The Woman Hunter (1972 TV Movie) User Reviews

Now all we need is a pole. . .

[zephyr-123 · 6/10 · 9 January 2010]

I found this movie in a dollar bin which was actually on sale 10 for a buck and figured 'what the hell'. I usually don't like to buy those because the movies are mostly crap and the picture and sound quality is also mostly crap. But I was always a Jeannie fan so. . . While the plot is a little slow and a bit (much less than I thought it would be) dated, Barbara Eden doesn't fail to make it somewhat interesting. It's about a wealthy woman who is trying to recover from a dark incident in her past which has resulted in a precarious emotional state. Then there's the storyline of rich women being bumped off in various parts of the world. Stuart Whitman plays a mysterious character and Robert Vaughn plays her cold, distant, workaholic husband. The ending is a surprise ending and I'm probably the only viewer who didn't see it coming.

Someone on here made a disparaging comment about Stuart Whitman's pot belly and it made me think. I've been watching quite a few 70's movies and TV shows lately and have noticed how actors in those days and prior didn't seem to try to be so physically perfect the way they do now. They had pot bellies, balding heads, crooked stained teeth and (omg!) wrinkles--wrinkles when they were actually old and **should** have winkles! No botox, no "Hair Club For Men", no teeth bleaching. People were **real**. That reviewer was offended by SW's belly. I found it comforting.

Not a bad little 70's made-for-TV flick. A bit better than the usual dollar bin crap. Oh, and in the middle of the movie, Barbara Eden suddenly breaks into this cool and sexy dance for absolutely no reason. . .hence my review heading.

all is not lost

[KDWms · 4/10 · 26 October 2003]

When I grade a movie, I start at five and add or subtract the pros and cons from there. There are a couple of things which I like about this film: Its ability not to betray its ending, and its scenery (mother nature sure was kind to this spot in Mexico AND to Barbara Eden). But, in my opinion, it has more cons than pros: It shows a few too many times bare from the waist up, the character, "Paul"'s aging bod, and him recording his babblings of his encounters with the "Hunter" couple. (The latter is extensively written into the flow of the pic.) Is it also a BAD thing that there are so many shots of Miss Eden? Other impressions are of its excessive slow-movingness and, at times, echoy audio (especially during some indoor scenes). The basic story is of a wealthy couple, vacationing in Acapulco, being of interest to artist "Paul", of whom Mrs. Hunter becomes increasingly suspicious, after some initial sparks between the two. (She is tempted, no doubt, as a result of her husband mixing too much business with what was supposed to be post-wreck pleasure for her.) I wouldn't discourage anyone from spending time and/or a little money for THE WOMAN HUNTER. Maybe this person's negatives will be somebody else's positives.

Made for Television

[Uriah43 · 4/10 · 2 March 2013]

Barbara Eden stars as a woman named "Dina Hunter" who has just inherited a fortune due to the death of her father. Because she was accidentally involved in the death, her husband "Jerry Hunter" (Robert Vaughn) accompanies her to Acapulco so that she can recover both mentally and emotionally. While there she meets a man named "Paul Carter" (Stuart Whitman) who she believes is a murderous jewel thief intent on killing her and taking her jewelry. Now, considering the presence of accomplished actors like Robert Vaughn and Stuart Whitman one would think that their mere presence would be able to lift this film up from mediocrity. Sadly, that is not the case as this "made for television" movie fails to capitalize on their abilities. Fortunately, Barbara Eden manages to keep the film from completely crashing due to her beauty and charm. Even so, the lack of action and suspense is definitely noticeable and the final product suffers accordingly. Somewhat disappointing.

Favorite Credit: "A Bing Crosby Production" !!!

