Hitchhike!

"Hitchhike!" is a made for TV film with an extremely simple plot--a guy is having an affair with his step-mom (eeewwww!!) and kills her. Soon he's out hitchhiking and is picked up by a lonely lady (Cloris Leachman) and he goes from being nice and loving to unpredictable and explosive with her. The lady has several opportunities to ditch this strange (and murderous) guy but each time she inexplicably continues her journey with a man who is showing signs that he's unhinged. You can only assume she's a cougar...desperate for the attention of a younger man even if he is a bit scary! And, amazingly, they pad this out so that it fits an hour and a half time slot!!

If you want to see this sort of thing but done better, try the old films "Hitch-Hiker" or "Detour". Both manage to do similar material better--more interesting, making more sense and better paced. Not a bad made for TV film...but not a very good one either. Totally unremarkable, in fact.

Distraught over a failing relationship, classical music loving Cloris Leachman (as Claire Stevens) leaves her Los Angeles area apartment for an annual visit with her sister's family in San Francisco. On the freeway entrance, Ms. Leachman picks up an attractive young hitch-hiker. He turns out to be moody Michael Brandon (as Keith Miles), who has just stabbed a woman entering his bed for sex. The woman was Mr. Brandon's latest in a string of sexy step-mothers...

While driving to San Francisco, Leachman and Brandon flesh out each other's emotional needs. Multi-awarded for "The Last Picture Show" (1971), Leachman plays the attractive spinster role so well, and this one's no exception; she is terrific. Brandon is a perfect match; balancing his character's human and inhumane traits, he makes the ride believable. Adeptly led by director Gordon Hessler, the ABC-TV "Movie of the Week" crew holds interest and excitement.

****** Hitchhike! (2/23/74) Gordon Hessler ~ Cloris Leachman, Michael Brandon, Henry Darrow, Cameron Mitchell

What really makes this movie is the superb acting of the leads. Michael Brandon is by turn charming & disturbing. Cloris Leachman runs the full gamut of emotions in her situation. The casting of the leads certainly makes for a very watchable film that seemingly flies by in no time at all. Are there better movies? Yes but this while not outstanding is certainly well above average and worth your time. The casting of the detectives too is very good as are the other characters involved in this film. At one time some of these T. V movies were to an extent looked down on. Some certainly were poor or mediocre but this is definitely a good TV movie.

I enjoy the 60s 70s (and I guess into the 80s) made-for-tv movies as a whole. This one is OK, but slightly weaker than the majority of them. One annoying aspect was that there were plot points that did not make sense and it made me lose my taste for the film while watching. The young man-hitchhiker was a character w/ some interest to him, particularly his odd sense of humor which came out in the dialog, and in the way he delivered his lines, and in the way he did things. He is the best thing the film has to offer. He definitely conveyed an unpredictability. But there was not enough going on to keep me from becoming restless while watching. There is a weak police investigation parallel thing going on which is uncaptivating and bland. I was wondering how old Leachman was when she made this; she was 48.

After ending a rocky relationship with her married boyfriend, Claire Stevens (Cloris Leachman) packs up her car and heads from LA to San Francisco.

Meanwhile, murdering psychopath, Keith Miles (Michael Brandon) leaves a victim behind and hits the road.

When Claire sees poor Keith hitchhiking in the rain, she can't resist picking him up. After all, his sign says that he's going to San Francisco too. As they drive on, the police are on the case of Keith's handiwork.

HITCHHIKER! Works due to the ability of Ms. Leachman to give a strong, soulful performance in the midst of this made-for-TV thriller. Her passenger acts in scary, childish ways, but Claire never completely collapses or goes bananas.

That is, until Keith does that mud thing, but that would freak anybody out!

In spite of everything, Claire feels a great deal of compassion for Keith, even when the opposite response would make more sense.

Those looking for an action-packed, murder spree movie had better look elsewhere. This is actually more of a drama with a bit of suspense...