Porter had been told for many years that he was not employable, but he was determined to succeed and focused his efforts into working as a salesman for Watkins. Despite the awkwardness and pain of his condition, he would walk eight to ten miles a day to meet his customers. Porter supported himself, and continued to work as a salesman until age 69.[3]
Bill Porter has been living with cerebral palsy since birth. As an adult, he takes it upon himself to seek employment, but is met with rejection at various jobs. With the encouragement of his supportive mother Irene, Bill applies for a job as a door-to-door salesman for Watkins, a supplier of household items and baking products. At first, his overtures for the job are brushed off, but Bill's offer to take the least profitable route and work only for commissions convinces the hiring manager to give him a position. Bill's first day on the job gets off to a rocky start, as his route seems to be filled with surly would-be customers who are unwelcoming or uncomfortable with Bill's condition.
After the first few days of slammed doors and awkward interactions, Bill begins to doubt whether he is right for the job. Irene inspires him to not lose hope with a sandwich, and he works on improving his sales pitch. Soon, doors that were once slammed on Bill begin to stay open, and he is able to turn some customers into friends. Bill's customers include Gladys, a lonely widow who takes pity on Bill and gives him his first sale. He becomes acquainted with squabbling neighbors and a gay couple. Bill's supervisors also take notice of his job performance in the difficult sales territory, and begin to support his efforts to grow his new job into a successful career.
Bill faces hardships when Irene is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. A Mormon couple wants to help Bill out, but his pride prevents him from accepting. To help with deliveries, Bill is forced to hire college student Shelly, who becomes a lifelong friend and confidante.
The cast of Door to Door received widespread praise.[4] Michael Speier of Variety gave a mixed review where he wrote, "TNT's 'Door to Door' has all the earmarks of a message film, but no message."[5] He added that "presenting the condition [of cerebral palsy] as if it's a mere hindrance rather than something that can entail a lifetime of medical care…doesn't do as much justice to the cause of disabled individuals as it wants to."[5] He concluded: "But Macy's perf does shine. Heavily made up and wafer-thin, with speech slurred, back arched and ears protruding, he transforms cleanly into the man. It's the supporting cast, full of notable actors, that doesn't quite gel with the material. Mirren is awfully underused as the doting and determined mother who becomes hospitalized, Sedgwick is her chipper self in a part that doesn't require much depth and Baker plays her potentially profound role rather straight."[5]
Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle praised Macy and Mirren and the film "is one of those triumph-of-the-human-spirit TV movies, with hankies mandatory. But it's hardly ever hokey."[6] One of her criticisms was when the film "hits the '90s and focuses on Bill's resistance to the information age. This emphasis does a disservice to a man who's shown a remarkable ability to adapt -- to living with a disability, to a demanding job, to heartache."[6]
Door to Door is also the name of a 2009 Japanese TV movie, starring Kazunari Ninomiya, which is set in Japan and loosely based on the Bill Porter story.