[Poseidon-3 · 16 March 2006]

An otherwise routine TV-movie gets a shot in the arm from some lovely location filming in Acapulco and from some lingering views of the still-stunning, 41 year-old Miss Eden. Eden was something of a TV-movie staple at this point in her career and many of her flicks are fondly remembered. Though there isn't anything incredibly stellar about this one, fans of hers will not want to miss it. She plays a glamorous and wealthy woman who comes to Acapulco to regroup after an emotionally and physically damaging car accident in which she struck and killed a man. Though she had hoped her husband Vaughn would be a significant part of her rest and relaxation, he is ensconced in endless business shenanigans, opening the door for hirsute mystery man Whitman to slither into her life. Whitman seems bent on moving into her territory as quickly as possible and eventually Eden wonders what he's after; her jewels or her life! At this point, the already moderately campy film goes off the radar with Eden enacting catatonic stares into space and performing a hysterical Latin dance at a party in order to prove that Whitman can only look at her necklace. Then she begins to freak out and runs around in a red pantsuit that has a "Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island" style shirt under it. Soon, all is revealed following a frenetic chase along a winding mountain road (recalling her hideous accident several months earlier.) Eden is nothing short of luscious here, showing off her fantabulous body at every opportunity. She is occasionally unintentionally funny as she wades in the water while wearing her cover up or swims with humongous false eyelashes on, but she's always watchable and likable. (One does half expect her at certain points to simply cross her arms and tilt her head in order to excise herself from her troubles, but, alas, she's playing a mere mortal here.) Another preposterous moment has her, after displaying an unending wardrobe of slinky clothes, reaching into a closet for something to wear and having the closet ostensibly EMPTY except for a pantsuit and blouse! Vaughn isn't given a great deal to do here, but is fairly well cast. (Actually, both Eden and Vaughn are old for their roles. This is her first marriage at what would have been 38??) It's hard to believe his character isn't interested in making it with Eden, though. She's got it going on here. Whitman spends an undue amount of time yammering into a tape recorder. The rest of his time is spent trying to convince the audience that he's sexy, often shirtless, near shirtless or even supposedly naked! He's not as repellent as, say, Ernest Borgnine or George Kennedy might have been in the role, but he's hardly the stud he's presented to be either. Where the heck was Hugh O'Brian when they needed him? Chaplin, as one of Vaughn's business associates, has a pointless role and is virtually unrecognizable. Lucero, a noted Mexican actor and one that Sam Peckinpah liked to use as well, plays the local police chief. Storch has a tiny, unnecessary part in the pre-credits party sequence and then is gone for good. His wife Norma is unbelievably stiff, awful and zombie-like in her role and actually shows more life when dead than when her character was alive, flinching as her killer yanks jewels off her "deceased" body while dramatic music blares and breathing obviously throughout! The opening party, by the way, is filled to the brim with oddball, garishly dressed extras who look like they're auditioning for some celebrity look-alike contest. Later, Vaughn comments that his wife draws attention because of her rare blonde hair, but at a party immediately following, she's surrounded by other blondes during her vigorous "dance"! Incidentally, and not at all integral, Eden's character is named Dina Hunter, so the title can be read more than one way: The Woman Hunter or The Woman, Hunter. The whole film is a painless 70+ minutes long and has in its favor the tireless parade of Eden's bra-less wardrobe and fun hairdos and hats, a series of eye-opening settings and enough of a mystery to keep viewers on their toes. Sit back, watch and enjoy!

Rather light on story--it seems more like an excuse to feature Barbara Eden in lots of beautiful clothes and settings.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 11 August 2014]

If your main goal in life is to watch old films with LOTS of footage of the beautiful Barbara Eden wearing bikinis, fashionable clothes and traipsing about Mexico, then I have a film for you! One reviewer gave this very ordinary film a 10--mostly because this was what they were looking for in a movie! Clearly, this is among their favorite films! However, for most viewers this isn't really enough reason to recommend "The Woman Hunter"--an at best ordinary made for TV film from the 1970s. While Miss Eden IS radiant here, some of her other work of this period (such as the creepy made for TV film, "The Stranger Within") is much better.

Eden plays Dina Hunter--a super-rich heiress who is emotionally ill following a tragic accident. Not helping much is her husband, Jerry (Robert Vaughn)--a man who seems more interested in business than spending time with his sexy wife on a Mexico vacation. During this time, a stranger, Paul Carter (Stuart Whitman) obviously deliberately ingratiates himself with the family and soon Dina realizes this was no accident. What follows is mildly interesting at times, but too often it just seems very rushed and sloppy. Even the surprising twist at the end doesn't save the film because it's handled VERY poorly--ending with an impossibly well-aimed rock and an explosion that seems to come out of no where. All in all, the film had some decent ideas but comes off as very superficial and silly.

