‘Wait Until Dark’ Slick Thrills, Stellar Cast 1967

"Wait Until Dark" a 1967 suspense film written by Frederick Knott, also had a
stage and film hit with "Dial M For Murder." With Alan Arkin & Audrey Hepburn.

If Wait Until Dark was ever remade, it’d have to be done as a period piece.

***Spoiler alerts are discussed throughout this review***

Though there are clever reasons for the villains' actions and plot twists (to show how resourceful the blind heroine is, while tormenting her needlessly), those plot points don't always add up. Alfred Hitchcock never got hung up on plots making perfect sense, as he relied on suspension of disbelief in service of thrills. This is all well and good, though some of Hitch’s lesser sleights of hand were audience head-scratchers. 

The film version of "Wait Until Dark" was a big hit in '67.

Adapted from the 1966 Broadway hit, Frederick Knott’s Wait Until Dark up close and personal film version shows the plot strings being pulled too obviously. Unlike Gaslight, another woman in distress stage play turned movie, there's no character depth beneath the chills. Watching the heroine's character trajectory in Gaslight works on several levels; in Wait Until Dark, the blind heroine proves resourceful in the face of danger, and presented heavy-handedly. The movie is well-acted enough so that you become invested in the characters. 

The plot of Wait Until Dark is a bit convoluted, but in a nutshell: A young woman, Lisa, runs drugs via a heroin-filled doll. Startled by the villain she sees at the airport, she gives the doll to stranger Sam Hendrix, to be collected later. She's intercepted by the movie's psycho, Harry Roat. And that's all she wrote! Roat lures two small time criminals to the Hendrix apartment and coerces them into shaking down the Hendrix couple to retrieve the doll. Sam thinks it's just a doll and he's away; wife Susy is totally in the dark—figuratively and literally—she’s blind. Roat engineers an elaborate gaslight on Susy to get the valuable doll. Game on!

Richard Crenna as Mike discovers Lisa, who discovered stealing drugs doesn't pay,
in 1967's "Wait Until Dark."

On the plus side, the set-up is clever and cast is first-class. On the minus side, there are a number of plot holes. If this movie had more depth of character and plot development, I would not have focused on the deficiencies. But when the characters and logic are as slim as Audrey's figure, the mind wanders.

The big one: Roat's psychopathic villain visits Susy in several elaborate character disguises to find the doll. Why? Susy's BLIND! 

"Nice disguise there, evil genius. Spoiler alert, I'm blind!" 1967's "Wait Until Dark."

The second big one: When Susy catches on to the thug trio's ruse, she enlists neighbor girl Gloria to go to the bus station to get husband Sam home to the rescue. There's a very patronizing undertone to Sam wanting Susy to be more independent after her recent accident-caused blindness. Susy’s rationale that "Sam will know what to do" rings very false. You send three killers looking for drugs on a fool’s errand, they are coming back to kill you, and you send a kid on a mission to the bus station, when she could just go upstairs and call the police?

Audrey Hepburn & Julie Herrod have a nice camaraderie as blind Susie Hendrix
and neglected upstairs girl, Gloria, in "Wait Until Dark."

And the third big one: Once Susy has the doll, why doesn’t she just give it to them? She was scared when she heard about the woman (Lisa) found murdered a block away. Now she knows they killed “Mrs. Roat,” does she want to be next?

Once Susy has the drug doll in her possession, why won't she turn it over?

Also, during the final black-out confrontation with killer Roat, he tells her game over as she tries to escape from her chained front door and he's found a light. Why? She still has a knife and matches, and he's still soaked in gasoline. 

Of course, it would be hard to film this movie in present day without major changes: the drug runner getting the doll through security no problem; the two ex-cons making themselves at home in the Hendrix apartment, leaving their DNA everywhere; and today, the three criminals would just get down to business and torture and kill the heroine until they got the doll. This is just for starters.

Audrey Hepburn is ideally cast as a sympathetic blind woman tormented in
"Wait Until Dark." Also in '67, Audrey made one of her best, "Two For the Road."

