wmadavis

ABC had a big success with its "Wide World of Sports," so starting in 1973 it tried to build off the brand by calling other things part of the "Wide World of Entertainment." "Death in Space" was billed as a "Wide World: Mystery, " which usually lost the colon in newspaper listings and appeared as "Wide World Mystery." There were also "Wide World: Special," which could be concerts or comedy specials of any type. "Death in Space"was run after hours in a 90-minute slot at 11:30 pm on Monday, June 17, 1974, up against Johnny Carson. I had had always been fascinated by Robert Walker Jr., who was very good as "Ensign Pulver" and in an early episode of "Star Trek," but seldom never got the roles I thought he deserved. And I was interested in seeing Margaret O'Brien in an adult role. But the "movie" was a disappointment. What I recall mostly were its cheap, videotaped production values, comparable to a daytime soap opera, and not particularly watchable or interesting.

I don't watch a lot of dumb comedies, so I suppose I don't have much to compare it to. If I had paid good money for this film I probably would have felt a bit cheated, but I watched it on Netflix and I enjoyed enough of it. I liked Spade's character, and the relationship between the young romantic leads. The rest of the characters seemed very third tier.

I'm not familiar with the novel upon which this movie was based, so I can't say how loyal this movie was to it. But I suspect it was entirely too loyal and should have abandoned the original plot once Monty Woolley was cast in the role of a very shy man. The plot is a mess. Through the last half of the film Woolley alternates in his claim of who he is and the resulting complications make very little sense even within the internal logic of the plot. Something much more interesting could have been done, instead it has a pointless trial in which his claims of identity continue to alternate. The elements are all there, but they're all squandered and the result is a mess, which somehow was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Whatever appeal Gracie Fields had entirely escapes me.