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"Thomas Lindmer" (John Mills) is a sorcerer who realizes his life is approaching its end. Because of this he needs to transfer his powers to somebody capable enough for his assigned tasks. That person just happens to be a young psychiatrist by the name of "Dr. Stephen Strange" (Peter Hooten) who has no idea of his potential psychic powers or the destiny that awaits him. To add to the situation is the fact that an evil sorceress named "Morgan LeFay" (Jessica Walter) has been released by a demon from her captivity in another dimension with the orders to kill Thomas Lindmer before he has a chance to convey his power to Dr. Strange. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a decent attempt to portray the essence of the popular comic book onto the big screen. Unfortunately, some of the graphics weren't as well-developed as some of the others and as a result it gave the movie an uneven feel. The acting seemed adequate for the most part and the presence of Eddie Benton (as "Clea Lake") certainly didn't hurt the scenery in any way. All things considered I rate the film as average.

(1977) Spider-Man (1977) The Incredible Hulk (1977) The Incredible Hulk: Death in the Family (1878) Doctor Strange (1979) Captain America (1979) Captain America II: Death Too Soon

This was the "MCU" of the 1970s. As a kid,, I ate these up. Of them, Spider-Man and the Hulk went on to be series, the other entries did not. Spider-Man ran on Wednesday nights, and wasn't particularly good - the Hulk? Well everyone knows about how well THAT series did. In the case of Doctor Strange, it is particularly disappointing that it never jumped to a series, as it really was the next best entry after the Incredible Hulk.

Certainly, this tv movie has its issues, Dr. Strange being inexplicably transformed from a surgeon into a psychiatry resident among them. The effects are, of course, dated and we don't get a classic Dr. Strange villain - but that is the case with all of the other Marvel tv films of the era. What we do get though, is a well costumed, decent portrayal of the titular hero and a throwaway portrayal of his love interest Clea.

If you are a fan of the character of Doctor Strange, this little oddity is worth a watch. If your exposure to the character is limited to the FAR superior film with Benedict Cumberbatch, you will be disappointed. There is no fair way to compare the two. One is a failed pilot and the other a modern cinematic blockbuster. But, if you go into this with realistic expectations, you will find yourself enjoy it.

By itself, the film is a very dated and very cheesy 70s film about an evil sorceress who wants to defeat her magical rival. It's somewhat fun to watch. As an adaptation of Doctor Strange, it fails because it takes far too long to transform the titular character from a regular human to the sorcerer supreme. The setup has some decent suspense as a civilian is under the spell of the villain Morgan LeFay and Stephen Strange has to figure out what's going on, all while the current sorcerer is under threat. However, this drags on for too long and the payoff is anticlimactic as Doctor Strange learns his powers too quickly and the special effects are laughable.

The current wave of live-action cinematic superheroes is nothing new to our screens. Since 'Superman' first revolutionised the comic book industry in 1939, there have been film adaptations. In the 1940's there were many serials (Batman, Superman, and Captain Marvel for example). Then in the 1950's and 1960's The Adventures of Superman (1952 - 1958) and the campy Batman (1966 - 1968) the superheroes became household names on television. Then, in the 1970's, DC comics, through the ABC television network, produced the highly successful Wonder Woman (1975 - 1979) series, with the Amazonian beauty of Linda Carter. With the prospects of DC's most famous character's big screen incarnation, in Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie (1978), Marvel, with their groundbreaking silver-age characters, needed a platform for their characters. Whilst they had success with their animated Saturday morning shows, live-action and the TV series was the place to promote them.

From 1977 to 1982, Universal television broadcast The Amazing Spider-man (1977 - 1979), The Incredible Hulk (1978 - 1982), and two TV movies, Captain America (1979) and Captain America II: Death Too Soon (also 1979). The quality was of course varied, and the Hulk was its most credible triumph. Then in 1978, writer/producer, Philip DeGuere, produced a feature length television movie of one of Marvels most "psychedelic", cerebral characters, Doctor Strange. Created by comic legend Steve Ditko, it seems like quite a huge leap of faith to create a plausible adaptation within the restrictions of television production. This leads to some of the more fantastical elements of the comic books to be altered, or left out entirely - but this is of course an understandable exclusion.

