Lt. Dan August (Christopher George) is a conscientious detective in his home town of Santa Luisa, California. When Marion Ord (Leigh) disappears, leaving a bloody crime scene behind her, he must find out what happened. His obstacles include an over zealous and publicity hungry county sheriff (Ed Asner) and a less-than-ethical mayor (Walter Pidgeon), hungry for an arrest at any cost. As the case unravels he discovers Ord's checkered past in the small community - it seems that she had affairs with most of the men she knew. The affairs are told in flashback, giving the impression of a lost woman trying to find herself in men. Harris plays Marion's sister-in-law. Look for Christopher George's soon to be wife, Linda Day and yes, that's Jan Brady (Eve Plumb) as little Margaret Ord.
This made for TV film hasn't been released on DVD, though you can find it in full on YouTube. Part one is above, uploaded by TVTERRORLAND.
Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, on YouTube, largely forgotten)
I wondered if Leigh's character's name of "Marion," is a nod to her "Psycho" role. But then I saw that it is spelled "Marian." George's wife, Lynda Day George, plays a character named Lilian Crane ("Lila Crane" is Vera Miles's character in the 1960 film). I see that the names originated in the 1966 novel, however. What isn't faithful to the novel? The lead character's name of Dan August - it is Dan Nalon in print.
ReplyDeleteThe parallels to Psycho are interesting. I wonder if they were intentional.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the film, although I figured out the ending a bit ahead of time. Think about where a certain character was discovered, and the parallels ARE interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis movie *IS* obscure. I haven't seen it since it appeared on TV. I only remember it because of the amount of blood they showed in the crime scene. It was running down the walls and, well, probably more realistic than I'd seen before.
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