Linda

"Linda" was a 90-minute ABC Saturday Suspense Movie of the Week in 1973.

Blond and stacked Linda (Stella Stevens) was a cunning femme fatale straight out of a film noir. Linda was far smarter than any of the men she encountered, and she used her smoldering sex appeal to get what she wanted.

The director was Jack Smight ("Harper", "No Way to Treat a Lady") who was a real pro. Smight was returning to his roots in TV. The movie was based on a novel by the prolific crime novelist John D. MacDonald ("Travis McGee"). John D. MacDonald was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Syracuse University and a Harvard MBA.

Jack Smight and screenwriter Merwin Gerard had done "The Longest Night" earlier that same season. It was an unusual, unsettling thriller about a kidnapped young woman who was buried alive. "The Longest Night" starred David Janssen, James Farentino and Sallie Shockley, and may have inspired the buried alive sequence in Quentin Tarentino's "Kill Bill 2".

Linda frames her meek, timid, decent husband for murder. The husband eventually escapes from prison to be a fugitive and to try to prove his innocence. The husband was played by Ed Nelson ("Peyton Place"), a fine actor. But it might have been more fun to have the original fugitive David Janssen play the role. Janssen was an extremely sympathetic actor who could make being meek and timid sexy.

John McIntire ("Wagon Train") played a sly country lawyer who takes the husband's case. I would have cast Clint Walker against type in the role. Clint was a surprisingly resourceful actor who had no trouble projecting humor or intelligence. It would have been fun to see Linda work her tricks on giant Clint. Maybe she could have cut him down to size.

John Saxon played Linda's lover, who helps frame the husband. Saxon became a fascinating actor as he got older. I liked him starting with "The Bold Ones". He looked amazing lying on the beach in a tight swimsuit in "Linda". No wonder Ed Nelson was jealous. I would have loved to have seen John Saxon as Frank Furillo in "Hill Street Blues" or as Max Cherry in "Jackie Brown", roles I have heard he was considered for.

"Linda" reminds me a little of the classic Edgar Ulmer B-movie "Detour" where the extraordinary but terrifying Ann Savage makes a meal of Tom Neal.

"Linda" should have ended with the beginning of her trial for murder. Her husband's former attorney is defending her and the DA seems to have a bit of a crush on her. Linda is wearing glasses and is in a tasteful dress that can't quite hide that traffic-stopping figure. The jury consists of twelve men. The film ends and you have to guess what the verdict will be.

I was very surprised when I found the web page for "Linda" on IMDb. Usually, IMDb shows a photo from the movie or a poster but this time here's a poster from some porno film with a naked brunette on it! This has absolutely NOTHING to do with this made for TV film...nothing!

This film begins on a secluded California beach. Linda and and Jeff (Stella Stevens and John Saxon) are shooting at beer cans as Linda's husband, Paul, and Jeff's wife watch. Then, out of the blue, Linda turns the gun on the wife and Jeff---killing them both! Paul takes the gun away from her and then phones the police to tell them his wife murdered the two folks. When the police arrive, however, they only find the dead woman and no beer cans. A few moments later, Linda and Jeff come walking down the beach with a stringer of fish-- and they say they have no idea what's happened. The police think Paul is nuts and must have killed the lady--and Linda and Jeff play it up! Obviously this is a set-up but will the police figure this out or is Jeff destined to be some inmate's new love interest?

This is a very good thriller. It's well written and has a nice payoff. In fact, it's very good for a made for TV film and holds up very well today thanks to excellent writing and acting.

Saw this when it first aired. Faithful adaptation of a novella by John D. MacDonald (creator of Travis McGee), concerning a very clever and cold-blooded pair of murderers -- esp. Stella Stevens' character, the mastermind. The crime shocks you from the start, and what follows for the innocent party is even more startling. A nearly perfect frame nearly works, and the way things unravel is intelligent and watchable. There are fine performances all around from solid, reliable actors, esp. John McIntyre as a crusty lawyer and John Saxon as a man over his head, and Ed Nelson strikes the perfect balance between horrified astonishment and clear-thinking determination. One of the better made-for-TV works of the time. But the poster above, ostensibly from this film, must be from some other production with the same name; it has NOTHING to do with this one!

After seeing "The Poseidon Adventure" in 1972, I had a new favorite actress: I thought Stella Stevens nearly walked off with the picture. Unfortunately, Stevens' next role as the title character in this cheaply-made movie-of-the-week is a letdown for her fans. Crime-drama gives Stella the short shrift in favor of Ed Nelson playing her husband, whom she has apparently framed for murder. It all begins when Linda guns down both a female friend and the woman's husband on the beach; Linda's spouse goes for the police but, when the cops finally arrive, it's a different situation. Adapted from a well-regarded book by John D. MacDonald, the movie stumbles by keeping selfish, scheming Linda on the sidelines while disgusted hubby fights to clear his name. Stella Stevens is appealing as hell, but sloppy director Jack Smight doesn't recognize this. By keeping his hot star on ice--waiting around for the sluggish beachfront police to catch onto her--he stalls nearly all interest in "Linda".

Stella Stevens lives everyone's fantasy in this film: she kills her lover's spouse and frames her own spouse for the crime. Was it the perfect crime? This TV movie starts out great, but the ending isn't as fun as the beginning. Definitely worth watching. A copy is on YouTube.