TV-movies, especially those from the late-'60s and early-'70s, are an under-appreciated breed (probably the least-respected in the film industry). Leonard Maltin has all but dropped them from his annual review book, and you never hear about anybody trying to preserve Barbara Eden in "Let's Switch!" or Gloria Swanson in "Killer Bees". Every once in awhile, a TV-movie gets mentioned with respect, such as "Brian's Song" or "Sunshine". I've always thought "House On Greenapple Road" could have been a theatrical film, it is produced with such style and has a great, scary set-up: a young girl gets dropped off from school, runs up the driveway to her house, opens the door and finds the entire place ransacked, with blood spattering the walls. This sequence terrified me as a kid (I was amused to discover years later that the young actress was "Brady Bunch"'s Eve Plumb!). Onto the mystery, which surrounds a missing lady (Janet Leigh) and the investigator on the case (Christopher George playing Dan August). The character of August later got his own series (starring Burt Reynolds), but this feature is more than just a pilot, it has twists and a sophisticated script. The ending doesn't cop-out, although I must say it followed a rather routine development. Overall, a neat little yarn, and Janet Leigh is just gorgeous.
25 Reviews
See it if you ever get the chance
staticeat1 February 2005
This movie haunted me for years. I was 8 or 9 years old when I first saw it and it scared the hell out of me. Back then I was past the point of being afraid of "monsters" and such, but the opening scene in which a really young Eve Plumb( yes, "Jan" on The Brady Bunch) comes home from school, enters the empty house calling out for her mother and finds a bloody hand-print on the refrigerator just hit home with me. What would be a child's worst fear?? Losing their parent(s). The rest of the film is a decent enough murder mystery with some fairly big name 70s actors rounding out the cast. Watch for it in reruns on local TV; I have seen it a couple times over the years.
Wow! This one sure brings back memories!
moonwing21 July 2005
It's good to know that I'm not the only one who was freaked out by those chilling opening scenes! I too was a very young child when I saw this film, so I can scarcely recall any details...only that infamous kitchen footage. The title alone still gives me the creeps! It is definitely a shame that this movie is not shown on TV, and is apparently not available on VHS or DVD. I'd really love to watch it again to see if it holds up to my childhood memories! Sadly, I have a feeling it can't possibly be as frightening as I remember. Years of slasher film viewing have left me quite jaded. Perhaps I'll just read the book instead.
If You Get The Chance To See It, Do So
Doghouse-627 April 2004
I'm glad to see all of the positive comments for this unjustly neglected - and, apparently, largely unknown - made-for-TV movie. Can't imagine why it's not available on home video (or at least on the Mystery Channel or some such).
This whodunnit is presented with style and economy; a lean, mean little thriller, with a prestigious cast that just won't quit. In case you didn't peruse the names, I'll spotlight a few: Janet Leigh, Julie Harris, Walter Pigeon, Keenan Wynn, Barry Sullivan, William Windom, Ed Asner and, of course, Chris George, a solid and dependable actor with screen presence and authority, who was taken from us too soon. Not many made-for-TV movies that weren't big-deal miniseries had casts like this (if any).
Along with these are some players whose names may not be as well-known, but whose talent is as illustrious as those named above, and whose faces will be quite familiar to anyone who was a TV viewer during the late 60's-early 70's. Tim O'Connor, Paul Fix and Joanne Linville deserve honorable mention.
This production is intelligent, witty and literate; indeed, some elements of the plot, dialogue and visuals were pretty strong for TV of the day. At any rate, it's far superior to so many of the tired retreads that pass for mystery-thrillers today (unless you watch the BBC a lot.)
All in all, a nifty picture that deserves to be seen
This whodunnit is presented with style and economy; a lean, mean little thriller, with a prestigious cast that just won't quit. In case you didn't peruse the names, I'll spotlight a few: Janet Leigh, Julie Harris, Walter Pigeon, Keenan Wynn, Barry Sullivan, William Windom, Ed Asner and, of course, Chris George, a solid and dependable actor with screen presence and authority, who was taken from us too soon. Not many made-for-TV movies that weren't big-deal miniseries had casts like this (if any).
