Le canari jaune

Pat Boone plays a popular male crooner (with the silly, generic name of Andy Paxton) who is callous to his estranged wife and indifferent to their baby boy, but who jumps into action once the infant is kidnapped for a ransom of 200 G's. Whether he's resisting police lieutenant Jack Klugman's help or comforting stressed spouse Barbara Eden, real-life vocalist Boone turns in a surprisingly strong performance; he handles the s.o.b. stuff at the beginning quite well, and his on-stage numbers are flawlessly rendered. Klugman and Eden are also solid, which is a good thing because the midsection of this melodrama is definitely not. Rod Serling, adapting Whit Masterson's novel "Evil Come, Evil Go", writes some crisp, crackling dialogue--but the trouble is, there's too much of it. Serling forgets that a heated crime scenario such as this has to flow with a little action. Things get bogged down once Boone suspects one of his entourage of the kidnapping, doing his own detective work in-between bouts of the bottle. When the tense climax finally arrives and one is filled with questions pertaining to motive...Serling suddenly clams up! The finale is satisfying only on the most basic of levels, with point and purpose left strangely unresolved. ** from ****

"The Yellow Canary", movie is the story of a singer who's baby is kidnapped. The best acting in the film is from Barbara Eden in one of her best dramatic roles of Lissa Paxton, the wife of the singer and mother of the baby son who's kidnapped. The reaction when she comes home and finds her baby son kidnapped is one of the best scenes in the film. A good mystery and story from Rod Serling.

Pat Boone is a world-famous singer. He's opening at a major venue in Los Angeles. The crowds adore him. Wife Barbara Eden is divorcing him, and they come home to find their baby has been kidnapped.

I don't think of good acting when it comes to Boone, and Miss Eden, while a fine performer, is usually notable for her lighter work. Yet Boone gives a fine performance here as a man who thinks he has millions of friends until he discovers he doesn't have any. Miss Eden also gives a fine performance, and so does Jack Klugman as the police detective who initially browbeats the information about the kidnapping out of Boone. There are also good roles for Jesse White and a small one for Boone's acting teaching, Jeff Corey. If the ending is a bit discordant, the script by Rod Serling gets the audience there in a good fashion.

I watched this only because I had heard Rod Serling wrote it. Well, you'd never know it just from watching. Judging from his other work, he must have rushed this out for a payday. It would barely pass as a bad 1970s TV movie.

Pat Boone and Barbara Eden were attractive and charismatic performers adept at comedy but they were not dramatic actors and in this it really shows.

Competent but not extraordinary thriller is interesting for several elements.

First it gives Pat Boone a chance to play a slightly less savory character than his candy coated image usually allowed. I'm not much of a fan of the actor but he does a good job as the initially self involved singer who is a neglectful husband and father but basically decent man who gets an unexpected wake-up call when his infant son is kidnapped. The script also presents a few instances for him to sing without disturbing the flow of the story.

Barbara Eden, quite the knockout, was still a couple of years away from I Dream of Jeannie and working her way up the leading lady chain. Her role doesn't offer much opportunity outside frantic anguish but she handles the requirements well. Also on hand, though given little to do, is Jack Klugman as the police inspector on the case adding another solid portrayal to the film.

As for the general story while it has several plot holes that stretch believability it is overall an enjoyably put together nail-biter. A real benefit comes from the effective and evocative musical score provided by Kenyon Hopkins. It adds a great deal of tension and snap to scenes that could have otherwise been flat.

Not a long lost classic but an under-known worthwhile entertainment. Hard to find but if you happen upon it take the time to give it a chance.