RICK'S REAL/REEL LIFE

Janet Leigh is memorable as a desperate housewife in "House on Greenapple Road."

The two hour long ABC TV movie, House on Greenapple Road, aired January 11, 1970, and introduced audiences to Lt. Dan August. Here, the taciturn detective was played by Christopher George, who fit the role perfectly. The ratings were so good that it was turned into a weekly series, but George was unavailable, and the role went to Burt Reynolds.

Christopher George is well-cast as hard-nosed Lt. Dan August, but still able to show compassion toward the people mixed up in his case, in "House on Greenapple Road."

What's interesting about House on Greenapple Road was how adult the subject matter was for 1970 television. The film opens with a gory crime scene discovered by a child and the missing person/possible victim appears to have been an unhappy housewife who had a series of salaciously depicted affairs. Based on a bestselling book by Harold R. Daniels, the search for the missing person/victim is spliced with flashbacks of the seamy backstory, which reminded me of the 1965 feature film Sylvia, a shady lady who’s past is investigated. However, this TV movie is more hardnosed that the old-school theatrical melodrama starring Carroll Baker. This is interesting, considering the much stronger censorship on television versus film at the time.

Janet Leigh as a dissatisfied housewife, who looks for love in all the wrong places. Here, she hooks up with the country club life guard, in "House on Greenapple Road."

The mystery blonde here is played by Janet Leigh, in one of her best but lesser-known performances. Aired a decade after a career high in Psycho, Janet Leigh was 42 and struggling to keep her career afloat as a leading lady. The role of a woman who relied on her face and body for self-worth hit a bit close to the bone for Leigh. Her daughter revealed after her death that Janet had eating disorders and feared growing older, losing her looks and figure. It's ironic in House on Greenapple Road that Janet looks incredible and is very vulnerable, but is treated so casually by the male characters. There are some allusions to her famous role in Psycho. Here she is Marian Ord, in Psycho she was Marion Crane. In her various trysts, Janet sports a lovely figure in various undergarments, which also caused a stir in the Hitchcock classic. Her characters seek to opt out of their dull lives, only to find themselves in great danger. The film's ending is a clever nod to Psycho.

Janet Leigh was 42 when she filmed "House on Greenapple Road." Despite fine performances & looking great through the '60s, keeping stardom was an uphill battle.

House on Greenapple Road has a cast of veteran stars and then-newcomers. The story is intriguing, there's some nifty camera work, the story is unsentimental, and the acting is solid. The type of crime committed and the final revelation may have been a shocker back then, but it's very commonplace today in our current reality show mentality. So the story hardly feels dated by today’s standards.

"House on Greenapple Road" was one of those TV movies that haunted my '70s childhood when re-run on the afternoon movies!

The premise of House on Greenapple Road is based on a true story. A house wife just disappeared one day in 1961 and was never heard from again. And her kitchen was left a literal bloody mess, like this movie. While there were all kinds of rumors, nothing was proven, but that's where the similarity ends.

Christopher George, Janet Leigh, and Tim O’ Connor offer standout performances as Dan August, and the couple in question, Marian and George Ord. 

(R) Christopher George's Dan August spars with (L) Peter Mark Richman's sleaze businessman in "House on Greenapple Road."

The actors who play the men in Marian's life are good in their sleazy roles. Burr DeBenning is a country club life guard, who’s a bit mature act so ageist toward Marian. Peter Mark Richman (Blake Carrington’s lawyer!) is Sal, a business man who gets off on treating the needy housewife like a hooker. Lawrence Dane is the new age preacher who wants to do more than enlighten Marian. There’s boozy and cynical William Windom as the country club president, who picks up where the life guard left off.

William Windom is the country club president who is one of houswife Marian's lovers in "House on Greenapple Road."

Great veteran actors like Walter Pidgeon, Keenan Wynn, and Barry Sullivan offer solid support. Julie Harris is typecast well as the uptight sister-in-law. Joanne Linville is righteously bitchy as the country club president’s rightly jealous wife.

Julie Harris brings her patented nervous edge to the role of the sister-in-law to Janet Leigh's housewife in "House on Greenapple Road."

Pre-stardom Ed Asner plays a heavy-handed sheriff. Lynda Day is a pissy, pot-smoking secretary named Lillian Crane, a riff on Psycho’s Vera Miles as Lila Crane.  And Jan Brady herself, Eve Plumb, is the Ords’ young daughter, who discovers the blood-drenched crime scene.

Eve Plumb is the young daughter who finds a bloody crime scene in "House on Greenapple Road."

Janet Leigh’s innately empathetic persona makes the audience want to understand her character. Marian is more than a promiscuous woman. She is looking for validation and her list of Mr. Wrongs reminds me of Looking for Mr. Goodbar, which was also based on a true story. Marian Ord’s husband always forgives her as she seeks to bolster her self-esteem regarding aging and losing her desirability. Among the wrong places she looks for love is with the country club life guard, a sleaze bag business man, a new age minister, and the country club president! Marion’s always disappointed, only to move on to the next man. Yet, in her naïve way, her intentions are sincere. Yet, she’s treated as a toy, when she’s looking for a teen dream version of true love. And Marian’s search doesn’t end well. Leigh’s naturalistic, strong acting make you believe in her character’s motivations, as messed up as they are. Leigh gave some terrific performances in the ‘60s and looked great doing so, but one can only assume it was her age that found her increasingly passed over by the ‘70s.

Janet Leigh as Marian, furious over feeling played, in "House on Greenapple Road."

Tim O’Connor, intense in his breakthrough role on Peyton Place as Elliot Carson, is equally filled with nervous energy here, as George Ord. The sad sack, mild husband loves his wife, but she is not satisfied with their middle-class life. Marian’s fear of losing her appeal is accelerated by the feeling that life is passing her by. The affairs at least jump-start her self-worth, but Marian’s also looking for a real love, and a way out. And O’Connor’s scenes admitting all this later are made genuinely moving by his strong performance.

Tim O' Connor as George Ord finally comes clean about his marriage to Marion.

Here’s the real life story that House on Greenapple Road uses as a premise for the fictional novel and movie, based on the 1961 disappearance of Massachusetts house wife Joan Risch: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Painted-Blood-Unsolved-Disappearance/dp/1476681848

And here’s one of my favorite films, which starred Janet Leigh, my take on 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-manchurian-candidate-1962.html

This look on Janet Leigh's face as Marian Ord touched me, when she begs her latest lover not to laugh at her, in "House on Greenapple Road."

Paul Newman as 'Harper,' private eye, posing by his shingle.

Opinions vary about the ’66 neo-film noir, Harper. A number of film fans and critics think it’s a latter day detective classic. Others, like me, just find it a slickly entertaining Paul Newman picture.

Paul Newman's gumshoe sure spends a lot of time in his car or on the phone.

In the ‘60s, genre films were increasingly made with a mod wink at old-time Hollywood—in this case, detective movies. Harper was the brainchild of agent turned producer Elliot Kastner, whose greatest talent was pairing great stars with their cheesiest vehicles. This was perhaps Kastner’s best effort: take Ross Macdonald’s first Lew Archer novel, 1949’s The Moving Target, and riff on the ‘40s film noir era. How he got Harper off the ground is beyond me, when his only previous producer credit was Bus Riley’s Back in Town. Here’s Kastner’s IMDB resume of mostly rubbish: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0440990/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm

Ironically, Harper now feels more dated than the original movies it tweaks. Harper’s trailer and poster paint him as modern and irresistible, but the promo material feel like they’re for an old Playboy magazine cover.

The promo copy for 'Harper' tries for cool, but today just seems coy.

There's plenty of elbowing the old gumshoe movies: Detective Lew Harper tells the barracuda wife of the missing millionaire that he's a “new type.” New, maybe—but not better. Newman led the way as the new breed of movie anti-hero, a trend I think didn’t age well, either. At 40, Paul as Harper often feels more like an over-aged frat boy, as opposed to the equally cynical, but more worldly-wise Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade or other past film detectives.

The first client visit for 'Harper' deliberately echoes Lauren Bacall's 'The Big Sleep,'  with hubby Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe.

William Goldman's script has a number of zingers. His take on mid-60s California dreaming is more like a noir nightmare. It’s funny at times, but they’re all easy targets: new age religion, druggie jazz singers, crooked lawyers and dumb cops, rich people trying to buy their way out of trouble, etc. There's not a relatable one in the bunch—least of all Harper, who is crude with suspects, and also a juvenile jerk to his lovely ex-wife, as well. I realize I’m looking at a ‘60s movie through modern eyes, but this movie is even less evolved than the movies it’s mimicking from 20 years prior.

Lauren Bacall is a catty client, whose snarky repartee is definitely not decaffeinated!

