''Death Car on the Freeway'' is a 1979 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

crime thriller film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

starring

Shelley Hack Shelley Marie Hack (born July 6, 1947) is an American actress, model and producer. She is best known as the face of Revlon's Charlie perfume from the mid-1970s until the early 1980s, and for her role as Tiffany Welles in the fourth season of '' ...

. In a plot similar to

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's ''

Duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

'', this tells the story of an unseen driver who is dubbed "The Freeway Fiddler". The cast features several TV veterans, including George Hamilton,

Frank Gorshin Frank John Gorshin Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and ''Tonight Starring Steve Allen''. As an actor, he played the Riddler on the ...

Peter Graves Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Jim Phelps in the CBS television series '' Mission: Impossible'' from 1967 to 1973 (original) and from 1988 to ...

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

Harriet Nelson Harriet Nelson (formerly Hilliard; born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) was an American actress and singer. Nelson is best known for her role on the sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. Early life and career Ne ...

, Barbara Rush and

Abe Vigoda Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and Phil Fish in both ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1977, 1982) and ''Fish'' (1977–1978 ...

. Director

Hal Needham Hal Brett Needham (March 6, 1931 – October 25, 2013) was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast ...

appears in a supporting role. The face of the driver is never shown, and none of the stunt drivers who "acted him out" are credited for the role of "The Freeway Fiddler". ''Death Car on the Freeway'' first aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television on September 25, 1979 (presented as the ''CBS Tuesday Night Movie'').

Plot

Janette Clausen (Hack) is a television reporter investigating a series of freeway murders involving a psychopathic van driver who is deliberately targeting and killing female motorists by crashing into their cars. She pieces together clues while continuously facing opposition from those around her.

Cast

– Jan Claussen *

– Lieutenant Haller *

– Ralph Chandler * George Hamilton – Ray Jeffries *

– Mrs. Sheel * Barbara Rush – Rosemary *

– Lynn Bernheimer *

– Mr. Frisch *Alfie Wise – Ace Durham * Robert F. Lyons – Barry Hill *

Tara Buckman Tara Buckman is an American retired television and film actress. Her active career was mainly confined to the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. Though never reaching feature status, Buckman was nonetheless a regular guest star on many television serie ...

– Jane Guston *

Morgan Brittany Morgan Brittany (née Suzanne Cupito) is an American actress born in Los Angeles. She is known for her role as Katherine Wentworth, the scheming younger half-sister of Pamela Ewing and Cliff Barnes, on the prime-time soap opera ''Dallas''. Care ...

– Becky Lyons *

Nancy Stephens Nancy Stephens (born July 2, 1949) is a former American actress who has starred in many films and television shows. Stephens is perhaps best known for her role as Nurse Marion Chambers in John Carpenter's horror film '' Halloween'' (1978). She ...

– Christine *

– Mr. Blanchard

External links

* 1979 television films 1979 films 1970s crime thriller films American crime thriller films CBS network films Films directed by Hal Needham American serial killer films Films scored by Richard Markowitz Films about automobiles Films about journalists Films set in Los Angeles 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{US-tv-thriller-film-stub