Doctor Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten), a Psychiatrist working in a New York hospital who has been chosen by Thomas Lindmer (John Mills) to take his place as the new Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. However, an evil Sorceress, Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter), has plans to kill the Earth- bound magicians. After throwing Thomas off a bridge, Clea Lake (Eddie Benton), has been telepathically controlled by the evil witch, Morgan, and it is down to Dr. Strange to save her from the astral plain, then conquer the cosmic universe to become the sorcerer.

It does have the limitations of 1970's television production, and falls flat very often with the dialogue - including excruciatingly annoying laughter from Strange and Clea, as they laugh at their unfunny exchanges. However, it is an admirable effort to bring a more obscure Marvel character to a live-action context. With Stan Lee as a consultant (as with all the other aforementioned shows), Lee states that this was his most enjoyable experience out of all of them. It was intended as a pilot for a series, but this was never produced - a television interview with Morgan LeFay towards the end, actually gives clues as to the way the show could have gone, and to be honest, it seems like an incredibly good concept. Morgan LeFay would have indoctrinated into her realm of magic the youth of America, through the zeitgeist idea of the self-help programme, something that was big business in the '70's. Alas, the idea was never seen through.

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Yeah, this is one of those movies where the majority of people out there don't believe you when you say that long before Cumberbatch there was Peter Hooten. But there is truth to it, just take this 1978 TV movie that is based on the Marvel comic book of the same name; Dr. Strange.

The 1970s saw a handful of Marvel heroes make their transition from the colored pages of the comic books and onto the screens, in bigger or smaller success.

I have actually never seen this 1978 movie from writers Philip DeGuere Jr., Steve Ditko and Stan Lee before now in 2022, when I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the movie. So it was sort of an appetizer for the upcoming "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" movie, I suppose.

Well, I can't claim that I was particularly impressed with director Philip DeGuere Jr.'s 1978 movie. It felt like you took the comic book and spliced it up with a 1970s acid trip. It was pretty spacy and out there, especially the astral travel scene.

The storyline in this 1978 movie was just not solid enough. The movie ran for 93 minutes and ultimately then very little actually happened throughout the course of the movie, which made it somewhat of a struggle to sit through the movie. Actually, "Dr. Strange" felt more like a hospital drama than it felt like a superhero movie set in the Marvel universe.

The acting in the movie was generally adequate, however I can't fathom why they opted to have Peter Hooten in the leading role as Dr. Stephen Strange. The actor was simply too wooden and rigid in his performance, and seemed rather unable to portray emotions. It was nice, though, to see Jessica Walter and Clyde Kusatsu in this movie.

I am sure that hardcore fans of the Marvel comic books will get a kick out of this 1978 movie. But for a regular viewer, and one that is not overly keen on superheroes to begin with, then director Philip DeGuere Jr. Just didn't deliver a particularly wholesome movie.

My rating of "Dr. Strange" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.

This review is penned in Anno Domini 2013 when, for the first time in decades, competent writers and producers are finally turning the Marvel vault into a steady stream of serious entertainment, albeit of uneven quality. Among fanboys, it is known that one of the greatest disappointments in the Marvel library is Dr. Strange, which has never been turned into a decent film, not even once. Part of the fault is the quality (or lack of same) in the production teams who, in the past, have taken on the project - AND THIS FILM, DONE TO A BELOW AVERAGE TV MOVIE STANDARD, IS A CASE IN POINT. It is AWFUL. And part of the problem -- the part no one wants to discuss -- is that the Dr. Strange character is not the brightest bulb in the Marvel catalogue. The original character was created to be deliberately dull and morose, and it did not help that the working mechanics of the mystical world in the series are, for example, several notches below Harry Potter. That's not promising. I mean, you really should know a little about what you writing about, and this is not evident in the Dr. Strange series. The promise is there, but no more than that. (Literary history buffs will note that, in the 1970s a fictional series came out to compete in this niche, entitled Dr. Orient, and it was much more creative, and showed the promise of the core idea.)

Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter) failed her demonic master five hundred years ago. She is sent back into our world to battle the aged Sorcerer Supreme Thomas Lindmer (John Mills) before he can pass on his knowledge. She has three days. Psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten) is to be the next sorcerer but he doesn't know it yet. Wong is Lindmer's loyal assistant. LeFay takes over Clea Lake to attack Lindmer. He survives the fall from the bridge. Haunted by LeFay's possession, Clea Lake becomes Strange's patient.

There are some reasonable TV acting which includes the great Jessica Walter. It would be hilarious if she gets a part in the new movie. This has all the cheesiness that can be expected from a lower rate 70s TV effort. The production and the style has that lower value of that era. The special effects is of that era and is not good enough to do the subject with justice. It is somewhat watchable which is my best compliment for this TV movie.

TV movie (intended as a pilot for a possible series) about the Marvel magical superhero, Dr. Strange. Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter) is sent to Earth by a demon to prevent an aging sorcerer (John Mills) from passing his power onto someone else. To this end she possesses a young woman named Clea (Anne-Marie Martin) and tries to get her to kill the sorcerer. Clea is traumatized by this, which leads her to being taken to the hospital where she is treated by psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten), who just so happens to be the sorcerer's intended successor.

While it's easy to dismiss this because it's a TV movie and those are largely cliché-ridden and forgettable today, I should point out that this wasn't always the case. In the 1970s TV movies were actually really good on the average, with a lot more creativity and variety than we see today where it's the same recycled soaps, thrillers, and romantic comedies over and over. This does have a limited budget, so those expecting things like Strange creator Steve Ditko's surreal imagery will be disappointed. But if you leave unrealistic expectations at the door and judge it on its own merits, I think you'll find it's a quality movie. Peter Hooten is a little wooden for a leading man but doesn't embarrass himself. Anne-Marie Martin (billed as Eddie Benton) is pretty good and very easy on the eyes. John Mills classes things up significantly. Jessica Walter is delicious fun as Morgan Le Fay. Perhaps the movie's greatest strength is Paul Chihara's score. Again, TV movies today just don't have this level of quality. Next to the Incredible Hulk TV series, this was the best of Marvel's efforts in the '70s and '80s to bring one of their heroes to life on the small or big screen, excluding cartoons. Those who can't enjoy TV movies or those who are fans of the comic book who can't see past their inflated expectations will not like it and should probably skip it altogether. I think most others who watch it will see it's very good for what it is.

This movie is, as far as I know, the first movie ever created based on a Marvel comic book. The first theatrically released one was "Howard The Duck" which didn't come out until 1986 and to this movie's credit, it is probably an improvement. I don't know as much about Dr. Strange as I do Spider-Man or Captain America, as he's simply not quite as well known. This movie mostly faults from waiting until 74 minutes into the movie to actually show the title character in his costume, which I could recognize. Now a lot of it actually was pretty faithful to the comics. You got to see some familiar characters.

Now the thing is, originally I was going to give this movie a lot lower rating, but I did realize something. This was in fact intended to be the pilot for a TV show that was never made. As cheesy as the film was, I actually could excuse its pacing for the fact that it wasn't really meant to be a full movie. The way it went slowly actually did make sense for what it was supposed to be. I never watched any live-action Marvel shows ever. The bad definitely outweighed the good, so it's best to just skip this and watch the awesome Marvel movies released in theaters. **

Dr.Strange carries forward the legacy initiated by Kenneth Johnson on The Incredible Hulk Television Series and Pilot Movies. It takes a serious approach to the superhero genre, and reconstructs it for television. So with Dr.Strange, Writer/Director Philip De Guerre dispenses with alot of the important elements that made Stan Lee's/Steve Ditko's original Strange Tales Dr.Strange comic book stories so unique and exciting for a whole generation of readers, and comes up with a fresh approach for the times {1970's} and the climate {Network Television}. What is so amazing is that it works on almost every level.

