The Woman in Black Trailer

It gave me goosebumps:

The Made for TV Mayhem Minute Takes Off: And it's Totally Glamorous!

I've been running a little behind on everything lately. School is gearing up and while I panic about classes, payment, applications, book buying and all that fun stuff, I find that I've let everything else take a backseat.

Well, no more... at least no more this week! I wanted to update everyone about my first two segments for the Movies about Girls podcast. Here is some linkage:

In the first podcast, I discuss Inmates: A Love Story because chicks are hotter when they are behind bars (it also helps that we've got some dude behind bars here too!). You can download the podcast here. I show up around the 1 hour 36 minute mark. Please excuse any nervousness! The spotlighted movie for the podcast is The Bad Seed, so please check it out!

The second podcast aired last week and I dedicated my topic to awesome TV movies streaming on Netflix, which you can listen to here. I show up around the 2 hour and 40 minute mark (I know, these podcasts are marathons of all thing pop culture!) A lot of the movies I mention have been reviewed here, so please search for any titles which might interest you... The main movie discussed during the podcast is the incredible Single White Female, so again, give it a go. Lots of fun to be had!

You can also download the show on iTunes.

Enjoy!

A Moxey Twofer: A Taste of Evil (1971) and The Strange and Deadly Occurrence (1974)

A Taste of Evil:
Network: ABC
Original Air Date: October 12th, 1971

The Strange and Deadly Occurrence:
Network: NBC
Original Air Date: September 12th, 1974

Jimmy Sangster let the cat out of the bag when he admitted on a DVD commentary track for the Horror of Frankenstein that he lifted the story from his Taste of Fear screenplay (aka Scream of Fear, 1971) and used it to write the TVM A Taste of Evil (also 1971). Aaron Spelling recognized the story and for giggles I’ll assume director John Llewellyn Moxey did as well. Since Evil seems to be a remake, it’s slightly ironic that Moxey redid it again (sorta) in 1974 with The Strange and Deadly Occurrence (written by TV vet Sandor Stern). Without knowing the backstory to these films or even that Moxey had directed both (well, maybe I did know that somewhere inside my little IMDb friendly brain but had somehow forgotten, most likely when I saw something shiny), I watched both Evil and Occurrence back to back recently.

Most of you probably know that here at Made for TV Mayhem I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. I mean, isn’t that what blogs are for? I’ve never made it a secret that I simply adore John Llewellyn Moxey. He’s a small screen horror movie magic maker, creating little universes filled with suspense and sometimes straight up terror. And I won’t even get into his work on Magnum P.I. (OK, maybe I will… Way of the Stalking Horse is excellent!). I also love that he’s made about a gazillion things so I’m still discovering a lot of his films. I was really struck with the similarities between Evil and Occurrence and I found that I had a hard time mulling over one film without thinking of the other, so I thought I’d do a Moxey twofer and review them together.











The most obvious resemblance lies within the premise. Let’s briefly go over the themes, shall we? Evil definitely falls under the is-she-or-isn’t-she-insane plot, which was so popular in the 70s (and almost completely worn out by the end of the decade). Occurrence is more of a is-it-or-isn’t-it-haunted story and both films have fairly predictable conclusions to these questions. While the guesswork for both is child’s play, a little past the halfway point of Evil there is this really great twist, and it almost becomes another film. A little less predictable, the bulk of the energy comes from this turn of events (although if you've seen enough of these then you probably will guess the whole shebang).

Evil opens up with a harrowing sequence featuring the attack and rape of a young girl. After being sent away to a sanatorium, Susan (Barbara Parkins) returns many years later to face her demons and rejoin her mother Miriam (Barbara Stanwyck) who is now married to an old family friend and heavy boozer named Harold (William Windom). Despite feeling fairly grounded, Susan starts seeing things which may or may not be there. Miriam enlists the help from her doctor friend Michael Lomas (Roddy McDowall) and he worries that Susan isn’t as well adjusted as they thought.











Occurrence takes a little more time to get going, focusing a bit more on the family as a happy bunch living out in the middle of nowhere (they are played by Robert Stack, Vera Miles and Margaret Willock). There is no opening trauma but once it kicks off things begin to build quickly. Creepy things start happening to the teenage daughter who is either having bad dreams or dealing with someone coming into her room at night (yikes!). There are other little issues as well, such as a bathtub overflowing when no one ran it, and whatever or whoever is wreaking havoc continues to elevate their reign of terror until the family considers leaving.