Just Plain Dull

[Hitchcoc · 4/10 · 15 November 2006]

This was like a dull television show. I would hope that when a director looks at a script, he or she would make an effort to produce something that teaches or delights or does something to make the effort worthwhile. There is really nothing here. Barbara Eden is honeymooning with Robert Vaughn. He seems only interested in business. She has recently lost her first husband in a terrible accident. There have been some recent jewel thefts and a woman has been murdered. Barbara becomes attracted to a handsome young artist, and he becomes the murder suspect. There are efforts made to gaslight Barbara, but she knows what she knows. The movie grinds along to a contrived conclusion. We do get to see Barbara in all kinds of outfits. It's really not worth an hour and a half of your time.

Not as Good

[garyldibert · 4/10 · 4 July 2008]

This picture was released on September 19 1972 starring Barbara Eden as Dina Hunter, Robert Vaughn as Jerry Hunter and Stuart Whitman as Paul Carter. Dina Hunter and her husband are going on vacation to Mexico. While in Mexico, some international people get the idea that Dina has many jewels that are worth millions. Things start to happen to the point that Dina starts to get paranoid and to her disbelief that her husband doesn't believe her. I bought this movie because of Barbara Eden and I was somewhat disappointed. The Barbara Eden that was in this movie and the one that played the role of Jeanie where two different people. To me this movie also lacks action and drama. It was hard to stay interested in this picture that's why I'm giving this movie only 5 weasel stars.

Woman In Peril, TV Movie Style

[boblipton · 5/10 · 17 August 2020]

Stuart Whitman is stalking Barbara Eden. She's an heiress married to Robert Vaughan, and she's just gotten out of the hospital, so they take a vacation in Mexico, where Larry Storch tells stories at night, and Whitman is their next-door neighbor. He is a painter, so after meeting Eden (whose character is named Dina Hunter; the Hunter woman, get it) on the beach, and catching her in a bikini, he offers to paint her portrait. Then he 'runs into' Vaughan in town, and sticks himself in the middle of their lives. As Miss Eden grows more and more uneasy, Vaughan tries to remember where he's seen Whitman before. Well, the man's career was shrinking in prominence.

It's a TV movie of the 'cozy mystery' variety that now seems to run all the time on the Lifetime cable channel. Director Bernie Kowalski does a decent job with his highly professional cast and standard camerawork.It's nice to see Vaughan play a decent guy, and Miss Eden in a bikini. It looks like editor Melvin Shapiro had to leave the end to a couple of subplots on the cutting room floor.

Robbery, murder, Acapulco and Barbara Eden on the dance-floor...all it needed was a better script

[moonspinner55 · 2/10 · 16 July 2016]

TV-movie has distraught millionairess Barbara Eden, just released from 'the hospital,' vacationing in Acapulco with her business-minded husband, where she's befriended by a beach bum/artist who may be a thief and a murderer. It's easy to see why popular television actress Eden picked this project: she gets to wear emeralds, exotic clothes and even do a little shake and wiggle on the dance-floor (the only moment in the movie where she displays her feisty personality). The woman-in-distress plot is perfunctory, while the men in the cast are hardly interesting enough to hold the viewer's attention much less Barbara's. The location is adequately captured, and the running time is blessedly brief, but does the plot-twist at the finish line really make sense?

Barbara Eden is a luminous pleasure in The Woman Hunter

[tavm · 7/10 · 14 September 2012]

Just watched this Barbara Eden made-for-TV movie on YouTube. She plays Dina Hunter, a rich woman with husband Robert Vaughn on vacation in Central Ameraca after getting in a car accident in which she may have caused something awful. A man named Paul Carter (Stuart Whitman) is posing as an artist and following them. Oh, and the movie begins at a party in which a woman is murdered and has her necklace taken from her which for a while seems unrelated to the rest of the picture. And Larry Storch is one of those patrons who tells lame jokes at his only appearance. I'll stop there and just say that I liked the whole premise including the twist ending and was also intrigued by the music score and some nice glamorous shots of Ms. Eden. So on that note, I consider The Woman Hunter worth a look for anyone interested in these obscure telefilms.

TV giallo

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 27 June 2021]

The CBS Movie of the Week on September 19, 1972, The Woman Hunter has what I consider an all-star cast, what with Barbara Eden in the lead, alongside Stuart Whitman, Larry Storch and Robert Vaughn. Like I said - it's what I say is an all-star cast.

