The Todd Killings

This is an interesting little time capsule from the early 1970's. I watched it because the video box claimed it was similar to River's Edge (1987), one of my favorite movies. It turned out to be the fictionalized story of a real-life serial killer nicknamed the "Pied Piper of Tucson" who partially inspired the famous Joyce Carol Oates short story "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" (which in turn inspired the movie Smooth Talk with Laura Dern and Treat Williams). While it is a long way from being a classic, it does capture the restlessness and malaise of the period, and like River's Edge is a pretty honest, if extreme, story of wayward youth. As other reviews have noted, the movie contains some surprising nude scenes, especially considering the female lead looks to be pretty underage. (I wouldn't be surprised if these scenes were trimmed when the movie went to video since times are a little less permissive than they used to be). The characters are pretty good, although the Skipper Todd character doesn't really seem to be too much of a genius when he dumb says things like, "But wasn't Herman Melville a fag?", and Robert Lyon doesn't really have the charisma to play a young Charlie Manson type. Still it's nice to see a movie that despite its extreme subject matter honestly portrays the period, and it wasn't all that idealized peace and love crap some aging Baby Boomers would have you believe.

Robert F. Lyons is a young man living in a suburban town in California. He leads an aimles life, supported by his mother, Barbara Bel Geddes. He's very popular with the boys and girls his own age, a leader, dominating the boys, sleeping with all the girls. Everyone calls him "Skipper." But girls have been disappearing, because he's been killing them.

It's based on the case of Charles Schmid of Tucson, and it's a depressing film, full of anomie and anxiety over the Viet Nam War, with the older woman listening to lectures about MOBY DICK. There's an air of the breakdown of society. It's a thoroughly unpleasant movie, which looks deliberate to me Lyons is excellent as the distant and sociopathic lead. With With Richard Thomas, Holly Near, James Broderick, Fay Spain, Gloria Grahame, and Edward Asner.

In the theatrical release of this film Belinda J.Montgomery did full frontal nudity but it is missing from the video version. Don't watch it if you wanted to see it for that reason. Also Richard Thomas(John-Boy of the Waltons) did a full frontal nude scene that is still in the video version but toned down from the theatrical version.

Very cool 1970 character study of a pseudo-hippy turned serial killer. From the first 5 minutes, you know you're in for a treat. Barry Shear directs with real vigor, favoring tight close-ups and odd angles. There are many nice touches, particularly the swimming pool scene and the amazing opener. Robert F. Lyons gives a very funny, realistic performance as Skipper Todd; the big-fish-in-a-small-pond woman(girl!)izing hipster who is really the ultimate misanthrope. The scenes with his liberal, 'understanding' mother (who even unknowingly defends him against the mother of a girl he murdered!) are especially poignant. The movie is rife with political commentary also, for instance when Skipper's lawyer suggests he blame his killing spree on LSD and the fact that the kids in town still idolize him after he's found out. It features a tremendous script and great supporting roles from Barbara Bel Geddes(Vertigo), Gloria Grahame (The Big Heat) and a bit part from Michael Conrad (Un Flic, Hill Street Blues). Recommended.

Intelligent psycho drama inspired by "real life case histories", or rather, the story of an actual thrill killer named Charles Schmid Jr., a.k.a. "The Pied Piper of Tucson". A character who prefigured guys like Ted Bundy and Charles Manson, he is here named Skipper Todd, and is played by Robert F. Lyons. Skipper is a shiftless yet undeniably charismatic 23 year old man. The youths of the town of Darlington are completely enamoured of Skipper; he's one of those guys where the girls want to be with him and the boys want to *be* him. However, Skippers' outwards demeanour masks a dark side. And some of his associates are all too willing to help him cover up his crimes.

All things considered, I can see how some people would find this film off putting. It is a sleazy story, to be sure, but it's compelling in a very sobering way. It does have some pertinent things to say about the way that people can find themselves drawn in by the force of someones' personality, for good or bad. Skipper is a mostly cool, unflappable type who makes it through police interrogations without flinching. His mom (portrayed by Barbara Bel Geddes) largely puts up with a lot of his aimlessness, and his new acquaintance Billy Roy (a pre-'Waltons' Richard Thomas) regards him with awe.

Well photographed in Panavision by Harold E. Stine, with a powerful score by Leonard Rosenman, "The Todd Killings" serves as a rather picturesque depiction of rural California in the early 1970s. Performances are all right on the money, with a large number of familiar faces on hand: Belinda Montgomery, Sherry Miles, Holly Near, James Broderick, Gloria Grahame, Fay Spain, Edward Asner, Michael Conrad, William Lucking, Meg Foster, George Murdock, Harry Lauter, Eddie Firestone, Eve Brent, Jack Riley, and an uncredited Geoffrey Lewis.

The opening sequence is a grabber, and producer / director Barry Shear prefers to just plunge us into the action, saving all of the acting and technical credits for the final few minutes. Close-ups are used to good effect, and Shear gives us an honest, unflattering account of these turbulent times in American history and a memorable antagonist who's very much up front about his contempt towards the world in general.

Seven out of 10.