You could say the film has a sexist view toward women, as they are all mercilessly mocked for their shortcomings, but the men don't fare much better. The nearly all-star cast is mostly typecast: Lauren Bacall as the missing rich man's wife, is a snarky bitch; Shelley Winters as a former movie star gone blowzy is treated with particular contempt by Harper; Pamela Tiffin is the young rich chick on the make. However, Julie Harris is oddly cast as the junkie jazz singer who is also treated rottenly by Harper.

Shelley Winters played more latter-day blowsy broads than Joan Blondell!

Bacall and Winters do their schtick very well. This is an era where Bacall's character is mocked as old and wrinkled at age 41, when Harper was filmed—and a whole year older than Paul Newman. Lauren looked quite timeless and chic as the rich super bitch, IMO. However, Shelley Winters is outrageous as the horny and drunk ex-star, and seems to be Harper’s walking punchline.

Pamela Tiffin, as the rich client's sexy stepdaughter, isn't exactly Ann-Margret!

Pamela Tiffin is all big hair and apple-cheeked, and dances quite badly on a pool board in a polka dot bikini. Tiffin mainly pouts and preens. Julie Harris sings a few bars of yet another Andre and Dore Previn movie theme about being lonely.

Julie Harris is the junkie jazz singer who's too high-strung for torture games.

As for the men, Robert Wagner plays his charming pretty boy bit for good-natured humor, his only real talent. At 35, RJ's on the edge of his beauty, which is what Newman calls him throughout. As the new age nutjob, Strother Martin has a field day, up in a mountain top home that looks like a low-rent version of Liz Taylor's pad in Boom! 

This was the last time Robert Wagner could get away w/playing the shallow pretty boy.

The two best performances are Arthur Hill as the family lawyer who is in love with Tiffin’s rich girl. His lovelorn lawyer gets to go through some changes and plays them skillfully, with a tinge of melancholy. Janet Leigh as Harper’s rightfully exasperated ex-wife makes her few scenes count.

Arthur Hill plays the most realistic character in 'Harper,' as Newman's old pal, who is now the family lawyer for the kidnapped man.

Harper runs just over two hours, too long for this fast-paced genre, and it drags in spots. The subplot involving Harper and his ex-wife is supposed to show how he's unable to give up a thankless job that doesn't love him back. From today's standpoint, Harper’s interactions with his ex make him look a dick, and I don't mean a private one. The scenes that are supposed to be funny aren’t and the one where Harper barges in on her late at night for a booty call and sympathy, only to ditch her the next morning, doesn’t age well.

Newman's Harper lets his ex down not so easily after a late night visit. W/Janet Leigh.

For anybody who feels that I’m too hard on Harper, I was expecting to love this movie, as mystery/suspense is one of my favorite genres. I also love films that depict an era or locale. This movie feels very ‘60s, but not in a good way, just a mainstream, dated way. One example: the hip music that plays in any scenes with young people sounds like Herb Alpert-style elevator music. And the young folks dancing hip looks like the Peanuts characters when they dance for joy.

'Harper's' spoof of the cool kids is strictly Squares-ville!

What about Harper himself, Paul Newman? At this point, Paul had loosened up as an actor, from his sometimes stiff ‘50s stardom. In his quiet, serious moments, Newman is on his way to the stellar star character actor he later became. Yet, his anti-hero stardom here came with his sometimes heavy-handed sense of humor. A stronger director other than journeyman Jack Smight would have reigned in Paul’s smirking, eye-rolling, lip-pursing, voice-mimicking “humor.” 

Paul Newman as Harper cracks himself up constantly, with his amused contempt for the crooked characters he encounters. It feels a bit sophomoric today.

William Goldman, considered one of the best screenwriters and go-to script doctor, scripted many crowd pleasers like this movie. He was a bit like Robert Towne in that regard. Yet, Towne wrote a modern film noir that actually had depth and resonates just as much today—1974’s Chinatown.

Harper’s finish was one of those mod freeze frame non-endings that made me want to throw something at the screen. Harper wasn’t new, but just a mixed bag.

Paul Newman was 40 when 'Harper' was filmed.

Check out my take on Paul Newman’s early forays into southern melodrama from 1958:

The Long, Hot Summer: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-long-hot-summer-long-but-not-so-hot.html

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof:  https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2016/08/cat-on-hot-tin-roof-still-scorches-now.html

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB  movie page. 

Check it out & join!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/

"Harper" was going to be called "The Moving Target," from the original Ross Macdonald book, for a hot minute.