As a popcorn suspense film there are certainly some very clever twists and characterizations. Audrey Hepburn is a natural as Susy Hendrix, the self-described world champion blind lady. Empathy and warmth was the essence of Hepburn's persona. Hepburn plays the character strongly without overplaying and it is a stellar movie star performance. It's noteworthy that Audrey got the film's lone Oscar nomination. She makes you root for and believe in her, though the movie still has a foot in the studio era style: Audrey's Susy just may be the most stylish blind woman in the world. The thought of a blind woman with big false eyelashes made me smile. She even changes clothes in the middle of the movie, for no apparent reason. Also, Audrey gets lovely soft focus close-ups. Wait Until Dark makes this movie more of a throwback to classic ‘50s Hitchcock than a gritty late '60s thriller. Speaking of Hitch, I'm surprised nobody tapped him to do this film. He nearly worked with Audrey before, and also filmed the playwright's Dial M For Murder to great effect. But Terence Young does a solid job here and does the best he can with what was basically a one-set stage piece. 

Audrey Hepburn as Susy Hendrix, a woman recently blinded, in "Wait Until Dark."

Lee Remick played Susy on Broadway to Robert Duvall's Harry Roat. I bet that was something to see. And though I'm sure Lee was just as good as Audrey, Remick was a leading lady who never carried a movie, where Hepburn was one of the few female stars of the ‘60s who could.

Lee Remick won a Tony nomination as Susy Hendrix in the Broadway version of
 "Wait Until Dark." Robert Duvall was Harry Roat. And Arthur Penn directed,
for whom "Bonnie and Clyde" was just around the corner!

Not having seen this in a number of years, I had forgotten how good Richard Crenna was as "Mike," the criminal pretending to be Sam's old war buddy. He offers what may be the most complex character. A con and crook, yes, but he's also taken by Susy's tenacity. He's the bad guy, but you want to like him! Jack Weston is good as the lowest functioning bad guy, Carlino, a bit of comic relief.

Jack Weston and Richard Crenna as two ex-cons coerced into retrieving a drug doll,
in 1967's "Wait Until Dark."

Alan Arkin has the showiest role as Harry Roat. I found him more interesting as the creepy criminal himself than in his various disguises. Humorous, creepy, sly and when he goes one on one with Susy, it's the hair-raising highlight of the film. The last set piece is very well done and I've heard many stories about how audiences in the dark involuntarily gasped and shrieked as Arkin's Roat goes after Hepburn's Susy.

Alan Arkin as the twisted, darkly humorous villain Harry Roat, in "Wait Until Dark."

One plot element and acting I found a bit smarmy: Sam Hendrix, the character and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., the actor. Given the fact his wife has been blind just a year, his tough love bit feels a bit like a husbandly bully, insisting that she "do" for herself. When Sam and the cops finally rescue her, they step over dead bodies, a trashed, gasoline-soaked apartment, and find a hiding Hepburn as Susy behind the fridge door. And Zimbalist's smiling Sam urges her to come to him! I wonder if a blind wife could kick her husband in the balls? And Zimbalist's acting is old-school Ronald Reagan variety, like a charming TV host, complete with a Hollywood tan—while playing a New Yorker.

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is Sam Hendrix, the photographer husband of blind Susy.

Julie Herrod as Gloria, the young girl upstairs, is natural, quirky, and appealing. She also played the character onstage with Lee Remick. Lisa, the doomed drug runner looks like a refugee from Valley of the Dolls, with the most obvious fall, and a more deadly doll than pills! Her stage name is Samantha Jones, which was later used as Kim Cattrall’s character in Sex in the City!

Samantha Jones is Lisa, a drug runner who looks like a runner-up for "Valley of the Dolls," complete with a fall and false eyelashes. Instead of "dolls," this doll has heroin!

The score by Henry Mancini is expertly eerie and the natural NYC location shooting gives this glossy thriller some needed grit.

Don't get me wrong, Wait Until Dark is still a fun thrill ride. Just don't look too closely at the story behind a blind woman's long night from hell.

Despite some serious gaps in logic, you'll be gasping in shock in the last act of
"Wait Until Dark."