Gone from the TV version of Dr Stephen Strange, is the arrogant, haunted persona so familiar with readers of Marvel comics. In its place is a man with a destiny to encompass the mystic arts. Perhaps a forerunner to the Highlander Movies, TV series and cartoons? What we have is a sincere, likeable sweet lead character akin more to Bill Bixby's performance of Dr David Banner. Strange is superbly played and realised by Peter Hooten. Hootens performance is refreshing with what was the norm on TV at the time. Hooten is ably backed up by the sinister Jessica Walter as Morgan Le Fay, and the evergreen John Mills as Thomas Lindmer {replacing the character of the Great One from the Marvel series}. Lindmer is a character reminiscent to Sean Connery's Ramirez in the aforementioned Highlander movies. Hooten and Mills share some genuine screen chemistry together and this movie serves as a fascinating glimpse as to what could have been had a series been commisioned.

The transfer from comics to TV is quite well realised despite the obvious limits of a TV budget. The production design, especially of those of the nightmare realms and Lindmers Castle are very efficient as is the near perfect realisation of Dr. Stranges costume from the comics pages {i actually prefer the TV Movie version}. On the down side the plot is a little cumbersome and slow burning. There doesn't seem to be too much movement, and the plot isn't too involving. It would perhaps have been a better idea to have incorporated more elements from the comics into a pliot movie of Strange's exploits.I think a good example of how fantasy can work on TV is Bill Bixby's The Magician TV series and pilot movie. Also, the special effects at times do look cheesy.Despite this, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street seems to have incorporated alot of this movies elements into its screenplay, IE, people being haunted, killed or possesed from within a dream state, and a saviour entering that realm.

Having watched the movie again recently, it was nice to see the innocence in the movie. I can see how the occult theme may have been offensive at the time. But with the spot on performances, tight direction and nicely toned humour,{watch out for a neat cameo by Magician Larry Anderson at the end of the film} watching the film again only serves to re-emphersise my opinion that Dr.Strange was the greatest superhero TV Series NEVER made.

I'm a big marvel fan, truth be told it doesn't even have to be Marvel I just like superhero themed movies and television shows.

Trouble is within the Marvel Universe the one and only film I didn't enjoy was Dr Strange, I simply didn't "Get it". It bored me, it baffled me and I found myself frustrated that a character I couldn't stand was getting added to the movie franchise.

I knew that plenty of cheesy marvel movies had been made across the 60's/70's/80's but I wasn't aware Steven Strange was among them. Part of me wishes I hadn't found out.

Very tacky and thoroughly 70's this early attempt at Dr.Strange is really quite bad but no worse than the remake.

Battling the evil sorceress Morgan LeFay while having his tweaked origin story told we see our hero do..........very little actually.

It's not awful, it's just tacky. I found myself wishing Thanos would appear and rip his head off just for it to end, also because I think that would be a really cool thing to happen. Fingers crossed that happens in the Infinity Wars.

The Good: Certainly fairly charming

The Bad:

It just all looks so very very terrible

Dr Strange looks like a 70's porn star

That costume!

Things I learnt from this movie:

If a super villain is attracted to you they'll leave you alone

A tv pilot that should have been a series. The christian coalition boycotted this excellent portrayal of demonology. The sponsors decided it was too controversial to air as a serial, A real shame, the suspense and eerie soundtrack made for excellent viewing...

Made for TV., this adaptation from the Marvel Comic Book, is not true to form, any form. Anyone who has read and enjoyed the comic books will be in for a let-down, so far down that they'll need a rope to pull themselves out from the pit they haplessly wandered into. The cast is wrongly picked and can't even do a decent job with the poor material (did anyone on the writing staff even look at the comic book?). I believe this was a pilot for a series, if anyone could believe that. The good thing was, that someone saw that it was a flop and it vanished, thankfully without a much notice. On a strange note (no pun intended) one critique actually enjoyed the show which drew my attention and subsequently led me to be assaulted by this injustice of a film. If it had great special effects, that would not be enough for it to claw its way out of the mire that it is. {See, Spider Man, Superman or any other comic adaptation}

So, it's not "Gone With The Wind" or even "The Omen". However, I like it and it is well worth watching.

The basic idea here, that a small number of empowered men(certainly women, too) act to preserve the world that we know from falling into demonic chaos, is an old one. It makes a stylish premise for this movie, which was based on the best-selling "Dr. Strange" comics.