Both films begin with the mental demise of the daughter. It starts much earlier for the character in Evil, but whatever is preying on the family in Occurrence first sets out to destroy the emotional stability of the teenager in the house. Both films have an outsider who is their rational thinker. For Evil it’s Dr. Lomas, while Occurrence employs the local sheriff (played by the terrifically macho L.Q. Jones) and they are there to offset what we think might be happening. It’s one of the most common additions to these kinds of films where the intention is to throw the viewer off their center. It works better in Evil, but I really like Jones as the forever annoyed law enforcement officer. And strangely enough, both films feature dead bodies in water. I know, crazy, right?










The unfortunate downfall of the TV movie is that it often has a been-there-done-that kind of feeling to it. The premise of a mental patient trying to ease themselves back into society only to find they may indeed be a total loony is an old foundation for films. Even by the early 70s it was pretty cliché, but Evil relies heavily on atmosphere and it does a good job of making the whole affair lush and creepy, which allows the tired story to finds life through the setting and the earnest performances. Stanwyck is especially good (as if anyone had any doubt), but the cast as a whole seems really intent on making the schtick feel more fresh and alive. Occurrence is also aware of its well-worn premise but continues to concentrate on the build-up rather than working up a twist(ed) ending. In fact, the last couple of scenes almost feel like an afterthought, since the important information is withheld until the climax. Still, the majority of the film is intense, and the actors are game, so I found the outcome easy to forgive.











Evil is gothic, claustrophobic horror, featuring a grandiose locale and it feels a little more dated if only because there aren’t enough flowing nightgowns in modern thrillers (tsk, tsk). Occurrence has a more modern feel simply by giving the characters a middle class dynamic. I felt the family in Occurrence was easier to relate to, while the ostentatious broken family in Evil seemed more unreachable. That’s not a ding against Evil, but it is the one major difference between the two films, aside from the conclusions. But while Occurrence is peppered with the type of people many of us would know (although it’s doubtful anyone else really has the same to-die-for cheekbones of Miss Vera Miles), Evil has some more meat behind its story. Both harken back to the days when horror preferred suggestion over visceral thrills and they make wonderful companions walking together along the long and winding TV movie road.










As luck would have it, Kindertrauma just reviewed Taste of Fear so stop by and see where the madness started!

Private Eye: Not for Sissies

Oh man, I love the tag line in the TV Guide ad! Sadly, Private Eye was not only not for sissies, apparently it wasn't for anyone else watching TV in 1987.

Private Eye was intended to be the marriage of two of the hottest detective shows on TV, Miami Vice and Crime Story. Set in the 50s, the pilot movie features the gorgeous Michael Woods as Jack Cleary, a former cop who uncovers much in the way of police corruption. He is teamed up with a very young Josh Brolin, who looks like a James Dean type, only more hoodlum-esque. The pilot movie ran on September 13th, 1987 on NBC and the show found itself airing at 10 pm against 20/20 and Beauty and the Beast. Created by Anthony Yerkovich, the man behind Miami Vice, Private Eye had an extremely short run, lasting for 12 episodes. A lot of the blame was placed on Woods, but lest we forget the Chicago Tribune named him Hunk of the Year and thought his macho man image was the pinnacle of the man's man in the late 80s. Whatever the reason, Private Eye just couldn't find any footing and perhaps they should have just invited a few of us sissies to watch.



For more on late 80s cop shows, check out this great article on Crime Story at Go Retro.

Fun factoid: Joe Jackson wrote the theme song to Private Eye. Watch the opening:

The Made for TV Mayhem Minute!

I'm very excited to announce that I will be doing something called The Made for TV Mayhem Minute for the podcast in conjunction with the never safe for work site Movies About Girls! I'll be hosting a short segment each week on any and everything TV movie (and probably some other stuff too)! The show alternates air dates so you can just look at the links in this article to see what is going to air when and I'll post links to the archived podcasts. I was a little torn for my intro post, since this is all new to me, but finally decided to spoon some tidbits on what we might have been watching on August 6th, 1982... Good TV never dies!

And a big thanks goes out to Ken McIntyre and his beautiful wife Stacey for taking a chance on a kid like me!

Stuff and Nonsense!

OK, I finally put up a new poll. This month is dedicated to the desert heat! Check out your options and exercise your right to party... oh, I mean vote! Lots of good choices. I'm not sure exactly who I plan to give my love to.

I've reviewed a few of these bad land flicks. You can read reviews for:

Weekend of Terror
Gargoyles
Dying Room Only
Pray for the Wildcats
China Lake Murders

Get to clicking!

And here's a great clip from The Neon Ceiling:



Last month's women in prison poll went really well and Born Innocent came in first with the Charlie's Angels episode Angels in Chains giving little Linda Blair a run for her money! I was pleased to see every film in the poll got at least one vote. I'm glad to see we still enjoy chicks behind bars!

I also have a new review up at Retro Slashers for The Fan, which is a truly underrated little thriller.

Hopefully, this will keep everyone busy until I can get some new reviews up!

TV Trivia: Nightingales

After being ABC's golden child for two decades, Aaron Spelling's contract with the network was cancelled in the late 80s (ABC was jokingly called the Aaron Broadcasting Channel for a time). Spelling still had two shows airing, Dynasty and Hotel, but the network felt he was becoming a thing of the past. Brandon Tartikoff who ran NBC approached Spelling for an idea for a new series. NBC was known for their higher tier programing such as Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere and Tartikoff thought something more escapist would help balance the lineup. Spelling gave him a one sentence pitch:

"Student nurses in Dallas in the summer and the air conditioning doesn't work so they sweat a lot!"

Tartikoff loved it! When he brought Spelling to NBC to discuss the new project he actually rolled out a red carpet to his office, gave Spelling flowers and there was even a marching band to perform The Yellow Rose of Texas!

The show would be called Nightingales and it would have a pilot movie and then a 13 episode run. It failed miserably, but points to Tartikoff for not just respecting Spelling's talent but for treating the king of television like the royalty he truly was.

I've never seen Nightingales, and in fact had only heard of it when I recently picked up a copy of the book Three Blind Mice by Ken Auletta (which is where I got this story). Here is the main title sequence, which features aerobics, surgery and Suzanne Pleshette:



Before it aired, when everyone knew it would be a hit, the show was dubbed "the silver nipple!" Gotta love 80s TV!

One more bit of trivia: Nightingales starred Suzanne Pleshette and Barry Newman who also appeared together in the 1982 TV movie Fantasies. You can read my reviews here and here.

By the way, the above TV ad came from Vintage Toledo TV. Check them out, they have lots of great pics.

Dallas Remake is a Go!

It's true, you can't keep a good villain down!

TNT is picking up the Dallas Reboot, and the pilot is scheduled to air during the summer of 2012.

Why, oh why, do I have to wait until next summer?!? Oh well, I think things are looking good so I plan on sticking it out. The people behind this production seem pretty interested in honoring the show's original fans while creating a new battle between Christopher and John Ross. Granted, I wish these two guys looked old enough to run a big oil corporation, but I will not complain. I'm just too damn excited!

Here's a sneak peak:



(**goosebumps**)

Thriller: Dial a Deadly Number (1976)

Network:ITV
Original Air Date: May 1st, 1976

Thriller was a British television series comprised of stand alone episodes that ran the length of a film (well, a tele-film, which is about 74 minutes). This show often aired on my local channel when I was growing up, but Dial a Deadly Number is the only one that really stuck with me. I had actually forgotten I’d even seen it until about 10 years ago when I flashbacked to a scene from an unknown movie featuring a sneaking marauder breaking into someone’s bedroom and slicing their wrist while they slept. The wound was just deep enough that it left one gruesome ouchie. The scene chilled me as a kid and it resided somewhere deep inside my rolodex of creepy horror images. At the time I remembered it, I started to recall other scenes, and it took me years to find out that I was actually mashing up this Thriller episode with Scream, Pretty Peggy. Without giving too much away, the last scene of both films are visually similar, only one culprit is male while the other is female. Once I saw Peggy, I was able to separate the distorted images and I finally ID’ed an actor, Gary Collins. Then I had to go back through his filmmography and filter through the titles and descriptions. The second I came across the words Dial a Deadly Number a little bell went off in my head and all that remained was locating a copy.

