I am looking for the title of a movie I watched on television as a
child that deeply affected me, but whose name and actors I cannot
recall, or never really ever knew.  I am 26 years old and the time
period was the mid to late 1980s in Toronto.  We did not have cable
television.  This movie involved a veteran mother New York City police
officer/detective, and her son, who was newly recruited to the same
police department.  They were searching for a serial subway murderer,
and rode the subways at nighttime in order try tracking the killer
down.  I do not know if this was a made for tv movie, or a normal
movie that was later played on television.  There were actual subway
scenes, and in one scene, the disappointed son who has just left his
Mom alone on the beat sees the serial killer on the train his mother
is riding from the platform as it pulls out of the station.  He
manages to jump on the train, and he and his Mom catch the killer
after a dramatic struggle, and the mother/son relationship normalizes.
 There were commercials during the movie, so it was not TVOntario or
PBS or anything like that.  I would really like to watch this movie
again now that I'm 26.  Any help would be appreciated.

Hello.

Your movie was "Detective Sadie and Son" (1987), also known as "Sadie and Son."

These reviews mention all the key elements that you describe (i.e., a
mother son team of New York City cops in pursuit of a subway
murderer):


"Debbie Reynolds is one of the last actresses you would expect to see
playing an unconventional cop with a nose for clues and a liking for
the rough stuff. But that's exactly what's on offer in this
fast-moving crime film, in which she is teamed with her lackadaisical
son on the case that will make or break her already chequered career.
After seeing Debbie play vigilante, you can just about swallow
anything, and thanks to British director John Llewellyn Moxey her
pursuit of a subway killer is often entertaining no matter how far it
oversteps the bounds of credibility."
http://www.rtguide.co.uk/servlet_film/com.icl.beeb.rtfilms.client.simpleSearchServlet?frn=4455&searchTypeSelect=5

"Sadie (Debbie Reynolds) is a salty, streetwise New York cop, forced
into early retirement. Her son (Brian McNamara) is a rookie police
officer. Carl Kleinschmidt's script contrives to have Sadie and Son
become partners"
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=128660

VHS at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6301528913


--------
"new york" cop "her son" movie
"sadie * son" subway

I hope this helps.

Oh my goodness, thank you so much!  That was wonderful!  Thank you so
much for your clear and concise help.  I will try to find a copy to
watch as my local video store does not have it.

Also see, "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot!" ;-)

www.tasteetees.com