Murder Once Removed

VERY worth while 74 minute diversion here, a strikingly offbeat, Neo Noir ultra low budget made for TV movie (CBS) with John Forsythe cast brilliantly against type as a philandering doctor who finds himself engaged in a cat & mouse battle of wits against the husband of his mistress. Barbara Bain from "Space: 1999" plays the woman, Richard Kiley is the husband, Wendell Burton is the junkie set up as the fall guy, Joseph Campanella is the hard-nosed police detective who seems troubled by certain loose ends, and Reta Shaw steals the show as the doctor's nurse, who is perhaps a bit too observant and inquisitive to have stayed on with this particular doctor as long as is implied.

Why? Well you see several of Forsythe's patients have died. Rather suddenly. It can all be explained very simply, but this is one of those clever scripts where nothing is quite as simple as it seems. And at a mere 74 minutes it's not much of an imposition on anyone's schedule. Sure, it was made for commercial TV in 1971 so there isn't anything *too* distasteful on camera. Viewers who predicate their enjoyment movies based on people's heads exploding might be a tad disappointed, but if you PAY ATTENTION you will be rewarded. And a repeat viewing might answer some questions about passages of dialog that slipped by on the first time through.

Definitely worth having, and a respectable enough little movie to maybe watch with mom on a rainy evening when she needs some company. Can't say that about too many murder movies.

7/10

This perfect suspenser - with a lot of twists - plays like a Columbo movie without Columbo.

Dr. Wellesley (John Forsythe) is on the verge of having an affair with Lisa Manning (Barbara Bain) as her husband won't give her the divorce she's been asking for. To put a stop to this, Mr. Manning (Richard Kiley) decides to blackmail the doctor about some mysterious deaths in his past. The doctor protests his innocence, of course, but Manning wants him away from his wife and out of town.

Right from the start, with the two men politely playing golf while calmly discussing murders and blackmail, this quality movie grips the viewer. The cast are top notch and it's always fun watching a TV murderer do their thing and then waiting to see if they'll actually get away with it.

The final third brings several surprises. Nothing here is quite what it seems. Very clever. And a lot of fun.

Originally aired on Friday, 29 October, 1971. It was scheduled after the 7th regular episode of O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, and against the 6th second season episode of The Odd Couple on ABC.

As basic entertainment, this is kind of fun. It's a nicely plotted film if you don't think too much. The plot involves a doctor who has psychotic tendencies and acts on them fairly frequently. Because he doesn't get caught, he feels vindicated. He applies this logic to other murderers as well. He is played pretty well by John Forsyth. He has a relationship with Barbara Bain from the Impossible Missions Force, and hopes to marry her. I'm surprised his last name isn't Bluebeard, because he seems to have a thing for trophies. The acting is credible in the made for TV venue. It's nicely done. As a previous writer said, it's a little like those Link/Levinson productions, ala Columbo. It moves along nicely and there are lots of surprises.

Now for the other part. There are so many coincidences and potential pitfalls that it would be really hard to make the plot work. Anything could mess it up. There's also the fact that the person murdered first knows about Forsyth's history and still allows him to perform surgery. He also baits him about his past. There had to be other avenues he could have taken, knowing what he knows. There's also a frame up that really would have to be so obvious to anyone with a shred of investigative insight.

The characterization is good. I really liked the nurse, Rita Shaw, who has a handle on everything. She is Forsyth's main adversary, and he doesn't even know it. She has always played those kinds of characters and, like people in her profession, she's the guts of the operation.

I would recommend this film if you aren't too picky. It will keep you involved.

There are a surprising number of made-for-TV movies out there that, for some reason or another, have entered the public domain and have been issued on many cheapo DVD labels. "Murder Once Removed" is one of those. I watched it on a 10-pack DVD box set, and fortunately (unlike many other movies in the public domain) the picture and sound quality wasn't bad. Watching it, I wondered how this movie could get neglected enough so that the copyright wasn't removed. It's not a classic, but it gets the job done all right. It's only 75 minutes long, so it tells its story in a lean manner with very little unwanted fat. The story is pretty enticing, making you wonder what the doctor character will do next in every situation he's in. And the last part of the movie gives us not one, but several surprising twists. As I said, this isn't a classic, but it's well done enough that it's definitely worth the one or two dollars you'll have to pay to buy the DVD.

Frank Manning (Richard Kiley) goes to his doctor, Ron Wellesley (John Forsythe) for a simple procedure. Frank has also come to Dr. Wellseley's office to inform him that he suspects him in a pair of murders. He also lets him know that he's aware that he's been sleeping with his wife (Barbara Bain).

Frank then tells Wellesley that if he doesn't leave town, he'll blab.

What could possibly go wrong?

MURDER ONCE REMOVED is an exceptional made-for-TV movie with a perfect twist ending! John Forsythe is particularly good in his eeevil, conniving role. Wellesley will stop at nothing to carry out his plan of vengeance and death!

Joseph Campanella is great as Sgt. Proctor, a mutual friend of Manning and Wellesley who must snoop around for clues.

Highly recommended for the lover of suspenseful thrillers...