ksf-2 This one is all about Lloyd Bridges as "Sgt. Stagg". His daughter (Sallie Shockley) is married to muscley beach dude Steve (Frank Converse). Stagg catches Steve cheating on his daughter Tina, and is NOT happy. The poop hits the fan, bad stuff happens, and we're off to a who-dunnit. The music is SO 1970s ! the music could be from Columbo, or one of the psychological thinkers from that time. The plot could also have been an episode of Columbo. Ellen Corby is in here as Mrs. Simmons, who finds the dead body. Corby was Grandma, from the Waltons! Also John Fiedler, (Mister Peterson from Bob Newhart.) Fiedler was ALSO one of the voices of Piglet on Winnie the Pooh! Lloyd chews up the scenery, and way over-acts. I kept thinking of him as McClosky in "Airplane" ! Murray Hamilton is "Joe", the other cop trying to put the pieces together. Some great location shots around Los Angeles. Directed by Paul Wendkos, who did mostly TV stuff. About the only really big films he did were the GIDGET movies. Story by Art Wallace, who also worked mostly in television. It's not bad, but it ain't no Shakespeare. It made it to DVD, but I've never seen this one shown on TV or cable.

evening1 A corrupt police sergeant who is perversely attached to his imbecilic daughter oversteps boundaries with impunity until he makes one fatal mistake.This 1971 melodrama is dated and overacted but is quite entertaining for just those reasons. (However, it does end a bit too lamely in a conventional twist that reminds one of how cynical movies have become...) I hadn't seen Lloyd Bridges since "Sea Hunt" and enjoyed him in this hysterical bad-guy role. Not at all a bad film to watch at home alone on a non-descript weeknight.

Woodyanders Gruff, hard-nosed Sergeant Ed Stagg (an excellent performance by Lloyd Bridges) discovers that his basically decent, but frustrated son-in-law Steve Butler (nicely played by Frank Converse) is having an extramarital affair with Louise Campbell (a brief, but memorable turn by the sexy Anne Helm). Stagg confronts Campbell and accidentally kills her. Assigned to the investigation of the homicide, Stagg tries to pin the murder on sad drunken derelict Willard Edson (a superb Broderick Crawford in a remarkably poignant characterization). Director Paul Wendkos, working from an intriguing script by Art Wallace, relates the compelling story at a snappy pace and develops a reasonable amount of tension. This film further benefits from sturdy acting by a tip-top cast: Sallie Shockley does well as Stagg's sweet and unsuspecting daughter Tina, the always reliable Murray Hamilton is likewise fine as Stagg's loyal partner Sergeant Joe Marcus, plus there are cool bits by veteran character actors John Fiedler, Val Avery, Whit Bissell, and James Hong. Moreover, the movie makes valid points about the abuse of power, the danger of taking someone at face value, and the extremely damaging consequences of certain bold actions. Michel Hugo's crisp cinematography makes inspired occasional use of slow motion. Robert Drasnin's moody score also does the trick. A neat little flick.

robert-temple-1 This film is a low budget drama which is chiefly remarkable for containing one of Broderick Crawford's finest performances, as a befuddled drunk who has murdered his best friend but doesn't remember doing so, and an intense and convincing performance by Lloyd Bridges (father of Jeff and Beau). Bridges plays Police Sergeant Ed Stagg who is obsessively devoted to protecting his grown daughter, whom he raised alone after her mother ran off. He discovers that his daughter's husband is having an affair, and he orders him to stop it. Things get out of hand and someone ends up dead by accident, but dead is dead, and a cover-up is necessary. So we get involved in a whodunnit where the who is concealed, and will this all unravel? Bridges is rather terrifying in his obsessive love for the dreamy and over-protected daughter, and the extremes to which he will go. He reveals terrible things about his own childhood as the story progresses. It is an engrossing film.