Fresno

Fresno

Year: 1000

Runtime: 360 mins

Language: English

Director: Jeff Bleckner

ComedyDrama

The power, the passion, the produce—these define the battle in Fresno, California, where the once‑prosperous Kensington family’s raisin empire has slipped into hard times. Widowed matriarch Charlotte strives to rescue the family’s legacy, but a bitter power struggle with rival raisin magnate Tyler Cane threatens to destroy everything they have built.

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Timeline & Setting – Fresno (1000)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Fresno (1000). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Present day

Set in present-day California, the film situates a high-stakes battle over water in a modern agricultural empire. It blends contemporary business deals, legal schemes, and media attention with long-standing family loyalties. The story unfolds across ranches, lakes, and towns linked by the politics of water and wealth.

Location

Fresno, California, Duke Lake, Sacramento, California, Bakersfield, California

Fresno sits in California's Central Valley, a major agricultural hub famous for raisins and grape production. The story centers on Duke Lake and surrounding ranches where water rights govern who controls land and profits. The area is defined by competitive farming, family feuds, and the tension between safeguarding resources and expanding wealth, with Sacramento acting as the distant backdrop for patent proceedings and Bakersfield linked through the route of the characters.

💧 Water 🚜 Agriculture 🌞 Central Valley climate

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 at 01:00

Main Characters – Fresno (1000)

Meet the key characters of Fresno (1000), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Ethel Duke (Louise Latham)

An influential neighbor and landowner whose stake in Duke Lake’s water rights anchors Fresno’s power struggle. Her death from a ricochet sets off investigations and shifts in loyalty among the key players. She embodies the old guard of resource control and family influence in the valley.

💧 Water rights 🏛️ Influence 🧭 Legacy

Talon Kensington (Teri Garr)

A social force within the Kensington clan, she manipulates family dynamics and strategizes to protect the family’s wealth. Her presence adds romantic and political tension as alliances shift around the water dispute. She embodies both charm and calculating pragmatism in the pursuit of power.

💼 Social influence 💡 Strategy 🫶 Relationships

Tucker Agajanian (Jerry Van Dyke)

A loyal ranch-hand whose steady presence contrasts with the rising chaos of the power struggle. He becomes entangled in Cane’s schemes, illustrating how corporate conflicts ripple through everyday workers on the land. His steadiness is tested as loyalties are challenged.

👨‍🌾 Loyalty 🧭 Dependability 💤 Pressure

Tyler Cane (Dabney Coleman)

The ruthless former partner turned antagonist who brokers dangerous deals like the Acme Toxic Waste arrangement. He uses manipulation and fear to consolidate control over water resources. His schemes propel the conflict toward a potentially catastrophic outcome.

⚡ Power 🗡️ Manipulation 💣 Danger

Charlotte Kensington (Carol Burnett)

Owner of the Kensington ranch, a sharp strategist who maneuvers to secure her family’s legacy. Her investigations into past events reveal personal secrets that complicate loyalties. She is both a facilitator of plans and a victim of the web of intrigue surrounding water rights.

🏛️ Leadership 🧠 Cunning 🕊️ Secrets

Cane Kensington (Charles Grodin)

The scheming patriarch who partners with Acme Toxic Waste to hijack the region’s water future. He leverages money and influence to overpower rivals, but his ruthlessness may backfire as the plot tightens around him. His ambition drives much of the conflict.

💰 Wealth 🕳️ Deception 🧭 Ambition

Kevin Kensington (Anthony Heald)

The nature-loving son who discovers dead fish in Duke Lake and becomes entangled in the consequences of environmental neglect. He aims to warn others, but ends up caught in legal and political crossfire. His moral concerns anchor the story’s ethical questions.

🌿 Conservation 🧭 Integrity ⚖️ Legal trouble

Juan (Luis Avalos)

The foreman entrusted with transporting the prototype raisins to the patent office. His interactions reveal the precarious position of workers in the sprawling power struggle. He confronts pressure from Cane’s side and faces danger on the road to Sacramento.

🚚 Labor 🧭 Risk 🏛️ Patent politics

Mr. Acme (Jeffrey Jones)

Head of Acme Toxic Waste, a key conspirator paid to dump waste and secure the deal that would tilt the water rights in Cane’s favor. His predicament escalates as the scheme spirals out of control. He becomes a symbol of corporate exploitation in the conflict.

💼 Corporate crime 🧪 Toxic waste 🕳️ Coercion

Tiffany Kensington (Valerie Mahaffey)

A Kensington daughter whose personal quest to find her real parents adds a human dimension to the clan’s turmoil. Her storyline intersects with Torch’s search for truth, deepening the mystery surrounding the family history. She embodies the theme of identity within a legacy-driven feud.

🧬 Identity 🧭 Family ties 💬 Personal quest

Torch (Gregory Harrison)

A mysterious stranger who saves Juan and begins quietly investigating Cane’s operation. His actions spark investigative threads that threaten to uncover uncomfortable truths. He acts as a catalyst for the unraveling of the conspiracy while maintaining an enigmatic presence.

🕵️ Mystery 🧠 Investigation 🔦 Catalyst

Candy Cane (Tammy Lauren)

A character drawn into the entanglements surrounding Earl Duke and Cane’s schemes. Her presence adds another layer of manipulation and danger to the plot, highlighting how personal loyalties are exploited for strategic gain.

🎭 Intrigue 🧩 Distraction 🗣️ Leverage

Earl Duke (Pat Corley)

A neighbor whose water rights and land are part of the broader dispute. His willingness to engage with different players tests the boundaries between neighborly relations and outright power plays. He becomes a bargaining piece in the race to control Duke Lake.

🗺️ Land rights 🧭 Negotiation 🤝 Alliances

Desiree DeMornay (Melanie Chartoff)

Assigned as the public defender amid the escalating case surrounding Duke Lake’s waters. She navigates a tangled web of legal pressure and personal loyalties, shaping the court of public opinion. Her role underscores the intersection of law and power in the Fresno power struggle.

⚖️ Law 🗣️ Public defender 🧩 Strategy

Bobbi Jo Bobb (Teresa Ganzel)

The maid who becomes wary of Cane’s schemes after overhearing crucial conversations. Her perspective illuminates how the conspiracy affects ordinary lives and raises questions about who can be trusted. Her presence adds a human touch to the unfolding drama.

🧏‍♀️ Witness 🗣️ Secrecy ⚠️ Caution

Billy Joe Bobb (Bill Paxton)

A hot-headed husband whose reactions to Cane’s machinations trigger a fatal chain of events. His impulsive actions amplify the stakes of the water-rights battle and catalyze significant consequences for many characters. His arc illustrates how personal rage can impact a community’s future.

💥 Impulsivity 🧯 Consequences 🧭 Fallout

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 at 01:00

Major Themes – Fresno (1000)

Explore the central themes of Fresno (1000), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💧 Water Rights

Water is more than a resource; it is a weapon and a currency in Fresno. The control of Duke Lake and the rights to the water supply drive alliances, betrayals, and legal battles. The plan to dump toxic waste in the lake reveals how environmental concerns intersect with profit and power.

💰 Power & Wealth

Family legacy and corporate ambition collide as the Kensingtons fight to secure their place in Fresno. Wealth buys influence, but it also attracts rivals and exposes vulnerabilities. The will, bank moves, and strategic deals show money shaping outcomes and masking motives.

🔍 Secrets & Betrayal

Hidden histories and whispered deals drive suspicion and paranoia among the players. past deaths, parentage questions, and covert alliances create a web of motive. Investigations sparked by Torch reveal how secrets can alter the course of a community’s fortune.

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 at 01:00

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