Along with these are some players whose names may not be as well-known, but whose talent is as illustrious as those named above, and whose faces will be quite familiar to anyone who was a TV viewer during the late 60's-early 70's. Tim O'Connor, Paul Fix and Joanne Linville deserve honorable mention.
This production is intelligent, witty and literate; indeed, some elements of the plot, dialogue and visuals were pretty strong for TV of the day. At any rate, it's far superior to so many of the tired retreads that pass for mystery-thrillers today (unless you watch the BBC a lot.)
All in all, a nifty picture that deserves to be seen
Based on a novel
VetteRanger13 February 2023
This made-for-TV movie turned out to be a successful pilot for the immediately following series "Dan August", but the starring role went to Burt Reynolds instead of Christopher George. Chris George plays Dan August as an independent spirit who is tough in any confrontation. You don't want to be on his bad side.
The movie is PACKED with past, current, and future stars, many of whom aren't listed in the opening credits, like Ed Asner and Lynda Day George ... some in cameo roles.
I wonder how Quinn Martin sold Janet Leigh on her role?
Quinn Martin: "Janet, you've been murdered just before the movie starts. Your character is a slut who's been running around on her weak husband for years. You'll appear in a series of flashback scenes with various men while in swimsuits or your underwear."
Janet Leigh: "Sounds great! When do we start!"
LOL
The movie is well worth the watch if you're into police and detective procedural dramas. I say drama, but there are a few throwaway chuckles along the way.
It's available on YouTube with a surprisingly good picture for YouTube.
The movie is PACKED with past, current, and future stars, many of whom aren't listed in the opening credits, like Ed Asner and Lynda Day George ... some in cameo roles.
I wonder how Quinn Martin sold Janet Leigh on her role?
Quinn Martin: "Janet, you've been murdered just before the movie starts. Your character is a slut who's been running around on her weak husband for years. You'll appear in a series of flashback scenes with various men while in swimsuits or your underwear."
Janet Leigh: "Sounds great! When do we start!"
LOL
The movie is well worth the watch if you're into police and detective procedural dramas. I say drama, but there are a few throwaway chuckles along the way.
It's available on YouTube with a surprisingly good picture for YouTube.
Plot-driven Whodunit Procedural with some Unusual Features
Gatorman912 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Over the years I have gotten into the habit of focusing on such crime dramas as are character-driven and dialog-oriented to the exclusion of sophisticated plots. Given that this movie was effectively a pilot for a TV series later named *Dan August*, i.e., named after its main character, when I recently ran across it on Youtube I was expecting more of the same. At the same time, I remembered that this series didn't last long on TV before cancellation, so I was not expecting an especially effective effort, and would have given it a pass if I had anything deeper in consideration for viewing that night. But being on a kind of nostalgia binge lately (actually, being on a prolonged binge of wanting to be anywhere but the 21st century anymore, anywhere actually familiar, with characters with recognizable and even sympathetic values systems) I wound up watching this for no better reason than to go back to 1968 (the year it was shot) for a couple of hours.
The result, however, was to be surprised. First, in spite of the name, it wound up being a whodunit, a genre I often find tedious as a repository for stereotyped character development. And like whodunits normally are, this movie is plot driven, but here with a wrinkle: in this case, it incorporates the unusual device of quite a lot of its run time being spent on red herrings handled in police procedural mode, i.e., on investigation angles that aren't getting anywhere. This keeps following the plot lively in comparison with a lot of more straightforward whodunits. The plots of the Dan August TV series this movie piloted were more intricate than the usual hour-long police drama typically exhibited, incorporating as much complexity with as many suspect characters and twists and turns among them as the writers could come up with. One added trick also prevalent here was to use in exaggerated form the classic old-fashioned police procedural trope of officers running bluffs on suspects, only here practically instinctively on almost every potential suspect they meet, keeping the audience constantly a little off base as to what the police themselves may really be thinking as the investigation proceeds, something further complicated by having multiple senior officials also disagreeing with each other and the title-role character as a standard device, so that foreseeing the plot resolution can turn into an exercise in deciding which cop is going to turn out to be right after all. All this keeps things especially complicated compared with more usual offerings in either the whodunit or police procedural genres.
