Mary Trimble wrote this TV adaptation of Ray Bradbury's short story. Brian Svrusis, a 12-year-old growing up in an small American town in the 1940s, comes to idolize mysterious stranger Fred Gwynne. Claiming that he's Charles Dickens, Gwynne holds Svrusis in thrall by revealing details of his "work in progress" Tale of Two Cities. The boy's fascination with Gwynne seriously erodes his relationship with his more pragmatic best friend. Any Friend of Nicholas Nickelby is a Friend of Mine was first telecast February 9, 1982, on PBS's American Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi