They Call It Murder is a 1971 American television film directed by Walter Grauman and starring Jim Hutton.
| They Call It Murder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Based on | The D.A. Draws a Circle and characters by Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Written by | Sam Rolfe |
| Directed by | Walter Grauman |
| Starring | Jim Hutton Leslie Nielsen Ed Asner Jessica Walter Jo Ann Pflug Míriam Colón Robert J. Wilke William Elliott Carmen Mathews |
| Music by | Robert Drasnin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Production companies | Paisano Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | December 17, 1971 |
Production
editThey Call It Murder is a two-hour television film produced by Paisano Productions in association with 20th Century Fox. It was a pilot for a proposed TV movie series based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner, who edited the script[1] by Sam Rolfe. Walter Grauman directed; Cornwell Jackson was executive producer. The film is loosely based on Gardner's 1939 novel, The D.A. Draws a Circle.[2]
The film went into production in 1969 and was completed February 9, 1970.[1] Jim Hutton stars as Doug Selby, district attorney of a small town outside Los Angeles.[3]
They Call It Murder was first presented December 17, 1971, on NBC.[1] Gardner had died by the time the film finally was given its world premiere. Paisano Productions had worked to launch a Doug Selby series for six years, while its series Perry Mason was in its prime.[4] No series materialized, and this TV movie marks Selby's sole screen adaptation.[2]
Cast
edit- Jim Hutton as Doug Selby, D.A.
- Lloyd Bochner as A.B. Carr
- Jo Ann Pflug as Sylvia Martin
- Robert J. Wilke as Sheriff Rex Brandon
- Edward Asner as Chief Otto Larkin
- Bill Elliott as Deputy Bob Terry
- Míriam Colón as Anita Nogales
- Jessica Walter as Jane Antrim
- Carmen Mathews as Doris Kane
- Leslie Nielsen as Frank Antrim
- Nita Talbot as Rona Corbin
- Vaughn Taylor as Dr. Harry Marshall
- Vic Tayback as Jeff Poland
- Harry Townes as Dr. Garnett
- Michael Pataki as Pete Cardiff
- Helen Kleeb as Ellen Saxe
- Valentin de Vargas as Alex Cordoba
- Dan White as Judge Faraday
- Norman Burton as the Movie Director
References
edit- ^ a b c Hughes, Dorothy B.; Moore, Ruth (1978). "Bibliography of Erle Stanley Gardner". Erle Stanley Gardner: The Case of the Real Perry Mason. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. p. 340. ISBN 0-688-03282-6.
- ^ a b Shonk, Michael (February 6, 2012). "A TV Movie Review: They Call It Murder (1971)". MysteryFile. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
- ^ TV Scout (December 17, 1971). "Pick of the Programs". North Adams Transcript.
- ^ Lowry, Cynthia (December 16, 1971). "Good Actors Make Holiday Fantasy on 'Night Gallery'". Alton Evening Telegraph. Associated Press.
External links
edit
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