''Isn't It Shocking?'' is a

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

that aired on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

network in 1973 as an ''

ABC Movie of the Week The ''ABC Movie of the Week'' is an American weekly television anthology series featuring Television film, made-for-TV movies that aired on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network in various permutations from 1969 in television, 1969 t ...

''. Written by Lane Slate, it stars

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...

Louise Lasser Louise Lasser (born April 11, 1939) is an American actress, television writer, and performing arts teacher and director. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera satire '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', for which sh ...

and

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (; September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television, and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on th ...

, and was directed by

John Badham John MacDonald Badham (born August 25, 1939) is an American film and television director, best known for directing the films ''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977), ''Dracula (1979 film), Dracula'' (1979), ''Blue Thunder'' (1983), ''WarGames'' (1983), ...

Plot

Daniel Barnes (

) is a small-town New England police chief. His life is complicated by a romance with local motel owner Mrs. Tate (

Patricia Quinn Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens (born 28 May 1944) is a Northern Irish actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Magenta in the 1975 musical comedy horror film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show,'' and the original stage play from wh ...

). She is eager for him to move in with her and her children; Barnes is equally eager to keep their affair secret. Meanwhile, the village is beset by a killer preying on the town's elderly citizens. A few deaths later, the victims are all found to have one thing in common—they all graduated from the local high school in 1928. Working with police receptionist Blanche (

), Barnes pores through the 1928 yearbook and identifies another couple, the Yettas, as potential victims. When Barnes drives to the couple's isolated house, his police cruiser is rammed and disabled by another automobile, which turns around to finish him off. Barnes escapes into the woods. Circling around to the isolated house, he finds the Yettas already dead. After another member of the class is killed, the coroner Lemuel Lovell (

Will Geer Will Geer (born William Aughe Ghere; March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an American actor, musician, and social activist who was active in labor organizing and communist movements in New York City and Southern California in the 1930s and 1940 ...

) and his daughter Doc Lovell (

Dorothy Tristan Dorothy Tristan (May 9, 1934 – January 7, 2023) was an American actress and screenwriter. She was best known for her roles in the films ''Klute'', ''Down and Out in Beverly Hills'', and '' Scarecrow''. She co-wrote the films '' Steal the Sky'' ...

) theorize that a modified defibrillator machine is being used by the murderer to induce heart attacks. Because the Class of '28 was small, the process of elimination leads Barnes to focus on a surviving member of the class, Justin Oates (

). Until recently, Oates had been a guest at Mrs. Tate's motel. Daniel sets a trap for him. Oates takes the bait. When he is caught, it is revealed that he was traumatically humiliated by his classmates at a surprise birthday party for his 17-year-old fiancée. There, his beloved was discovered frolicking naked with another classmate. After Oates' arrest, Daniel surmises he will likely be remanded to the care of a mental health facility for the criminally insane. A subplot woven throughout has Barnes considering a lucrative job offer from a nearby town. The pay raise would make it easier for him to settle down with Mrs. Tate and the kids. But Barnes ultimately turns down the offer and decides to stay put. He also considers marriage to Blanche.

Background

The movie is a series pilot and sequel to Lane Slate's 1973 movie ''

They Only Kill Their Masters ''They Only Kill Their Masters'' is a 1972 American mystery film directed by James Goldstone, written by Lane Slate, and starring James Garner and Katharine Ross, with a supporting cast featuring Hal Holbrook, June Allyson, Tom Ewell, Peter Law ...

''. In that film, set in a beach community,

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

portrayed Police Chief Abel Marsh. In 1974,

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy ...

starred in Slate's ''

Winter Kill ''Winter Kill'' is a 1974 American made-for-television mystery-thriller film directed by Jud Taylor and written by John Michael Hayes and David Karp. It stars Andy Griffith as Sam McNeill, the police chief in a small resort town in the mount ...

'', a

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

, a series pilot that renamed the character (Sheriff Sam MacNeill) and changed the setting to a mountain town. When it failed to sell, the main character was renamed "Sheriff Sam Adams" for the series '' Adams of Eagle Lake'', which lasted a mere two episodes. But that failure wasn't the end of the road. In 1977, Griffith appeared in two additional television movies ('' The Girl in the Empty Grave'' and '' Deadly Game''), which restored the name of Griffith's character back to Abel Marsh, though he was still a lawman in a mountain town. With the exception of ''They Only Kill Their Masters'', all the movies and the short-lived series, were filmed in

Big Bear Lake, California Big Bear Lake is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is about northeast of the city of San ...

.Goldberg, Lee (1990). ''Unsold Television Pilots: 1955-1989''. Cutting Edge Publishing. .

Cast

as Dan *

as Blanche *

as Justin Oates *

Lloyd Nolan Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American stage, film and television actor who rose from a supporting player and B-movie lead early in his career to featured player status after creating the role of Captain Qu ...

as Jesse Chapin *

as Lemuel Lovell *

Ruth Gordon Ruth Gordon Jones (October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985) was an American actress, playwright and screenwriter. She began her career performing on Broadway at age 19. Known for her nasal voice and distinctive personality, Gordon gained internati ...

as Marge Savage *

as Doc Lovell *

as Ma Tate (as Pat Quinn) *

Liam Dunn Liam Dunn (November 12, 1916 – April 11, 1976) was an American character actor. Life and career The New Jersey native's early career was spent on television in series such as ''Bonanza'', '' Room 222'', '' Alias Smith and Jones'', '' Mannix ...

as Myron Flagg * Michael Warren Powell as Michael (as Michael Powell) * Jacqueline Allan McClure as Hattie

References

External links

* {{John Badham 1973 television films 1973 films ABC Movie of the Week 1970s comedy mystery films Films directed by John Badham Films scored by David Shire Films set in New England Films shot in Oregon American comedy mystery films 1970s American films American mystery television films