Seize the Day is a 1986 television film directed by Fielder Cook. It stars Robin Williams, Jerry Stiller and Joseph Wiseman, and is based on the novel of the same name by Saul Bellow, It was broadcast on the PBS "Great Performances" series in May 1987. Plot summary The story is set in 1956. After losing his job as a traveling salesman of children's furniture, Tommy Wilhelm leaves Massachusetts for New York City. He is under financial strain because of the financial demands of his wife, from whom he is separated. He moves into the same hotel housing his physician father, Dr. Adler, with whom he has a strained relationship. Flashbacks show Tommy's past, how he moved to Los Angeles, changed his name, and tried to become an actor, which failed. His marriage failed because he left his wife, and he is estranged from their two sons. In New York, Tommy becomes involved with Dr. Tamkin, an acquaintance of his father who speculates in the commodities market. He agrees to open an account managed by Tamkin on a 50-50 basis, but Tamkin persuades Tommy to put up most of the money. When prices decline and Tommy wants to cash in the account, Tamkin urges Tommy to remain calm and seize the day. The commodities venture collapses, and he has lost his life savings and cannot even pay his hotel bill. His estranged wife is unsympathetic and his father refuses to help him or even provide emotional support. Tommy tries to find Tamkin, who has vanished. He winds up at a stranger's funeral, where he cries and is mistaken for a mourner. Cast Robin Williams as Tommy Wilhelm Jerry Stiller as Dr. Tamkin Joseph Wiseman as Dr. Adler Richard B. Shull as Rojax David Bickford as Son-in-Law Glenne Headly as Olive Stephen Strimpell as Stockbroker Katherine Borowitz as Margaret John Fiedler as Carl Jo Van Fleet as Mrs. Einhorn Allen Swift as Maurice Venice Production Williams' casting in the role was billed as a sharp departure from his previous comic roles, such as the TV series Mork and Mindy, though he had previously appeared in dramatic roles, including The World According to Garp. Williams described it as "kind of like a Jewish Greek drama." The movie was filmed over a thirty-day period in New York City, longer than most television movies on commercial networks at the time but far shorter than