On the other hand, this devotion to plot complexity results in almost no meaningful character development at all among the police officer characters, with even the title-role hero being as one-dimensional and cliched a detective character as you can see anywhere. I was and still am frankly surprised that the show was named after the character when so little attention was given to writing him as an actual personality. That's not the way that kind of thing normally works, and the thing that can compensate for that sometimes, having an especially charismatic actor in the lead role, does not occur here either. Even when a young Burt Reynolds took over this part from Chris George after this pilot, there was never enough punch to the title character's screen presence to overcome the uninteresting main character.
There is one other very unusual feature to this drama, and that is how very, very far ahead of its time certain elements of this presentation are, anticipating the cable TV era by a good ten years or more. Rampant, over-the-top sexually excessive behavior by one of the main antagonist characters here is a central theme, and never from any major network TV offering of this vintage can I remember anything so obtrusively in-your-face regarding that kind of subject matter as what we are exposed to here; only until certain 1980s sitcoms do I remember anything so unsubtle. This extends to the language used, where at one point a certain sexually pejorative word is thrown about in liberal doses, a particular word I cannot remember ever seeing used on American commercial major broadcast network TV at any time in my entire life to this day. In fact, it is a word I cannot even repeat *here* for purposes of this review, because the IMDb thought police computer robot evidently found it so impolite that it warned me not to use it when I tried to type it here originally. (Esteemed Sherlock Holmes creator Conan Doyle once got around the same kind of word issue for purposes of the Victorian-era magazines in which he was published by substituting the phrase, "the vilest name that a man could use to a woman".) And finally, there is certain visual material that was so graphic that it was considered cutting edge in only the edgiest theatrical-release movies of the era. It was so unusual to see on broadcast TV that when I saw it here, I found myself jumping up bolt upright in my seat in surprise, actually saying, "whoa!" out loud.
Thus, while a modern audience in 2023 won't find anything especially shocking in this piece by current so-called standards, if you decide to try this out realize that it is way beyond the norm of 55 years ago. It is only because of this unusual trait that I gave this as high a rating as seven stars, in other words, something worth seeing if only for that feature alone, because otherwise the cliched protagonist treatment I think ought to drag it down to a six. The truth is simply that regardless of the carefully intricately plotted narrative, and the appearance of as an appealing an actress as Janet Leigh in a new twist on her established bathtub scene fame (if you are an Alfred Hitchcock fan, as soon as you see that bathtub you know what is going to happen, more or less), the heroes are just plain dull.
The result, however, was to be surprised. First, in spite of the name, it wound up being a whodunit, a genre I often find tedious as a repository for stereotyped character development. And like whodunits normally are, this movie is plot driven, but here with a wrinkle: in this case, it incorporates the unusual device of quite a lot of its run time being spent on red herrings handled in police procedural mode, i.e., on investigation angles that aren't getting anywhere. This keeps following the plot lively in comparison with a lot of more straightforward whodunits. The plots of the Dan August TV series this movie piloted were more intricate than the usual hour-long police drama typically exhibited, incorporating as much complexity with as many suspect characters and twists and turns among them as the writers could come up with. One added trick also prevalent here was to use in exaggerated form the classic old-fashioned police procedural trope of officers running bluffs on suspects, only here practically instinctively on almost every potential suspect they meet, keeping the audience constantly a little off base as to what the police themselves may really be thinking as the investigation proceeds, something further complicated by having multiple senior officials also disagreeing with each other and the title-role character as a standard device, so that foreseeing the plot resolution can turn into an exercise in deciding which cop is going to turn out to be right after all. All this keeps things especially complicated compared with more usual offerings in either the whodunit or police procedural genres.
On the other hand, this devotion to plot complexity results in almost no meaningful character development at all among the police officer characters, with even the title-role hero being as one-dimensional and cliched a detective character as you can see anywhere. I was and still am frankly surprised that the show was named after the character when so little attention was given to writing him as an actual personality. That's not the way that kind of thing normally works, and the thing that can compensate for that sometimes, having an especially charismatic actor in the lead role, does not occur here either. Even when a young Burt Reynolds took over this part from Chris George after this pilot, there was never enough punch to the title character's screen presence to overcome the uninteresting main character.