The "astral" sequences are handled with style and grace. The actors play their respective parts very well.

I'd recommend this neat little movie both as entertainment and as a springboard for discussions. Do people like "Lindmer", "Wong", "Morgan LeFay" and "Dr. Steven Strange" actually exist?

I find a disconcerting similarity between Morgan LeFay's self-help cult(mentioned at the very end) and the all-too-real "Jonestown" in Guiana. (The mass suicide there, with all its disturbing implications, came a few weeks after this flick was released.)

Maybe there is "war in heaven", with some spiritual powers trying to bring humanity into enlightenment, while others try to "bust" us back into the Dark Ages. Then again, maybe I was just stoned when I saw this movie for the first time.

But I really did have a good time watching it either way!

Wow, that was a horrible 1.5 hours of my time. I didn't expect Saving Private Ryan, but neither did I expect this to be one of the worst movies of all time. I think the worst thing about this is that if they had changed the name of the characters, I wouldn't have recognized this movie as Dr. Strange. No character resembles the comics characters, and the actors are horrible. This is the one of the worst movies I've ever seen (right down there with Crazy Six and Spaced Invaders). The Punisher was much better, if that tells you anything. I give this one a 2 out of 10 stars. AVOID!

****SPOILERS**** Never making it beyond being a pilot for an upcoming TV series on the CBS TV network "Doctor Strange"-If you didn't know about him from "Marvel Comics -first comes across as a "Ben Casey" Doctor Kildare" 1960's TV medical series until the doctor on call Doctor Stephen Strange, Peter Hooten, realizes that he's here on earth not only to save lives but the entire planet from the red eyed and creepy looking "Nameless One",David Hooks. It's that "Nameless One" who sent out one of his or its flunkies Morgan Le Fay, Jessica Walters, from the depths of Hell to do in the old "Wizard of Good & Plenty" whom the handsome and youthful Doctor Strange , after he checks out for good, is to replace.

Of course Doctor Strange has no ideas of what's going on in the movie until one of his patients Clea Lake, Eddie Benton, whom Morgan used to try to kill the Old Wizard, by pushing him over a highway overpass, spills the beans of what Morgan and her master the "Nameless One" are really up to. Which he at first foolishly dismisses as just pure hokum & hallucinations. It's when Doctor Strange meets the Old Wizaed and his faithful manservant Wong, Clyde Kusatsu, that he finally finds out what its all about and goes along with the program or script. That of him eventually taking over the Old Wizard's work by replacing him. As the one who'll keep the "Nameless One" from conquering the world and making it a living hell for everyone, man woman child as well as animal and plant life, living in it!

***SPOILERS*** Strange as it sounds the film ends on a down note with the defeated Morgan Le Fay coming back from the dead or was it Hell hawking herself as some kind of self help Guru on TV with Doctor Strange and the by now totally cured Clea not at all recognizing her. Were soon given the impression that there's more to come with a TV series "The Amazing and Strange adventures of Doctor Strange" soon to hit the small tube. That of course didn't happen and now some 38 years later-in 2016-we can all gratefully assume that it never will!

Initially conceived as a "backdoor pilot" to a potential TV series, this adaptation of the Marvel Comics character does suffer from the limitations of a television level budget. Some people can look at this almost 40 year old telefilm and just see it as hopelessly cheesy. But it provides fairly good entertainment for any lover of fantasy. Written, directed, and executive produced by Philip DeGuere Jr., a TV veteran, it has its heart in the right place, and certainly conjures up some appropriately weird atmosphere.

Playing his role with wit and charm, Sir John Mills ("Great Expectations" '46, "The Quatermass Conclusion") is an all-powerful Good sorcerer named Lindmer, who realizes that the passing of his baton is at hand. His successor will be a psychiatrist named Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten, "Orca", "The Inglorious Bastards"), whom he will have to convince to accept his destiny. Their nemesis is a beautiful witch named Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter, "Play Misty for Me", 'Arrested Development'), sent from an alternate dimension to Earth to do battle with Lindmer once again.

