Kim Darby & William Shatner in The People (1972)

So often TV movies are wonderful trash - fun to watch, but campy and without depth. This film is the rare exception. Melodye Amerson (Darby) leaves a complicated life in the city behind to live among an isolated group of people in a rural valley as their school teacher. Upon arrival she finds the children hard to reach and the townspeople closed and uncommunicative. As she tries to make progress with the kids she begins to discover a remarkable truth about the community that sets them apart. Instead of giving in to their fear of her knowledge of their secret, the people find the courage to accept her and grow into their gifts.

This lovely film, produced by Francis Ford Coppola and based on a series of books by Zenna Henderson, has warmth and a gentleness that is uncommon in popular entertainment. Look for a restrained, likable William Shatner as a country doctor. It's available on DVD, though the transfer is very poor quality, according to most of the reviews. It's also above, available in full on YouTube, uploaded by TVTERRORLAND.

Obscurity factor: 8 (on DVD & YouTube, largely forgotten)