There is one other very unusual feature to this drama, and that is how very, very far ahead of its time certain elements of this presentation are, anticipating the cable TV era by a good ten years or more. Rampant, over-the-top sexually excessive behavior by one of the main antagonist characters here is a central theme, and never from any major network TV offering of this vintage can I remember anything so obtrusively in-your-face regarding that kind of subject matter as what we are exposed to here; only until certain 1980s sitcoms do I remember anything so unsubtle. This extends to the language used, where at one point a certain sexually pejorative word is thrown about in liberal doses, a particular word I cannot remember ever seeing used on American commercial major broadcast network TV at any time in my entire life to this day. In fact, it is a word I cannot even repeat *here* for purposes of this review, because the IMDb thought police computer robot evidently found it so impolite that it warned me not to use it when I tried to type it here originally. (Esteemed Sherlock Holmes creator Conan Doyle once got around the same kind of word issue for purposes of the Victorian-era magazines in which he was published by substituting the phrase, "the vilest name that a man could use to a woman".) And finally, there is certain visual material that was so graphic that it was considered cutting edge in only the edgiest theatrical-release movies of the era. It was so unusual to see on broadcast TV that when I saw it here, I found myself jumping up bolt upright in my seat in surprise, actually saying, "whoa!" out loud.
Thus, while a modern audience in 2023 won't find anything especially shocking in this piece by current so-called standards, if you decide to try this out realize that it is way beyond the norm of 55 years ago. It is only because of this unusual trait that I gave this as high a rating as seven stars, in other words, something worth seeing if only for that feature alone, because otherwise the cliched protagonist treatment I think ought to drag it down to a six. The truth is simply that regardless of the carefully intricately plotted narrative, and the appearance of as an appealing an actress as Janet Leigh in a new twist on her established bathtub scene fame (if you are an Alfred Hitchcock fan, as soon as you see that bathtub you know what is going to happen, more or less), the heroes are just plain dull.
Excellent TV Movie with Janet Leigh & Christopher George!
Hoohawnaynay27 October 2003
This is probably one of the best TV movies made in this era. Great opening scene with Eve Plumb finding one of the bloodiest crime scenes in any movie of the era (TV or Theater). All that blood and no body! We see Janet in flashbacks to great advantage with a who's who of Hollywood at the time (Peter Mark Richman, William Windom, etc) Great locations as well, the "House" is in Pacific Palisades, the old Oxnard, CA Library serves as the police station. The old Santa Monica Beach Home of Marion Davies is the Country Club. Great acting all the way around. The flashbacks are really interesting and do not get boring. I never get tired of seeing this great movie, I wish it were on DVD! Julie Harris is also very good in a rare TV role. Too bad they didn't use Christopher George in the series, it may have lasted longer. Look for Chris' wife Lynda Day in a small role as a pothead secretary. The ending is a plot twist as well, and kind of ironic considering Janet's earlier work in Psycho.
Whodunnit?
AAdaSC21 February 2017
Police lieutenant Christopher George (Dan) is under pressure to arrest travelling salesman Tim O'Connor (George) for the murder of his wife Janet Leigh (Marian). One problem, though, there is no body.
The night before I watched this, I had drunk a load of wine. So, I wanted something easy to watch that would carry me along and not hassle me with any brain work. And that's what this film provided, so I'm grateful. It's obviously a TV film with very pale colours and boasting a cast of familiar faces. It's a murder detective story in the same mould as Columbo, only more like Hawaii-Five-O because George resembles Jack Lord in this one. It's like a formulaic episode of a detective series and it succeeds at that. There is a moment at the end which may throw you and in my case, it was the only scary part – the bit when George breaks into the clubhouse apartment and finds something in the bathtub.
It's what I wanted to watch – perfect viewing for a hangover, but it doesn't have any meaning outside of this context. It's OK to while away the time.
