''The Corpse Had a Familiar Face'' is an American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television film 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 ...

directed by

Joyce Chopra Joyce Chopra (; born October 27, 1936) is an American director. She was married to American stage and screenwriter Tom Cole until his death on February 23, 2009. Life and career Chopra was one of three siblings born in New York City to Abraha ...

and written by

Derek Marlowe Derek William Mario Marlowe (21 May 1938 – 14 November 1996) was an English playwright, novelist, screenwriter and painter. Life Derek Marlowe was born in Perivale, Middlesex, and lived there and in Greenford as a child. His father was Fre ...

and Dennis Turner. It is suggested by the autobiography of the same name by

Edna Buchanan Edna Buchanan (née Rydzik, born March 16, 1939)About Edna Buchanan
Fantastic Fiction. Retri ...

. It stars

Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1932 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She is best remembered for her leading role as the witch Samantha Stephens on the televisi ...

as Buchanan, with

Dennis Farina Donaldo Gugliermo "Dennis" Farina (February 29, 1944 – July 22, 2013) was an American actor. Often typecast as a mobster or police officer, he is known for roles such as FBI Agent Jack Crawford in '' Manhunter'', mobster Jimmy Serrano in the ...

Yaphet Kotto Yaphet Frederick Kotto (born Frederick Samuel Kotto; November 15, 1939 – March 15, 2021) was an American actor known for numerous film roles, as well as starring in the NBC television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999) as ...

, and

Audra Lindley Audra Marie Lindley (September 24, 1918 – October 16, 1997) was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom ''Three's Company'' and its spin-off ''The Ropers''. Life and career Audra Lindley was born ...

in supporting roles. The film premiered 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 Entertainmen ...

on March 27, 1994, and received a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

nomination for its title song "Something Is Out There".

Plot

Cast

Edna Buchanan Edna Buchanan (née Rydzik, born March 16, 1939)About Edna Buchanan
Fantastic Fiction. Retri ...

as Detective Harry Lindstrom *

as Detective Martin Talbot *

as Monica / Edna's Mother *

Branscombe Richmond Branscombe Richmond is an American character actor and stuntman. He is known for his starring role of Bobby Sixkiller on the American syndicated drama series, ''Renegade'' (1992–1997), and for his starring roles on the television series, ''Ha ...

as Rodriguez *LuAnne Ponce as Jennifer Nicholson *Matthew Posey as Sam *

David Spielberg David Spielberg (March 6, 1939 – June 1, 2016) was an American television and film actor. Early years Spielberg was born in Weslaco, Texas, and was a resident of Mercedes, Texas. His father was a Romanian-Jewish immigrant, and his mother was a ...

as George *

Lee Horsley Lee Arthur Horsley (born May 15, 1955) is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series ''Nero Wolfe'' (1981), '' Matt Houston'' (1982–1985), and ''Paradise'' (1988–1991). He starred in the ...

as Ben Nicholson *

Silvana Gallardo Sandra Silvana Gallardo (January 13, 1953 – January 2, 2012) was an American film and television actress. Born in New York City, Gallardo's television credits include episodes of '' Starsky & Hutch'', ''Lou Grant'', '' Quincy'', ''Hill Stree ...

as Mrs. Sanchez *

Kamar de los Reyes Kamar de los Reyes (born November 8, 1967) is a Puerto Rican actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Antonio Vega on the ABC soap opera, ''One Life to Live'', and as Raul Menendez, the primary antagonist of the 2012 video game, '' Call of D ...

as Puerto Rican *

Carey Scott Carey Scott (born June 21, 1965) is an American actor, writer, director and acting coach. He was born in Los Angeles, California, U.S. His popular works are ''Bruce Almighty'' (2003), ''God's Not Dead 2'' (2016) and ''Mad Men'' (2007). Film ...

as Billy *Kevin Patrick Walls as Stephen Hollings *

Hugh Gillin Hugh Clair Gillin Jr. (July 14, 1925 – May 4, 2004) was an American film and television actor. Gillin was born in Galesburg, Illinois. He was best known for playing Sheriff John Hunt in '' Psycho II'' and '' III''. Gillin has appeared in a tot ...

as Stanley *Michael Ray Miller as Sal *Steven Meek as Tom *Stephen Peace as Rookie *Rebecca Hahn as Cynthia *Jessica Cole as Marcia *Yavone Evans as Paula Nicholson *David J. Partington as Alan

Reception

Critical response

Drew Voros of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' concluded his review by stating, "''The Corpse Had a Familiar Face'' may seem to be a painful stretch of believability." David Hiltbrand of ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'' called the film "a play in two distinct acts, neither of them terribly cohesive."

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Corpse Had A Familiar Face, The 1994 films 1994 crime drama films 1994 television films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films 1990s biographical drama films American biographical drama films American crime drama films American drama television films Biographical films about journalists Biographical television films CBS films Crime television films Films about criminals Films about murderers Films directed by Joyce Chopra Films scored by Patrick Williams (composer) Films set in Miami Films shot in San Diego