There have been a lot of good TV movies over the years. Here's my pick...
The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975) In Massachusetts in 1893, Lizzie Borden is put on trial for murdering her father and stepmother with an axe.
Cast: Elizabeth Montgomery (Lizzie Borden), Fionnula Flanagan (Bridget Sullivan), Ed Flanders (Hosea Knowlton), Katherine Helmond (Emma Borden), Don Porter (George Robinson)
Do you have any favorites?
Echoes of Summer with a very young Jodie Foster and Richard Harris.
The Point..music by Harry Nilsson.
I was wracking my brain, because most TV movies I've seen are Lifetime or SyFy movies. But I've seen people mention Columbo and Perry Mason, so I'm definitely going with those.
But just to throw in some different titles, I'll also mention the Tori Spelling classics "Co-ed Call Girl" and "Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?". And "The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story" just because Dean Cain is such a dead ringer for Scott Peterson!
I'm not much of a Tori fan, although I did go through a period a number of years ago where I watched her awful reality show.... Tori and Dean in Love? Something like that. she and her husband supposedly owned and ran a bed and breakfast. She was pregnant with her first kid at the time. I had cable, so it was quite a while back! Anyway, they are a train wreck and if life with her is only half true on that show, I can't imagine how anyone can stand her.
I watched The Laci Peterson Story. You are right about the actor who played Scott. They are dead ringers. Such a sad situation. My husband and I were glued to our TV while that whole investigation and trial was going on. It just got more and more bizarre day after day.
I'm not at all a Tori fan, but her tv movies are so deliciously ridiculous.
share"Mother, May I Sleep with Danger"
Remember it well. Thoroughly enjoyable. Great recall, Strat.
Can't believe I'm the first to mention The Night Stalker. Eventually gave birth to a TV series that would go on to inspire some obscure series called The X-Files.
I always loved Carter for giving Darren McGavin a role in that series.
Darren McGavin was terrific! That was such a fun show. I really liked that back in the day.
shareI thought it inspired the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker 74-75
shareI mentioned that. THAT series, in turn, inspired The X-Files.
There was actually a direct sequel to The Night Stalker called The Night Strangler. It wasn't bad itself... the monster was a Dorian Grey type character who killed and drained the blood of his victims to maintain his eternal youth, IIRC.
I didn't realize the X-Files was inspired by The Night Stalker and I was a fan of both. Sort of makes sense now, thanks for the info.
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The Horror at 37,000 Feet. This one is about a demon that terrorizes the crew of an airliner. Only 5.7 on IMDB, but for most of the movie it is surprisingly good. The producers make the most of a limited budget, relying on sound effects and creative visuals to suggest the demon that we never really see.
The cast was a who's who of popular 70s TV actors, including Buddy Ebsen, Chuck Connors, Roy Thinnes, Paul Winfield... and the Shat! Yes, William Shatner... and he's the one whose performance is the most restrained, if you can imagine that.
Oh yes..... sort of like TV's version of Airport. I remember that.
shareBrian's Song
Death Be not Proud
Something For Joey
All tear jerkers.
I'll have to think of some more.
I can think of a few mini series which were very good.