Stars & Story Light up MGM's ‘Gaslight’ 1944

The hot house atmosphere of 1944's "Gaslight" gets much of its heat from these
great stars: Ingrid Bergman, Angela Lansbury, and Charles Boyer.

As a suspense film fan, it’s amazing to me that I've only seen clips of 1944's Gaslight in my 50 years of watching movies. With the recent death of Angela Lansbury, plus the 40th anniversary of Ingrid Bergman’s passing on Aug. 29, I thought it was high time to remedy this.

Ingrid Bergman is the lady of the house who's so fragile that even the malicious maid
 (Angela Lansbury) gets under her skin, in MGM's "Gaslight."

Based on the Broadway hit 1938 Angel Street, MGM then bought U.S. film rights and tried to bury the British version that was made in 1940. They didn't succeed, but more about that later.

MGM glamorized Gaslight like they did to many period stories—Pride and Prejudice, Madame Bovary, and Little Women—all made to look super wealthy, though they weren't. Metro does so here, too, though it's not quite as intrusive. 

Ingrid Bergman in one of many striking shots from 1944's "Gaslight."

What MGM does well in this version, which makes me prefer their Gaslight as a suspense film, is a certain amount of ambiguity (partly due to censorship) and by not overtly giving away the husband's villainy from the get-go. 

A huge plus is the cast, particularly the stars whose characters inhabit this hot house household: Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, and Angela Lansbury—in her first film. Their personas say much that dialogue can't. Bergman and Boyer have so much natural sensuality, much can be implied regarding what flamed their relationship. And Lansbury had that saucy and impudent look that could turn sour and bitchy in a blink of her huge eyes as the maid on the make.

Charles Boyer surround by his tall co-stars, Angela Lansbury & Ingrid Bergman,
on the set of MGM's "Gaslight."

The changes made in the MGM version work well, overall. Though it's an excuse to slather on some more Metro gloss, the prologue where young Paula meets and is swept off her feet by Gregory in Italy shows that this is her first love, with Boyer in full romantic mode. They also flipped certain plot points from the leading man to the leading lady, which works, too. The biggest change is the murdered relative and empty house now comes from her side of the family, not his.

The prologue to MGM's "Gaslight" shows Boyer & Bergman in love, on their honeymoon.

Though you know Boyer is the bad guy, the fact that he's played both heroes and villains has you hoping against hope he's not a total rat. That we don't see him actually setting up his tricks on Bergman, or that he's not blatantly abusive or adulterous, as in the British version.

MGM's version of "Gaslight" cleverly plays on Charles Boyer's romantic image
to create suspense as to his character's later villainy.

The great trio of performances gives the edge to this Gaslight. Ingrid Bergman's naturalness and emotionalism was her calling card as an actress, which is perfect for the role of Paula. That she has suffered trauma finding her murdered aunt makes great plot sense, and gives further authenticity to her fragility. When Boyer's Gregory subtly toys with her to the point where she begs not to be shamed in front of the servants, her humiliation is palpable. As the heroine questions her own sanity as the movie goes on, Bergman is utterly believable. Hedy Lamarr was the studio’s choice as Paula, but director George Cukor rightly rejected the idea. Most of MGM’s great dramatic divas had already left, leaving mature newcomer Greer Garson. British Deborah Kerr, who could have been great, didn’t arrive to Metro until ’47.

One of cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg's amazing closeups of Ingrid Bergman
as Paula, who begins to question her own sanity, in MGM's "Gaslight."

Charles Boyer had already scored as charming cads in Algiers and Hold Back the Dawn. But he also played warm, romantic roles like All This, and Heaven Too. That duality adds to his fine performance. Those great dark eyes and deep romantic voice transfix you as much as Paula. The moments where Boyer’s charm turns cold are utterly chilling. As Gregory, Charles Boyer runs nearly the same range of emotions as Bergman’s, except his are those of a sociopath, and he’s a memorable villain.

Charles Boyer used his aristocratic looks, soulful eyes, and beautiful speaking voice
to help create the most manipulative villain in 1944's "Gaslight."