The night before I watched this, I had drunk a load of wine. So, I wanted something easy to watch that would carry me along and not hassle me with any brain work. And that's what this film provided, so I'm grateful. It's obviously a TV film with very pale colours and boasting a cast of familiar faces. It's a murder detective story in the same mould as Columbo, only more like Hawaii-Five-O because George resembles Jack Lord in this one. It's like a formulaic episode of a detective series and it succeeds at that. There is a moment at the end which may throw you and in my case, it was the only scary part – the bit when George breaks into the clubhouse apartment and finds something in the bathtub.
It's what I wanted to watch – perfect viewing for a hangover, but it doesn't have any meaning outside of this context. It's OK to while away the time.
a classic 70s thriller/mystery
dshakey22 January 2008
I am dying to see this film again but cant find it anywhere and everyone i ask about it gives me blank looks! Mommy i'm home is the opening line, and what follows has stuck in my head for 38 years! just goes to prove that this era produced some of the best entertainment around! the bloody hand print on the fridge, the mess in the kitchen, all simple stuff by todays standards but left a much bigger impression on me than some of the rubbish that passes for entertainment nowadays! I was only 6 years old when i first saw this film so i didn't really appreciate Janet Leigh's professionalism and beauty until i watched Psycho much later, i then realised the similarity between the two films! if the powers that be are reading, please release this on DVD!
Another mysterious missing Marian.
mark.waltz9 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
And there's also another character with the last name of Crane. Coincidence? I don't think so. Janet Lee, having played heroine in dozens of films prior to "Psycho", started playing more dark ladies after that, and does so very well. She was an absolute psychopath and "Honeymoon with a Stranger" for TV, and here is a missing wife and mother, her daughter ironically Eve Plumb from "The Brady Bunch". Husband Tim O'Connor gives his take on what happened to detective Christopher George, and others as well have their suspicions including sister Julie Harris.
An all-star cast of well-known actors includes Barry Sullivan (the other man), Walter Pidgeon (a corrupt mayor), Keenan Wynn and Ed Asner (both detectives) rounds out the ensemble, filling out a story that has a watch going on and requires full concentration. Christopher George is cast as Detective Dan August, later recast for a TV series, and his real life wife Lynda Day George is Lillian, given the ironic last name of Crane. Every character seems to have an agenda, and often it's difficult to tell if they are lying or just shady people telling a wicked truth. Leigh is mixed up in something big, and that keeps the twists turning. An odd early TV movie that is filled with some delightful smart aleck characters, a witty script with lots of jaw-dropping lines.
An all-star cast of well-known actors includes Barry Sullivan (the other man), Walter Pidgeon (a corrupt mayor), Keenan Wynn and Ed Asner (both detectives) rounds out the ensemble, filling out a story that has a watch going on and requires full concentration. Christopher George is cast as Detective Dan August, later recast for a TV series, and his real life wife Lynda Day George is Lillian, given the ironic last name of Crane. Every character seems to have an agenda, and often it's difficult to tell if they are lying or just shady people telling a wicked truth. Leigh is mixed up in something big, and that keeps the twists turning. An odd early TV movie that is filled with some delightful smart aleck characters, a witty script with lots of jaw-dropping lines.
Janet Leigh's performance...and the film in general.
tomsharp12 June 2006
I would have to agree that Janet Leigh looks very beautiful in this movie, but I hope that people also notice how great of a performance she gives. This character gives her the chance to play a much more seedy part, and she plays it to the hilt.
I don't want to take away from the other great things about this movie because there are many. The plot was great, most of the actors were very good, and the use of flashbacks was COOL! The script was quite racy for a TV movie of that time.
House on Greenapple Road still holds up watching it today, and many believe it is one of the better made for TV movies.
I don't want to take away from the other great things about this movie because there are many. The plot was great, most of the actors were very good, and the use of flashbacks was COOL! The script was quite racy for a TV movie of that time.
House on Greenapple Road still holds up watching it today, and many believe it is one of the better made for TV movies.
Just thinking of this movie scares me!
dwieselq16 April 2004
I saw this once when I was a kid (around 8)...all I remember is the opening scene, it scared the @#$% out of me!...a house, someone coming home, and blood everywhere...very chilling. Plus, I lived on Greenville Road so the fear "hit home" even more.
