Semi OT: The Norliss Tapes

Dear Fans,

Last Friday evening I watched The Norliss Tapes (1973), a Dan Curtis produced and directed TV film that was a pilot for a series that was never optioned.  Apparently, the series, had it been produced, would have been a lot like Darren McGavin's Kolchak: the Night Stalker series, but with a much more hip, together protagonist than the klutzy, frumpy Kolchak.

I had seen Norliss way back when in '73 when it aired as a movie-of-the-week type feature, and have very vague memories of it.  Seeing it now, I found myself wondering whether it rates as Dan Curtis' schlockiest, most over-the-top production.  Some would say that the Zuni fetish doll segment of Trilogy of Terror was more schlocky, but that did have the sublime Karen Black and actually was scary, whereas to me, the monster in Norliss was a mixture of pathetic and ridiculous.

Screenwriter William F. Nolan did duty on several other DC projects.  The part that had me giggling the most, strangely, was the endless rain in the picture; it was very obvious to me that the local Fire Dept. made a good penny on this particular project.  I found myself recalling the patient men of the Tarrytown Fire Dept. and their use in other DC projects of the early Seventies.

Even though I found it so poorly directed, I still enjoyed the movie.  There were fun moments such as seeing Stanley Adams in a cameo as a truck driver, too.  The fact that Angie Dickinson kept getting out of bed with flawlessly sprayed and styled hair and makeup was a reminder of the ladies of Collinwood long, long ago.

Watching this made me even more decided in my opinion that DS, the series, was fabulous DESPITE DC's involvement.  The man seems to have had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer on acid.

G.

Watching this made me even more decided in my opinion that DS, the series, was fabulous DESPITE DC's involvement.  The man seems to have had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer on acid.

Yeah.

Watching this made me even more decided in my opinion that DS, the series, was fabulous DESPITE DC's involvement.  The man seems to have had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer on acid.

On the other hand, something like "The Love Letter" is quite good. It's a nice updating of the original Jack Finney mind-out-of-time story, and I found it much less hokey than the feature film "Somewhere in Time." The direction is well-paced and reflective, and performances are very good all around (Campbell Scott, Estelle Parsons).

I actually watched this last night and I found it a lot of fun.  Sure it was high camp and over the top but I enjoyed it immensly and Angie Dickinson was an added bonus. I do wonder though why someone would be buried in a mausoleum where one could just walk in and lift up the vault lid and look at the dearly departed?  Who the hell would do that?  I was expecting a glass coffin or something but no he was just lying there for all to see.  I found it disturbing. Roy Thinnes looks exceptionally sexy to me and he hadn't before.  I enjoyed the shirtless scenes in the beginning!  I think he played a tortured soul (a side of him we may have gotten to see had the Revival continued) very well and I was intrigued to find out what would happen next but alas it never took off.  I liked this much more than A Darkness At Blaisedon. Does anyone know if this was actually shot on location in San Fran????

Yes, that was San Francisco and Carmel.

I do wonder though why someone would be buried in a mausoleum where one could just walk in and lift up the vault lid and look at the dearly departed?  Who the hell would do that?  I was expecting a glass coffin or something but no he was just lying there for all to see.  I found it disturbing.

Bodies were definitely buried that way - though I don't know if they still are. If I was to guess, I'd say probably not because there are probably laws against it in most areas...