It's hard to believe that Angela Lansbury turned just 18 during the making of Gaslight. Her saucy, sharp-tongued maid reminded me a bit of Bette Davis as Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage. Which always made me think that Angela should been cast as a Bette Davis-style leading lady at MGM, which had more glamour girls than great actresses, frankly. But what a great start this was for Angela, and she's most subtle here. Nancy is tart with the missus and slightly tarty with the master. She’s very street smart and self-possessed. When Boyer’s master comments that she’s much too charming for the mistress of the house, Lansbury’s Nancy slyly replies, “She’s not the only one in the house, is she?”

Angela Lansbury as Nancy, the domestic who seems to be untamed! Angela was not yet
 18 when she worked on 1944's "Gaslight," but holds her own with Bergman & Boyer.

All three of these actors got Oscar nominations and Bergman deservedly won, I thought. Even Barbara Stanwyck, nominated for her classic performance in Double Indemnity, publicly lauded Ingrid’s victory. Watching the arc of Bergman’s character start off as bright and girlish to tormented and finally, nearly emotionally beaten, is fascinating to watch.

A fresh-faced Ingrid Bergman as young Paula at the beginning of MGM's "Gaslight."

This is one of those movies that more than a few have mistakenly attributed to Alfred Hitchcock. Indeed, since two of the stars—Bergman and Cotten—were under contract to David Selznick, it's a wonder that his director didn't come along to Metro for the ride. That said, MGM director George Cukor was in his prime here, his strengths were getting the best from his actors and in sophisticated storytelling.

Two of producer David Selznick's stars--Ingrid Bergman & Joseph Cotten--were loaned to MGM for "Gaslight." With Charles Boyer here.

I've watched the British version, which has been saved and restored. I notice that the 1940 and ‘44 versions have been pitted in the typical movie critics/movie lovers’ game of which is better. The '40 version gets a lot of sympathy because Hollywood's biggest studio tried to destroy the smaller British version. I believe MGM also tried to do the same with the Italian version of The Postman Always Rings Twice. Well, the 1940 version is more faithful to the Patrick Hamilton play and it is much more straightforward—in fact it barely runs 90 minutes. Does that necessarily make it better? The Mildred Pierce remake was more faithful, but I really prefer the 1945 film version.

Ingrid Bergman is radiant as a woman in love in 1944's "Gaslight."

What the British version offers are British leads whose characters live a more upper middle class British life. Also, playwright Patrick Hamilton offers side commentary on the British social hierarchy, especially when it comes to marriage and money. The two leads are Diana Wynyard and Anton Walbrook. Their performances are fine by their film era's standards. While her character stands up to her husband on occasion, Diana Wynyard’s performance feels very leading lady-ish, with much wide-eyed displays of  fear and disbelief. There’s very little of the raw emotion that Ingrid Bergman evinces as the beleaguered wife here. And while I enjoyed the expert mustache twirling of Anton Walbrook as the heartless husband, he feels a bit campy, and I wondered if Kevin Branagh’s mad “Maestro” was inspired by him later in Dead Again. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh would have been wonderful—and British, but they didn’t get cast in either version. Cathleen Cordell as the maid was strictly one-note, with none of the magnetism or malice that Lansbury possessed. Joseph Cotten made a younger, attractive detective who is on the husband’s case in the ’44 Gaslight, and I found his warm charm preferable to his British counterpart’s aging ham. Yes, MGM does play the hint of romance card at the literal last minute, between Cotten and Bergman, with Dame May Whitty clucking cutely.

Angela Lansbury's maid on the make Nancy is performed with much more depth
in the MGM version of "Gaslight."

The 1940 version seems rather barebones and can’t imagine that the stage play was only 90 minutes. The MGM is 30 minutes longer, and feels more fully fleshed, not merely padded. Joseph Ruttenberg's photography is masterful, particularly depicting Bergman’s gradually growing unbalanced. BTW, though Bergman’s makeup-free, soft close-ups as the young Paula leaving the crime scene are convincing, did it look like they used an actual teenager in long-shot over the 5’9” Bergman? The score by Bronislau Kaper is superbly eerie.

Ingrid Bergman as the beaten-down wife in 1944's "Gaslight."