That 70's made-for-TV-movies genre is greatly under-appreciated and unrecognized. Other movies that I remember about the same time that were really creepy (you might too):
That 70's made-for-TV-movies genre is greatly under-appreciated and unrecognized. Other movies that I remember about the same time that were really creepy (you might too):
- "When Michael Calls" (Ben Gazzara, Elizabeth Ashley, Micheal Douglas)
- "The Screaming Woman" (Olivia DeHavilland)
- "Picture Mommy Dead" (Zsa Zsa Gabor)
- "How Awful About Allen" (Anthony Perkins)
- "Two On a Guillotine" (Connie Stevens)
- "The Victim" (Elizabeth Montgomery)
Intelligent and engrossing slasher-thriller starring the incomparable Janet Leigh in her prime.
negevoli-449 June 2000
I probably haven't seen "House on Green Apple Road" (HOGAR) since its release (c. 1970, made-for-TV) but have been watching for it ever since. I saw it probably two or three times and can scarcely remember it in detail, but I have a strong desire to see it again and an even stronger desire to acquire it for my private viewing. (Like that'll happen! Only crap is available today, with some exceptions.) HOGAR has always stuck in my memory because it is so well done. Almost 100 times out of 100, no matter what, I can spot the culprit or the killer or guess the outcome in movies and books, but this was one of the exceptions that had me guessing until the denouemont. ("Sixth Sense" is another one, but it is not nearly as good a movie as HOGAR.) Janet Leigh is still really spectacular looking in this one and gives a first-rate performance -- this movie certainly makes one realize how utterly unappreciated Leigh was during her film hey-day. I can't recommend this movie highly enough. The blood and gore are tame, by today's standards, and nobody uses gratuituous four-letter-words or gratuitiously talks about "making love," ahem! -- but if that is not a priority for you I think you will enjoy it enormously.
Lost treasure-one of the best who-dun-it's ever made
MartianOctocretr59 June 2013
When I think of lost treasure movies by genre, this one certainly makes the claim as the best "Who-dun-it?" police drama mystery I've seen.
It hits the mark on so many levels: first, an all star banner cast of great actors who are just fun to see all working together on this unique TV mystery. Clever scripting and a brilliant red herring that make for a puzzle that gradually unfolds until that one big key element is finally revealed.
As evidence witness statements are gathered, the story takes form of a middle aged suburbia housewife's (Janet Leigh) numerous trysts while her traveling salesman is away. At the opening, her daughter (trivia alert- -that's Eve "Jan Brady" Plumb) arrives home and finds a blood soaked mess in the kitchen, and her mother missing. Soon, Lt. Dan August (Christopher George), a shrewd and dedicated detective tries to sort through all the evidence and the gossip about the missing woman, and determine what really happened in that house. There are several fine sub-plots about police work in general, and wonderful characterizations all around from the cast.
A TV movie from the 70's made by the Quinn-Martin people, who produced several crime dram TV shows at that time. Definitely worth finding this one for a good watch.
It hits the mark on so many levels: first, an all star banner cast of great actors who are just fun to see all working together on this unique TV mystery. Clever scripting and a brilliant red herring that make for a puzzle that gradually unfolds until that one big key element is finally revealed.
As evidence witness statements are gathered, the story takes form of a middle aged suburbia housewife's (Janet Leigh) numerous trysts while her traveling salesman is away. At the opening, her daughter (trivia alert- -that's Eve "Jan Brady" Plumb) arrives home and finds a blood soaked mess in the kitchen, and her mother missing. Soon, Lt. Dan August (Christopher George), a shrewd and dedicated detective tries to sort through all the evidence and the gossip about the missing woman, and determine what really happened in that house. There are several fine sub-plots about police work in general, and wonderful characterizations all around from the cast.
A TV movie from the 70's made by the Quinn-Martin people, who produced several crime dram TV shows at that time. Definitely worth finding this one for a good watch.
i agree
slsutton-125 September 2008
i also saw this movie when younger (around 7 or 8) and like the other user comments, i remember one scene with blood all over the place in a house. it scared me so much at the time that i actually remembered the name of the movie, found it on IMDb and am now writing this comment. over the years i have remembered then forgotten again, but from time to time would search for it out of curiosity, as if to see if the movie was really the one i saw. I don't remember anything else, just that one haunting scene. there was something about the presentation of themovie/scene that was very realistic, unlike many movies today. it was like suburban nightmare behind close doors sort of image.
