Architect Ned Bliss (Hartman) and his new wife, Vicki (Jess Walton) have just had a fight. She sets out to go home to mother, telling him he'll never see her again, but never arrives. Ned makes calls and does some investigating, getting more and more frantic as time passes and no word is heard. He decides to drive up to her parent's, whom he's never met, to see if he can find a trace of her along the way. Upon arrival he's greeted by her step father (Ralph Meeker) and her mother (Wyatt) who question him about her actions before leaving, intimating that he had something to do with her disappearance. Upon arriving home he's greeted with a police warrant and the news that someone has called in a report of suspected foul play involving Ned. Will he find his wife before he can be arrested for her murder?
This taut thriller is nicely constructed. Hartman does a great job as the frantic husband and the plot has some interesting twists and turns in it. Look for character actors Ned Wertimer and George Murdock in small roles. It's not available on DVD, but is up on YouTube, thanks to an upload by TVTERRORLAND. The entire film is above.
Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, available on YouTube, largely forgotten)
This was also a famous episode of the old-time radio show "Suspense!" and was very good. I think it's a story by Cornell Woolrich who also gave us classics like "Phantom Lady" and "Rear Window."
ReplyDeleteHmm, interesting. Good stories have long lives...
ReplyDeleteVery well made. I have seen little of David Hartman's acting, outside of his 11 year stint as host of "Good Morning, America" (late 70s). He is quite believable here. There's a nice blending of the Universal back lot, with some practical locations.
ReplyDeleteThis Woolrich short story was remade as a short French drama in 1986, by none other than Luis Bunuel's son! And, has previously surfaced as a 1959 TV episode of something called "Armchair Theater."
Director Jeannot Szwarc is probably best known for the 1980 - and now classic - film, "Somewhere In Time." He continues to direct for television series - lately "Fringe."
David Hartman can also be seen in this remake of Miracle on 34th St.: http://theobscurityfactor.blogspot.com/2010/12/sebastian-cabot-in-miracle-on-34th.html
ReplyDeleteYes, I remembered that one, when it first aired. "Natalie Wood's" role was played by Suzanne Davidson, who was playing Betsy Stewart on the soap "As the World Turns" at the time (all of the kids watched it in the summer).
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