Gaslight is one of the first movies to depict spousal emotional abuse in a marriage, under the guise of a suspense film. The husband woos the wife, only to isolate and gradually wear down her self-esteem with abuse, is still relevant today. The final monologue, where Paula confronts her tormentor husband, is strongly written and performed by Bergman. Gaslight is a superior thriller with intriguing underlying themes.

Ingrid Bergman's big scene where her abused wife Paula tells off her
tormentor husband, now captured and helpless, in 1944's "Gaslight."

‘Revenge!’ Shelley Winters Style! 1971

Shelley Winters made her TV movie debut in 1971, with the suspense tale "Revenge!"

As a '70s child, I lived for these lurid "grown-up" TV movies!

Revenge! was Shelley Winters first TV movie, which ABC aired Nov. 6, 1971. However, Winters was on a roll with her manic mama roles by then, what with Wild in the Streets, The Mad Room, Bloody Mama, and What's the Matter With Helen? And there would be much more “crazy” to come! 

As Amanda Hilton, a deranged mother who seeks retribution for her daughter’s suicide, Winters is mostly restrained in the early scenes, until her character becomes completely unhinged when her plane for revenge goes awry. I wonder if the premise inspired Stephen King with Misery: A middle-aged woman holds an urban man captive for a perceived wrong and unless he recants, she's going to do increasing bodily harm to him. 

In this case, Winters' maniac mama is convinced that business man Frank Klaner (Bradford Dillman) seduced her daughter at a convention. She later became pregnant and the mother claims he rejected her, leading to her suicide. Now, she wants him to confess his sins to her... or else.

Imagine being shackled in a basement cell, with nobody but a bonkers Shelley Winters
 for company! That's Bradford Dillman's plight in "Revenge!"

While Klaner's missing, his wife Dianne (Carol Rossen) recruits psychic Mark Hembric (Stuart Whitman) to help find him. Also, the wife has a bit of a psychic gift herself. While they team up, the clock is ticking, as Shelley's increasingly crazed mama is plotting not so sweet revenge!

Joseph Stefano’s (Psycho) screenplay has an intriguingly ambiguous feel to the story and characters. Is the businessman innocent? How strong is the Klaners’ marriage? The psychic claims to be a con, but is he? And is Shelley's Amanda looking for revenge or just someone to assign blame?

Bradford Dillman, as the businessman whose briefcase has been swiped and swapped, has convincingly played both good and bad guys in his career. Here, he seems quite earnest that it was some kind of mix up, blaming his fellow business buddy, who has a reputation as a practical joker and player. Did the pal swap names when he met this girl at the convention or not? Dillman gives an intense, naturalistic performance as the man on trial by fury with Judge Shelley. Bradford stands out as a contrast to Shelley's histrionics.

Bradford Dillman and Carol Rossen play a husband and wife separated when
Shelley Winters mad mama holds him hostage in "Revenge!"

Stuart Whitman is the psychic and he's his usual laconic, gruff self. There is an element of dry humor to his character’s possibly being a con man. I was surprised to read that Whitman was only 43 here. He looks quite shaggy, weathered, and raspy in Revenge! 

Stuart Whitman is the cynical psychic who could use a haircut, in "Revenge!"

Carol Rossen was not your typical Hollywood actress, especially for TV, but more like the type that was briefly in vogue in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, realistic looking and acting. As the concerned wife Dianne, Rossen seems like a real person in this traumatic situation, than acting as a personality or type. She makes the situation here more intriguing, no typical noble or hysterical TV movie wife here. 

Carol Rossen is the wife of the hostage husband in "Revenge!"
Here, Dianne gets a psychic ping from her husband's pen.

Then there’s Shelley Winters. While there are tip-offs that Shelley's Amanda is “off,” like her giving him the wrong address to her home, offering lurid details of the family manse, or wearing a hat suitable for a witch, yet Dillman’s Frank still enters her house. When she tries to stall him with instant coffee that will instantly knock him out, he gets impatient, so Winters gives him two lumps with a fire poker, instead. Their adversarial back and forth, once he's shackled in her basement, is the highlight of the movie.