Now it is available!
TSMChicago19 December 2005
I saw the initial telecast of this crime drama on ABC in 1970. The Sunday Night Movie was usually a theatrical film trimmed for broadcast and every so often a made for TV "world premiere" was shown as well. This was one of the best of those in-house TV movies.
I was in junior high and it made quite an impression at the time. Well-acted, more sophisticated than many of the procedurals we have on television today. Not gratuitous but pretty graphic for the time on ABC.
Christopher George was an under-appreciated actor who was often cast as the heavy. Here he gave a layered, realistic performance as Lt. Dan August.
I recently found a DVD-R copy of this title at www.adifferentcity.com. The quality was pretty good and it was great to see the movie after 34 years!
I was in junior high and it made quite an impression at the time. Well-acted, more sophisticated than many of the procedurals we have on television today. Not gratuitous but pretty graphic for the time on ABC.
Christopher George was an under-appreciated actor who was often cast as the heavy. Here he gave a layered, realistic performance as Lt. Dan August.
I recently found a DVD-R copy of this title at www.adifferentcity.com. The quality was pretty good and it was great to see the movie after 34 years!
Not as scary as I remember, but very cool nonetheless
stefanbain25 January 2007
I remember seeing this as a child...It would come on TV every now and then. As a little boy, I could never get past the opening scene where Eve Plumb comes home and finds all that blood. I was terrified that it was real. Seeing this 30 years later, it has lost more than a bit of the terror it held over me, but with that said, it is very well acted. The detective story is pretty run of the mill, and not as clever as Columbo, but a notch above Murder She Wrote. The final scenes are pretty powerful and the dialog seems very risqué for the 70s. It is great to see this again; it is very well made for a TV movie and it made me long for the days of 70s TV. Now all we got are Lifetime movies, which are pretty dumb. This movie is not on Netflix, but I was able to order one from www.adifferentcity.com the copy is fine.
A Suspense Thriller
dlp11 October 2001
I really enjoyed this movie and I wish it was released to video. In the opening scene, where Janet Leigh's daughter Eve Plumb comes in, raises chills. There's blood on the refrigerator door. You wonder, what happened. Where there's blood then there must be a body. Could it be Janet Leigh was murdered like in Psycho, by Anthony Perkins? You start detective work, investigating and come up, with your own clues.
Eerie mystery
SusieSalmonLikeTheFish18 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I was searching youtube for made-for-TV mysteries one night and came across this little 1970's ABC mystery.
It begins innocently; a little girl gets dropped off at her house and wanders inside... and suddenly all hell breaks loose when the girl discovers a ton of blood all over the kitchen. She goes to the neighbors and a police investigation begins to find the girl's mom... but Marian was not the most faithful of wives.
Not only was the mystery intriguing but the acting was excellent, especially for a TV movie. I loved the title credits' originality and the soundtrack. Check this underrated little movie out with All the Kind Strangers (1974) and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), you won't be disappointed.
It begins innocently; a little girl gets dropped off at her house and wanders inside... and suddenly all hell breaks loose when the girl discovers a ton of blood all over the kitchen. She goes to the neighbors and a police investigation begins to find the girl's mom... but Marian was not the most faithful of wives.
Not only was the mystery intriguing but the acting was excellent, especially for a TV movie. I loved the title credits' originality and the soundtrack. Check this underrated little movie out with All the Kind Strangers (1974) and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), you won't be disappointed.
Could have been a 10-star movie, but for a couple of problems.
FloridaFred10 June 2022
Starts out with a lot of excitement, including a car peeling out of a driveway, a frightened kitty cat knocking over a flower pot, and a wrecked kitchen soaked in human blood. This was heading toward a 10 star review. And the plot twist at the end was amazing; it should have received the 10 stars.
But a couple of things got in the way. Poor writing about the police work, and way too many guest stars.
