Following the event, despite the fact that millions
of Americans participated and a large amount of
publicity surrounded the charitable function (in-
cluding promotional ads on McDonald’s placemats
and commercials during the Super Bowl), Hands
Across America was deemed by many to be a failure.
Large gaps occurred in several places along the
route, sometimes spanning hundreds of miles, so
the chain had to be completed by ribbons and ropes.
In addition, while the event raised nearly $50 mil-
lion, it was so large and required so much organiza-
tional effort that it necessitated a staff of four hun-
dred and cost nearly $17 million to put together. In
the end, event organizers were able to donate only
$20 million to soup kitchens, food pantries, and
other organizations to help the hungry and home-
less across the country.
Impact Even though Hands Across America raised
far less money than organizers had hoped, the event
still served to raise public awareness of two impor-
tant social issues during the 1980’s: hunger and
homelessness. These issues were sometimes dismissed
during the decade, as general U.S. prosperity led to
denigration rather than sympathy for impoverished
Americans. The rising public awareness that ex-
treme poverty was a serious social problem in the
United States and that it was not caused by laziness
coincided with an increase in charitable donations
by the American public.
Further Reading
Beck, Melinda, et al. “A New Spirit of Giving.”News-
week,June 2, 1986, 18.
Hands Across America, May 25, 1986. New York:
Pocket Books, 1986.
Lindsay Schmitz
See also Business and the economy in the United
States; Farm Aid; Homelessness; Live Aid; USA for
Africa.
Hannah, Daryl
Identification American actor
Born December 3, 1960; Chicago, Illinois
Hannah overcame personal inhibitions and won recogni-
tion in her film roles to become a Hollywood icon of the
1980’s.
Daryl Hannah was a shy and sickly child, so her
mother, Susan, signed her up for dance lessons in
hopes of strengthening her legs. The tall, blond, and
willowy beauty was a talented ballet student, but she
chose to practice other forms of dance, as well as soc-
cer and track, at the Francis W. Parker School in Chi-
cago. In 1972, at the age of twelve, she debuted on
stage in a production ofWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
(pr. 1962). As a child with insomnia, Hannah began
watching movies late at night, developing an interest
that led her to enroll in acting classes at the Goodman
Theatre. In 1978, while still in high school, Hannah
played football and made her first movie appearance
in a small role in the thrillerThe Fur y.
After relocating to Los Angeles, Hannah met
Chuck Binder, who became her manager, and singer--
songwriter Jackson Browne, who became her boy-
friend. From 1981 to 1984, she landed seven roles,
including the part of the android Pris inBlade Run-
ner(1982), and participated in a Browne MTV pro-
motional video. In March, 1984, she appeared as
Madison, a beautiful mermaid, in the Disney movie
Splash. Cast with Tom Hanks and John Candy in
this fairy tale, Hannah exuded the ideal mixture of
splendor, sexuality, and innocence. Although not
comfortable with nudity, Hannah made the perfect
mermaid; since she knew how to scuba dive, she per-
formed the underwater parts herself. With this lead
role, Hannah became a star, and Disney earned
needed funds for its coffers.
Throughout the 1980’s, Hannah acted in a variety
of roles and worked opposite many leading actors.
Among her characters were: Diane, an actress and
aerobics instructor, inThe Pope of Greenwich Village
(1984); Ayla, a Cro-Magnon woman, in theClan of
the Cave Bear(1986); Mary, a two-hundred-year-old
ghost, inHigh Spirits(1986); and Annelle, a beauty-
salon worker, inSteel Magnolias(1989). Her costars
included Robert Redford inLegal Eagles(1986),
Steve Martin inRoxanne(1987), Michael Douglas in
Wall Street(1988), and Julia Roberts, Sally Fields,
Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, and Shirley Mac-
Laine inSteel Magnolias. Although the popularity of
her various films varied widely, Daryl Hannah re-
mained a strong attraction in movie genres that in-
cluded drama, romantic comedy, science fiction,
and thrillers.Impact Daryl Hannah’s role as Madison, a sexy yet
sweetly innocent girl with a fish tail, launched her ca-442 Hannah, Daryl The Eighties in America