Dina Hunter (Eden) has two things that most giallo heroines do: lots of money and plenty of potential mental problems. So when she survives a fender bender and decides to go to Mexico with her husband (Vaughn), who is surprised that the artist she hired to paint her portrait (Whitman) just might be a jewel thief and murderer?

This was written by written by Brian Clemens (Captain Kronos, And Soon the Darkness) and Tony Williamson (Adam Adamant Lives!, The Avengers), with this being Clemens first U. S. work and Williamson's only script made over here. It's directed by Bernard L. Kowalski, who stepped in for John Peyser (The Centerfold Girls). I assume that everyone enjoyed shooting this on location in Acapulco.

Feast for Barbara Eden Fans

[davjazzer · 10/10 · 25 August 2007]

This movie is definitely a turkey,but is a delight for fans of the gprgeous Barbara Eden.Forget the weak plot about a jewel thief stalking

wealthy Barbara,who's recovering from trauma after an auto accident. The film is just an excuse to show off Barbara's beauty and spectacular figure. She goes thru an amazing array of outfits,that all show her loveliness. In one beach scene with co-star Whitman,she dons a revealing bikini and never looked better.Guys will love this film and I'm sure Girls will love Barbara's outfits.It's a nice way to spend an hour or so. Just plan on doing some fast-forwarding when Barbara's not on screen.

Great plot twist

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 21 May 2011]

For the most part, "The Woman Hunter" is an average woman-in-peril TV movie, whose main attraction is the sexy, curvaceous Barbara Eden in several skimpy outfits, including a bikini. Sure, the Acapulco locations are also nice, but the story seems to be stripped down to the bare essentials: psychologically fragile heroine, kind but workaholic husband, seductive but evil stranger. However, there is a great plot twist at the end of the movie which actually gave me a shiver when it happened. Then I rewound and rewatched the entire sequence, and it gave me a shiver again! That twist alone elevates "The Woman Hunter" from average to above-average, i.e. from ** to **1/2 out of 4.

Poor little rich girl.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 24 February 2023]

This film will mostly be of interest because of the presence of Barbara Eden, just after "I Dream of Jeannie" went off the air. Like Elizabeth Montgomery of "Bewitched" fame, Eden long to sink her teeth into drama, and as a wealthy young woman on vacation in Mexico with her husband Robert Vaughn, she gets to do one of the oldest themes in drama ever written, the woman in peril. Feeling neglected by her husband, she goes through a bit of a nervous breakdown of sorts, and after encountering Stuart Whitman on the beach, has a feeling that he is stalking her for some reason.

Memories of a car accident take over her psyche, and when Whitman appears out of the blue, she has a panic attack which results in another car accident. The beautiful locations aides in making this weakly told story a bit better as the film, just over 70 minutes, doesn't give enough detail to a lot of the important information the film really needed. Eden's character is perfectly written, but characters played by Vaughn and Whitman don't really have a lot of character beyond the surface. Larry Storch is seen in a very small part at the beginning of the film, a comic role that easily could have been cut out. The film's climax is quite disappointing, a let down to everything that came before.

Too bad she couldn't blink and get out of this one.

[barrymarino · 27 May 2000]

I found this video on the $3.00 bargain bin at Wal-Mart. Typical 1970s made for TV shlock. Barbara stars as a rich heiress(how come in the movies they all look like Barbara Eden and not like Barbara Hutton?)vacationing in the Bahamas with husband Robert Vaughn. It seems that Stuart Whitman is following her and recording her every move in his little 1972 tape recorder.(His middle-aged body is displayed in various forms of undress for those of you into pot bellies and flab.)Barbara finds Stu's tape recorder and goes to the police, but everyone thinks she's batty because all rich women think everyone wants to kill them. Very lame story, dreadful acting and predictable plot. The only reason to watch this film is to finally get to see Barbara's navel. Other than that stick to the reruns of "I Dream of Jeannie".

"I get the feeling that you're trying to play me."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 25 September 2012]

What!?!? That was the ending? A guy throws a rock at another guy and it knocks him and a wrecked car over a cliff causing it to burst into flames? Then again, that 'thing' was a Volkswagen Thing - a buddy of mine had one back around the same time this picture was made and it was a hoot! Quite honestly I never really felt safe in it because it was drafty as all hell and it felt like somebody with a rock could knock you over with it. What a blast!