What one does for their love of the scary stuff.

So here I am, over 30 years after my initial viewing of Number, and it was just a creepy as my haunted childhood memories.


Gary Collins is Dave Adams, a down on his luck out of work actor (is there any other kind?) who turns con-man when someone dials the wrong number. Mistaking him for a psychiatrist, Helen (Gemma Jones) begs the good doctor for help. She is disturbed by vivid dreams that she has committed murder, and she is worried this means she will kill in the future. Adams schmoozes his way into her life, but ends up taking more of an interest in her sister. Ann (Linda Liles) is the older, prettier and more charismatic sibling and she gives clues into Helen’s disturbed past, but he’s more worried about getting into Ann’s pants that he doesn’t realize he might end up paying for his misdeeds with his life.




Dial a Deadly Number is a methodical and exceptional thriller with lots of stark imagery, thanks to Helen’s rather vivid and gruesome “dreams.” The story may feel a tad predictable, but it’s so well acted and paced that the scares remain genuine. Brian Clemens penned the entire series and how he came up with so many unique and suspenseful stories is anyone’s guess.

Despite being shot on video and usually contained within a few sets (and a couple of outdoor shots), Thriller looks and feels great. I always thought the video quality on anything that wasn’t a soap opera or sitcom added something eerie to any movie, and shows like Thriller are obviously attached to that feeling. Gary Collins appeared in three episodes of the series. I’ve seen one other, which is called Only a Scream Away, and he plays a completely different character. He co-stars in that one with my boyfriend, the late David Warbeck, but I think Number did such a, uh, number on me as a kid that it edges its way to the front of my favorite Thriller episodes! Sorry David, I still love you.

Only Season One of Thriller has received a DVD release in America, but you can buy the whole series at the UK Amazon site (just make sure your have a player that accepts Region 2).


Thriller has had a long and complicated history with American television. ABC originally picked up several episodes to air late at night during what they called the Wide World of Mystery. This programming ran inside ABC’s Wide World of Entertainment block which was the network’s attempt to rival the late night popularity of The Tonight Show. Several unrelated projects were run, including In Concert, and a re-cut version of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. This setup was popular in the beginning (read this Time magazine article featuring some quotes from glowing executive Michael Eisner, who was then Vice President in charge of program development), but it soon fizzled out, and ABC eventually dropped almost everything except the movie programming, which was re-titled ABC Late Night. Other re-runs of popular shows like Fantasy Island also aired, but it petered out pretty quickly and this block of late night programming only ran from 1973 – 1976. While Thriller was often featured in this setup, there were a lot of American productions, many of which remain quite obscure. Nightmare at 43 Hillcrest actually had a VHS release, but it’s probably The Cloning of Clifford Swimmer that I see referenced most often. I think Alien Lover also had a VHS release because I remember once seeing it selling on Ebay for over $100!!! That’s how rare most of the non-Thriller titles are! Aside from a smattering of information at IMDb, there is very little online regarding the series of films. Dial a Deadly Number was apparently not a part of the Wide World of Mystery, so this is what they call a tangent.

If you are interested in learning more about ABC's Wide World of Mystery (and really, who isn't?), check out these links:

ABC Creates The Wide World of Entertainment (from Old TV Tickets)

Marketing Thriller (from Media Gems)

An AV Maniacs message board discussion (with some links to photos of several TV advertisements!)

Johnny Depp is Kolchak?!?

Maybe... Maybe not.

According to this article on Deadline.com Johnny Depp's company Infinitum Nihil is developing a Night Stalker film with Disney. There is no word yet on whether Depp will actually star in the film or if he'll remain behind the scenes.

While Depp is a wonderful actor and the right age (how can that man be 48?), I'm not sure he's quite what I envision when I think about someone besides Darren McGavin walking in Kolchak's shoes. Well, I didn't imagine Stuart Townsend either, and I liked the reboot series well enough. It seemed more like its own incarnation and that helped, but if they are going to make a big screen film, I hope they stick more to the original. Let's keep Kolchak grizzled, please!