchange student coming to live with a family in the US and the american girl who is the same age is looking forward to her arrival but when they meet they have such differences in their clothes; manners; music, that they have trouble learning to adjust to one another.

The american girl sings and plays keyboards in a band and I believe likes rock music and has no interest in the Indian music favored by the exchange student. At the end, they learn to appreciate things in both cultures and become very close friends.

I think the exchange student's character name was Moneka if I remember correctly.

Does anyone else remember this and do you know if it is available anywhere? I only saw it once but really liked it.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] mamamiasweetpeaches 18 years ago

When I was a kid I taped that one off TV! I remember soooo much about it, bud sadly NOt the title (I've been looking myself!)
The little blonde teen's family goes to the airport to pick up the Indian Foreign exchange.....who, if memory serves, is wearing a cowboy hat cuz that's how she thought Americans dressed. they get home and blonde shows Indian girl the room they'll be sharing. She then gives Indian girl an ADAM ANT poster and Indian girl says "My mother would not approve of me having a man in my room". She gives girl an album of Indian music, that blonde girl wuickly dissmisses.
Blonde girl has a goofy brother named Todd who likes the Indian girl ...and two guys at school come to house to see Indian girl becasue they both like her. She breaks up an impending fight by explaining that she likes them both as friends.
Now blonde girl is in a band and needs a hook to seperate herself from other bands. So she plays the album Indian girl gave her and fuses some of the Inidan music sounds into HER music and it's a big hit. At her gig at a school dance she dedicates a number to her "sister", the Indian girl and the song goes something like:
"The two of us
Making our way together
I can give you the music
You can give me the soul
Two sepearte people
Suddenly becoming a whole".

Amazing that I remember so much, and cant remember the title!!!!! I would love to see it again.
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[–] mcade 18 years ago

That is the story EXACTLY! I am glad someone else remembers it too! It was a really good one and I wish I could remember the name of it. I thought it was called "The Exchange Student" but I cannot find any information on it.

I think the Indian girl's name was Moneka or something like that.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] mamamiasweetpeaches 18 years ago

FOUND IT! I GOOGLED and it came up as a CBS SCHOOLBREAK SPECIAL. It was called THE EXCHANGE STUDENT and it starred Paige Price as Julie, Neeta Puri as Maneka and Josh Hamilton as Todd!

Now...if only we could find out how to BUY a copy!

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[–] mcade 18 years ago

Great news! I will see if I can find someone who knows if this is available anywhere or if it is set to be released! I thought sure it was called The Exchange Student but couldn't remember for sure if it was a CBS SchoolBreak Special or ABC Afterschool Special.

Thanks for the info!

[–] cdkscully 15 years ago

That was a CBS Schoolbreak Special.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0876229/

[–] mcade 15 years ago

I have been in contact with Paige Price, the actress who costarred as well as the director Michael Uno and neither have a copy. The Library of Congress and I believe the UCLA Film and Television library hold copies but neither will issue a viewing copy.

Neither Ms. Price nor Mr. Uno have had any luck getting a copy either. If anyone out there has a copy, I would be quite interested in hearing from them as would Mr. Uno and Ms. Price. They would love seeing this again.