Shelley Winters gives it her considerable all as the bereaved and disturbed mother in
1971's "Revenge!"

As the businessman and the bereaved mother become increasingly at odds, Winters character becomes ever-more agitated, giving Shelley some over-the-top moments that were her mid-career specialty. As the movie heads into the finale, Winters is so wound up, you’d think she was having an asthma attack!

A testament to Shelley Winters strength as an actress is that she makes you believe the far-fetched plotting. And despite the mother’s obvious insanity, you empathize with her character’s sorrow. The ending is a bit ambiguous, showing both Frank and his prankster pal in a photo with Winters’ daughter, on her fireplace mantel.

Bradford Dillman's businessman rescued in a nick of time, while Stuart Whitman
gets Shelley Winters under control, in "Revenge!" Carol Rossen is Dillman's wife.

The score, by Dominic Frontiere, is typical of its time, with its mix of dirge-like music and distorted choral voices, and still creepy. Some great camera work by John Alonzo, who worked both in film and television, is framed well. Alonzo lensed Harold and Maude the same year! Jud Taylor was an extremely prolific TV director, including multiple episodes of Star Trek, Then Came Bronson, and Love, American Style. That’s just to name a few.

TV movies like "Revenge!" were a perfect fit for reruns on the
afternoon movie shows I watched as a '70s teen.

Revenge! was one of those early ‘70s TV movies of the week that were pretty down and dirty, both in budget and running time. Still, these TV flicks offered veteran familiar faces and then-fresh ones, as well. And the more memorable small screen movies contained scenes that stuck in many baby boomers minds for decades after!

The image of Shelley Winters readying to ship her victim out creeped me out!
1971's "Revenge!"

Janet Leigh: Haunting in ‘House on Greenapple Road’ 1970

Janet Leigh is memorable as a desperate housewife in "House on Greenapple Road."

 

The two hour long ABC TV movie, House on Greenapple Road, aired January 11, 1970, and introduced audiences to Lt. Dan August. Here, the taciturn detective was played by Christopher George, who fit the role perfectly. The ratings were so good that it was turned into a weekly series, but George was unavailable, and the role went to Burt Reynolds.

Christopher George is well-cast as hard-nosed Lt. Dan August, but still able to show compassion toward the people mixed up in his case, in "House on Greenapple Road."

What's interesting about House on Greenapple Road was how adult the subject matter was for 1970 television. The film opens with a gory crime scene discovered by a child and the missing person/possible victim appears to have been an unhappy housewife who had a series of salaciously depicted affairs. Based on a bestselling book by Harold R. Daniels, the search for the missing person/victim is spliced with flashbacks of the seamy backstory, which reminded me of the 1965 feature film Sylvia, a shady lady who’s past is investigated. However, this TV movie is more hardnosed that the old-school theatrical melodrama starring Carroll Baker. This is interesting, considering the much stronger censorship on television versus film at the time.

Janet Leigh as a dissatisfied housewife, who looks for love in all the wrong places. Here, she hooks up with the country club life guard, in "House on Greenapple Road."

The mystery blonde here is played by Janet Leigh, in one of her best but lesser-known performances. Aired a decade after a career high in Psycho, Janet Leigh was 42 and struggling to keep her career afloat as a leading lady. The role of a woman who relied on her face and body for self-worth hit a bit close to the bone for Leigh. Her daughter revealed after her death that Janet had eating disorders and feared growing older, losing her looks and figure. It's ironic in House on Greenapple Road that Janet looks incredible and is very vulnerable, but is treated so casually by the male characters. There are some allusions to her famous role in Psycho. Here she is Marian Ord, in Psycho she was Marion Crane. In her various trysts, Janet sports a lovely figure in various undergarments, which also caused a stir in the Hitchcock classic. Her characters seek to opt out of their dull lives, only to find themselves in great danger. The film's ending is a clever nod to Psycho.

Janet Leigh was 42 when she filmed "House on Greenapple Road." Despite fine performances & looking great through the '60s, keeping stardom was an uphill battle.

