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

John Forsythe plays a doctor who has a history of losing patients wherever he's practised. While he is supposed to be on his outcall rounds we see him making out with Lisa Manning (Barbara Bain) in the woods. He plays golf with her husband who is not prepared to give Lisa a divorce. The two men spar with each other on this matter and on the doctor's dubious backstory. There are hints that the doctor fiddles his patients' medical records with regards to electrocardiograms and blood samples. So we are teased as to how far the doctor will go to achieve his needs and desires. There's a small cast in this TV Movie so the story is sped through quickly. There's a policeman who is trailing a drug-addicted Vietnam veteran who both play their part economically in the story. My choice of the characters is Nurse Regis played by the matronly Reta Shaw with her throwaway lines. Her warnings that she doesn't trust doctors and that her dog Happy "howls every time we lose a patient" are delivered in a dry and dark and humorous way. I didn't see the end of the plot coming too far in advance so be prepared for some late twists and turns.

Years ago, mysteries like "Murder Once Removed" were common TV fare, and frankly, I liked it that way.

This is a particularly neat one starring John Forsythe, Richard Kiley, Joe Campanella, Barbara Bain, and Reta Shaw. Forsythe plays Dr. Wellesley, who has a less than stellar past, which he's been reminded of by the husband of the woman (Bain) he's in love with (Kiley).

Wellesley plans to get rid of his competition and plans the perfect murder, framing a young Vietnam vet (Wendell Burton) whom he's weaning off of a heroin addiction. The camera has Forsythe in tight closeup most of the time, and with its hard lens, it's unforgiving.

Very entertaining, and it's nice to see all those old TV stars once again, including Forsythe, who didn't usually play someone evil, the terrific Kiley, the always reliable Reta Shaw as Dr. Wellesley's nurse and Barbara Bain as the very attractive object of the doc's affections. Now 84, Joseph Campanella was once a mainstay of prime time TV, and he still pops up occasionally.

Someone said the script was far-fetched -- maybe, but it's very intriguing. Enjoy.

It is a low budget flick that you kinda start watching because it's snowing out there nothing else better to do, then you feel getting pulled into the story, chained by continuing dialogs that amp from one scene to the next seamlessly. It is remarkably well cust, directed and shot. Enjoy!..

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.