Well, there's only one reason to catch this flick, and her name is Barbara Eden. She still had that Jeannie body you dream of only a couple of years after that popular series ended, and unless I'm mistaken, she might have been wearing one of her genie outfits in this one. Or maybe I'm just imagining it. There's a lot to imagine when she's on screen and in her boudoir or beach wear for most of the picture, and oh yes. Don't let me forget that slinky dance number about middle of the story.

Speaking of the story, it's pretty made for TV and pretty forgettable. We're supposed to believe Dina Hunter (Eden) is losing it when a seductive con man proposes to paint her portrait, all the while describing his real intentions on a tape recorder. I didn't catch all the nuance of it due to a some poor quality dialog on the DVD I watched, but then the finale seemed to contradict it all when husband Jerry (Robert Vaughn) turned out to be the bad guy. He's the guy who went over the cliff with the Thing. Jerry was a real wheeler dealer.

Be careful of who you trust.

[Jerry-9 · 9/10 · 12 March 1999]

Barbara meets a guy at a party and falls in love with him. She soon realizes that this guy is not who she thinks he is. Very good suspense movie.

made for tv and it shows.

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 7 February 2019]

Stars Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie !) and Robert Vaughn, who could play the good guy or the bad guy. Sydney Chaplin, the younger son of THAT Charlie Chaplin. Acapulco,Mexico. Somone is murdering rich women for their jewelry, and here come more rich chicks! Bing Crosby Productions, for CBS. funny. Larry Storch from F Troop in the 1960s is the loud drunk, telling stories while people are getting murdered. It's just very okay, which explains the 4.8 rating on imdb. meh... it's ok, but keep those expectations where they wallow. Directed by Bernie Kowalski, who had directed SO much television during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. just very ok.

Rather good

[Delrvich · 8/10 · 20 April 2021]

Giving it an 8 for good to great. And, the twist ending was surprising. Barbara Eden was stunning.

Classic 70s Drama Cool Cast

[trevoranndouglas · 8/10 · 28 February 2009]

OK so maybe this isn't the best made-for-TV film in the world. But how can you go wrong with a cast like this...The gorgeous and talented Barbara Eden(one of my boyhood crushes), stunning in both her style and presence, smooth-talking and ice-cold Robert Vaughn in a role tailer-made for his persona and underrated Stuart Whitman (one my favorite actors), who gets to go swimming with Barbara! A cameo by Larry Storch (which I admit was a waste of his time!) and solid support from Sidney Chaplin as Robert Vaughn's business associate add to the mix. To be sure it could have been 90 minutes rather than 70 as the ending left me wanting more. But on the whole a decent drama with nice locations and a good music score. the DVD print is exceptional. If you like these stars, it is surely worth a look.

Barbara Eden Glams it up (Like, she needs too?)

[Hoohawnaynay · 18 August 2003]

The only reason to watch this TV movie is to see Barbara Eden wear one glamorous outfit after another. Barbara is a beautiful woman and has always had lots of class no matter what the situation, but she really looks stunning in this movie. Not much plot (something about a rich woman being stalked in Mexico). One memorable scene is where she is being chased by a man but takes a couple of moments to do a cha cha or is it a samba? (Who cares, she looks great dancing too) This movie is very easy on the eyes with the locales and Ms. Eden but don't think you're getting an Emmy winner with the script.

Beauty And The Beast...

[azathothpwiggins · 19 October 2021]

After opening with the murder of a woman, we are introduced to the prime suspect, Paul Carter (Stuart Whitman).

Enter beautiful, zillionaire socialite Dina Hunter (Barbara Eden) who has just returned home after a terrible auto accident. Dina's husband (Robert Vaughn) is an overly-driven, inattentive jerk. Not-too surprisingly, this sends bored and neglected Dina into the arms of another man.

Uh oh!

Dina's gotten herself mixed up with none other that Carter, who has been following her all along! This all leads to suspense and thrills during the big twist finale.

THE WOMAN HUNTER is a wonderful made-for-TV thriller. It's Ms. Eden's movie and she makes the best of it. While she is indeed stunningly gorgeous, she's also a great actor. Her dance scene is a show stopper!

Highly recommended for the Barbara Eden fanatic...