From the beginning, there is some very sloppy police work. The detectives who arrive on the scene tramp across the blood-soaked floor. They pick up the telephone to make a call (no fingerprinting?). And instead of looking for a body in the house, they start going through dresser drawers.
The next problem was just way too many actors. It's exciting to see one big-name TV star after another. Everyone from the 1960's and 70's makes an appearance (see the credits for the lengthy list of names). A couple of movie screen idols, in addition to Janet Leigh, also appear.
But trying to keep track of who is who becomes diffficult. There is this detective, that police chief, this sheriff, that mayor, the old man at the pier, the lifeguard, the priest, the sister, the little girl, and on and on. The number of characters overwhelms the story.
So my 10 star review gets cut down to 8 stars. However, this is still a very good movie. Watch and enjoy.
But a couple of things got in the way. Poor writing about the police work, and way too many guest stars.
From the beginning, there is some very sloppy police work. The detectives who arrive on the scene tramp across the blood-soaked floor. They pick up the telephone to make a call (no fingerprinting?). And instead of looking for a body in the house, they start going through dresser drawers.
The next problem was just way too many actors. It's exciting to see one big-name TV star after another. Everyone from the 1960's and 70's makes an appearance (see the credits for the lengthy list of names). A couple of movie screen idols, in addition to Janet Leigh, also appear.
But trying to keep track of who is who becomes diffficult. There is this detective, that police chief, this sheriff, that mayor, the old man at the pier, the lifeguard, the priest, the sister, the little girl, and on and on. The number of characters overwhelms the story.
So my 10 star review gets cut down to 8 stars. However, this is still a very good movie. Watch and enjoy.
"You Know What?! You're A Dirty, Fink Cop!"...
azathothpwiggins29 June 2021
HOUSE ON GREENAPPLE ROAD is the pilot film for the TV series, DAN AUGUST.
A murder has apparently been committed. At least there's evidence of extreme violence, in the form of a blood-spattered kitchen. In spite of the copious amount of blood, no body is found. The apparent victim is Marian Ord (Janet Leigh), whose story is told through flashbacks.
Christopher George is quite good as August, playing him with a harder edge than Burt Reynolds' version in the series. Keenan Wynn plays Dan's partner. There's also Barry Sullivan as the police Chief, and Ed Asner as the sheriff! Julie Harris is also involved, playing Marian's sister, Leona.
More drama / police procedural than thriller, this movie may be considered "boring" by those raised on mindless action films.
Amid the grim goings on, there is mirth to be found when we're introduced to the kooky "Church Of Contemplation" and its loopy leader (Lawrence Dane).
Also, watch for young Eve Plum in an early role...
A murder has apparently been committed. At least there's evidence of extreme violence, in the form of a blood-spattered kitchen. In spite of the copious amount of blood, no body is found. The apparent victim is Marian Ord (Janet Leigh), whose story is told through flashbacks.
Christopher George is quite good as August, playing him with a harder edge than Burt Reynolds' version in the series. Keenan Wynn plays Dan's partner. There's also Barry Sullivan as the police Chief, and Ed Asner as the sheriff! Julie Harris is also involved, playing Marian's sister, Leona.
More drama / police procedural than thriller, this movie may be considered "boring" by those raised on mindless action films.
Amid the grim goings on, there is mirth to be found when we're introduced to the kooky "Church Of Contemplation" and its loopy leader (Lawrence Dane).
Also, watch for young Eve Plum in an early role...
Dan August's first case.
yenlo25 August 1999
I started watching this made for TV film partly because Janet Leigh was in it. I was surprised that it turned out to be a pretty good TV movie. Leigh plays a cheating wife who disappears and the men who she has been having affairs with come into question as her possible abductor/murderer etc. This film spun off into the Dan August TV series. Dan August is the plain clothes police officer assigned to crack the case and find the missing Janet Leigh character. Overall an entertaining picture. Janet Leigh looked good in a white bathing suit by the way.
Police procedures
mikeos323 October 2021
Watching this on YouTube. When August enters the house he walks all over the crime scene, including the blood on the floor, leaves his prints everywhere including the phone, rings the hospital to check admissions, all before checking the rest of the house for a body. Lets hope police procedures have improved in the decades since.
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