The Female Instinct

An inferior attempt to make an American version of Miss Marple combined with slap-stick comedy that made The Three Stooges look sophisticated. What did poor Helen Hays do to end up in this gawd-awful drek?

One of the worst offenders, by far, is the character of their chauffeur and minder--a retired bead cop who sounds like he came out of central casting in the 1920s--who was hired by their sisters' nephew to keep them out of trouble. He lectures them multiple times to be good little girls and to do what he says--like they're naughty little children rather than competent adults. If he had been competent as a cop, I could almost forgive him. Instead, he's one of the primary slap-stick offenders.

Of course, women can't drive, especially not elderly women. This "Joke" is slapped into the audience's face multiple times.

Really, I cannot imaging why anyone would think this was a worthwhile effort. The writers and director should have been ashamed.

A great cast is the whole reason to watch "The Snoop Sisters" if you get the chance. Helen Hayes, Mildred Natwick, Paulette Goddard, Jill Clayburgh, Art Carney are delightful in this whodunit. A very young Jill Clayburgh plays the daughter of Norma Treet (Goddard), a former movie star who is writing her scandalous memoirs and is murdered.

There are lots of funny lines and scenes in this TV movie. My favorite belongs to Helen Hayes, when it's suggested that Goddard's phone may be out of order. Someone suggests calling the phone company. "Oh, they least of anyone care if your phone is out of order!" she exclaims. Unfortunately, the TV series that was born from this pilot (I assume) didn't really take off, which is a shame. It was, like the Ellery Queen series starring Jim Hutton, ahead of its time. The era of "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Golden Girls" would have suited the series much better. Timing, after all, is everything.