''Shadow Over Elveron'' is a 1968 television crime drama film directed by James Goldstone and starring James Franciscus, Shirley Knight, and

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...

. It aired on NBC in March 1968. The story is based on the novel '' Shadow Over Elveron'' by Michael Kingsley.

Plot

Cast

* James Franciscus as Dr. Matthew Tregaskis * Shirley Knight as Joanne Tregaskis *

as Sheriff Verne Drover * Franchot Tone as Barney Conners * James Dunn as Luke Travers * Don Ameche as Justin Pettit

Production

The film was produced by Jack Laird for Universal City Studios. The screenplay, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Kingsley, was adapted by Chester Krumholz. The film was directed by James Goldstone. Filming took place in 1966. The lead role was regarded as a career resurgence for James Franciscus, who considered the project as more of a feature film than a television film.

Critical reception

Critical reviews were mixed. '' The Baltimore Sun'' called the film "a thoroughly rotten, vicious film", citing its "greatly exaggerated" scenes of police brutality. It characterizes Sheriff Drover, played by

, as "Elveron's little Hitler" and decries the image of the United States that the film projects in the guise of a "typical" small town riddled by corruption. The '' San Francisco Examiner'' sums up the film as "sick", with its battle between Nielsen as "a repulsively delinquent sheriff" and James Franciscus as the "true, blue hero–dauntless, fearless, incorruptible, indestructible". ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' called the film "a hysterical, cheap melodrama". The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', in contrast, described the film as "a first-class motion picture by any standards". This review praised both the direction and acting, calling Franciscus' performance "sensitive and penetrating" and Nielsen's role "perhaps...the finest performance of his career"; the review also singled out Franchot Tone, Don Ameche, and Jill Banner for their work. According to the '' Herald & Review'', Nielsen's portrayal of a corrupt small-town sheriff "steals the show", while Ameche is "a close second in his totally humorless role as the town's main financial factor".

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0063588 1968 television films 1968 films American television films 1960s English-language films Films directed by James Goldstone