The lovely Anne-Marie Martin ("Prom Night" '80, 'Sledge Hammer') co-stars as Clea Lake, the young student with whom Strange becomes understandably enchanted. Top character actor Clyde Kusatsu ("Midway", "The Interpreter") is rock solid as Wong, Lindmers' loyal associate. Hooten is good as a skeptic and man of science who will have his consciousness raised. Walter delivers an appropriately campy (but not TOO over the top) performance as the villainess. Michael Ansara, Ted Cassidy, and David Hooks all provide voices, uncredited. But the real treat in watching 'Dr. Strange' '78 is savoring the performance of the legendary Mills.

The music by Paul Chihara is fun, alternating between soaring orchestral music and creepy electronica. The sets are done well, and some of these visuals create a wonderfully trippy, psychedelic quality. This may further help to date the movie, but it does lend it some 70s charm.

A nice diversion that might be just a little too spooky for the youngest of viewers, especially the character of The Nameless One.

Seven out of 10.

The only thing I would add to the other reviews is the constant musical bombardment of this movie does tend to grate after a while...because it needs to set the emotional content that the film on its own lacks...(Sir) John Mills was wasted on this and he probably knew this so never pulled any weight for his allotted time on screen...the women leads were quite effective in their parts but the leading man looked a little discombobulated or meh about the whole enterprise... Should have been made by Hammer Horror...they would have sorted this endearing 70s mess...but at least I have now a base to measure the modern version by... lol

What can you say about this film? There is no point in 2019 to evaluate the schedule, which was in 1978. Therefore I will tell only about a plot. The plot turned out to be extremely interesting, though simple. Morgana was great, so was the doctor. cons have movie, too, there is. Vaguely shown Ancient and Wong, as well as the entire Sanctum Sanctorum. I put the film 6 out of 10.

This movie sucked real bad.

It was very interesting. I turned it off after like 10 minutes.

Even the MCU version was just ok. It felt kind of dry to be honest. Verdict: Dr. Crap.

The first Doctor Strange movie! A pretty good one!

You've seen Doctor Strange as a huge budget special effects-filled actioner. Here it is as an occult drama made for television in the 70s - and - ya know what? - it works. Here's why:

• Peter Hooten makes a suave, charming Dr Strange, looking like he came right out of the comics.

• Jessica Walter makes a suitably sinister Morgan Le Fey - the Arthurian witch who is the first Marvel Comics villain to reach live action.

• Want a Ben Kenobi mentor figure to your hero - and a veteran British actor to make fantastical exposition seem believable? Can't do much better than the great John Mills, here playing an urbane version of Merlin (or Lindmer as he calls himself).

• The proto-Chris Nolan 'let's be sensible about this' approach.

• The John-Carpenter-with-a-touch-of-Goblin soundtrack.

• Lovely special effects include energy blasts, trees that grab people and a particularly creepy moment when a cat turns into a woman - I had to rewind it to watch it again.

• Oh, and the big bad is a stop-motion animated demon who lives in some kind of misty netherworld that looks like a stage set from Wagner's Ring cycle. This, remember, in a movie made for television.

Until Blade and the X-Men came along in the late 90s/early 2000s, Marvel movies were exclusively low-budget efforts, but some are worth seeking out. Dr Strange is one of the best of them, alongside the 1977 Incredible Hulk pilot TV movie.

Dr. Strange

Historically, any super-powered being with the Dr. prefix was considered a villain.

Uncharacteristically, the medicine man in this action-fantasy is actually the good guy.

Wong (Clyde Kusatsu), manservant to the Sorcerer Supreme (John Mills), visits psychiatrist Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten) with wild claims that Strange is set to receive his dying master's magical powers, including spell-casting and astral projection.

Elsewhere, in an attempt to bring a demon from the fourth dimension to Earth, sorceress Morgan Le Fay (Jessica Walter) seizes possession of Clea (Eddie Benton), one of the doctor's mental patients.

To save her, Strange must project his mind to a mystical realm and thwart evil.

The 90-minute pilot for a scrapped television series based on Marvel's mystic man, this laughable made-for-TV movie drastically alters his origins, costume and profession, but does include many friends and foes from the comic.

Be forewarned, however, most insurance policies do not cover exorcisms.

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