OT: The Norliss Tapes

[Mark Rainey]

I caught The Norliss Tapes, starring Roy Thinnes and Angie Dickinson, on the Plex movie channel yesterday. Hardly one of Dan Curtis's crowning achievements, but it was fairly appealing as a piece of early 70s cheese. I would have sworn I had seen this as a teenager, but not one frame in the movie struck me as familiar, so I'm guessing I must not have.

It's basically Kolchak without the wit or chemistry. Never  did a movie beg so plaintively for an acerbic newspaper editor to yell "CAAAARRRLLLL!!!" at every opportunity. Bill (Logan's Run) Nolan is credited as the writer for this movie, but it's so derivative that I'm betting he had little to do with the actual outcome. Happily, the familiar face of George DiCenzo makes a brief appearance, and Claude Akins once again plays an incredulous sheriff, as he did in The Night Stalker. Looks like this was supposed to be the pilot for an ongoing series, but sans any of the charm of Kolchak, it's easy to see why it went no place instead.

--M
http://home.triad.rr.com/smrainey

[Gothick]

I'd enjoy seeing this again.  I do recall watching it back in the day and being glued in the tube.  IIRC, the main demon or whatever was named Sargon which is odd, to say the least,since Sargon was a king (of Akkad, I think), NOT a demon.

I remember enjoying the banter between Thinnes and his middle-aged buddy--probably if I watched now, I would find it as derivative and plunky as you say, though.

Wonder whether this has been released by MPI?

G.