House on Greenapple Road has a cast of veteran stars and then-newcomers. The story is intriguing, there's some nifty camera work, the story is unsentimental, and the acting is solid. The type of crime committed and the final revelation may have been a shocker back then, but it's very commonplace today in our current reality show mentality. So the story hardly feels dated by today’s standards.

"House on Greenapple Road" was one of those TV movies that haunted
my '70s childhood when re-run on the afternoon movies!

The premise of House on Greenapple Road is based on a true story. A house wife just disappeared one day in 1961 and was never heard from again. And her kitchen was left a literal bloody mess, like this movie. While there were all kinds of rumors, nothing was proven, but that's where the similarity ends.

Christopher George, Janet Leigh, and Tim O’ Connor offer standout performances as Dan August, and the couple in question, Marian and George Ord. 

(R) Christopher George's Dan August spars with (L) Peter Mark Richman's sleaze businessman in "House on Greenapple Road."

The actors who play the men in Marian's life are good in their sleazy roles. Burr DeBenning is a country club life guard, who’s a bit mature act so ageist toward Marian. Peter Mark Richman (Blake Carrington’s lawyer!) is Sal, a business man who gets off on treating the needy housewife like a hooker. Lawrence Dane is the new age preacher who wants to do more than enlighten Marian. There’s boozy and cynical William Windom as the country club president, who picks up where the life guard left off.

William Windom is the country club president who is one of houswife Marian's lovers in "House on Greenapple Road."

Great veteran actors like Walter Pidgeon, Keenan Wynn, and Barry Sullivan offer solid support. Julie Harris is typecast well as the uptight sister-in-law. Joanne Linville is righteously bitchy as the country club president’s rightly jealous wife.

Julie Harris brings her patented nervous edge to the role of the sister-in-law to
Janet Leigh's housewife in "House on Greenapple Road."

Pre-stardom Ed Asner plays a heavy-handed sheriff. Lynda Day is a pissy, pot-smoking secretary named Lillian Crane, a riff on Psycho’s Vera Miles as Lila Crane.  And Jan Brady herself, Eve Plumb, is the Ords’ young daughter, who discovers the blood-drenched crime scene.

Eve Plumb is the young daughter who finds a bloody crime scene in
"House on Greenapple Road."

Janet Leigh’s innately empathetic persona makes the audience want to understand her character. Marian is more than a promiscuous woman. She is looking for validation and her list of Mr. Wrongs reminds me of Looking for Mr. Goodbar, which was also based on a true story. Marian Ord’s husband always forgives her as she seeks to bolster her self-esteem regarding aging and losing her desirability. Among the wrong places she looks for love is with the country club life guard, a sleaze bag business man, a new age minister, and the country club president! Marion’s always disappointed, only to move on to the next man. Yet, in her naïve way, her intentions are sincere. Yet, she’s treated as a toy, when she’s looking for a teen dream version of true love. And Marian’s search doesn’t end well. Leigh’s naturalistic, strong acting make you believe in her character’s motivations, as messed up as they are. Leigh gave some terrific performances in the ‘60s and looked great doing so, but one can only assume it was her age that found her increasingly passed over by the ‘70s.

Janet Leigh as Marian, furious over feeling played, in "House on Greenapple Road."

Tim O’Connor, intense in his breakthrough role on Peyton Place as Elliot Carson, is equally filled with nervous energy here, as George Ord. The sad sack, mild husband loves his wife, but she is not satisfied with their middle-class life. Marian’s fear of losing her appeal is accelerated by the feeling that life is passing her by. The affairs at least jump-start her self-worth, but Marian’s also looking for a real love, and a way out. And O’Connor’s scenes admitting all this later are made genuinely moving by his strong performance.

Tim O' Connor as George Ord finally comes clean about his marriage to Marion.

Here’s the real life story that House on Greenapple Road uses as a premise for the fictional novel and movie, based on the 1961 disappearance of Massachusetts house wife Joan Risch: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Painted-Blood-Unsolved-Disappearance/dp/1476681848

And here’s one of my favorite films, which starred Janet Leigh, my take on 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-manchurian-candidate-1962.html

This look on Janet Leigh's face as Marian Ord touched me, when she begs her
latest lover not to laugh at her, in "House on Greenapple Road."