THE HOUSE ON GREENAPPLE ROAD (1970 TV-movie)

A 12-year-old girl comes home from school to find the house deserted and a kitchen wrecked from a fight with pints of blood splattered all over. She bravely takes it all in stride and her aunt, who lives next door, takes her in and calls the police. Lt. Dan August and his sidekick Sgt. Wilentz show up and despite all the blood, no sign of the girl's mom, Marian, is found. Marian's traveling salesman husband George says he'd been on the road but that alibi starts to fray as August investigates. Entering middle age but still attractive, Marian turns out to have been sleeping around with, among others, Billy, an aging golden boy lifeguard at a sports club; Paul, the club's president who fired Billy then took his place in the sack; Sal, a high-toned thug; and Ryan, the preacher at an unconventional church. The mayor, under pressure from the press, wants the husband arrested but August isn't convinced until George tries to make a high-speed getaway. Even after this, August keeps investigating. A body washes up in a nearby bay, but it's that of a man. Where is Marian? This movie proved so popular that a TV series, Dan August, was spun off from it, starring Burt Reynolds. But the star of this film, Christopher George, pictured, is very good as August. He's not much different from the average tough-guy TV cop of the era but he's handsome and commanding, tough or sensitive as he needs to be, and shows a rebellious spirit when he's in conflict with the arrogant mayor (Walter Pidgeon). 

The narrative falls into a pattern: August talks to a suspect and doesn't quite get the full truth, but we get a flashback showing how that person was involved with Marian. The cast is full of familiar faces who all give good performances. Janet Leigh is excellent as Marian, an aging and insecure woman who loses herself in meaningless affairs (though it must be said that Leigh still looks great). William Windom is the club boss whose wife knows about his dalliances. Peter Mark Richman is the gangster who has a juicy locker room scene with the cops. Laurence Dane is the sad and confused preacher. Burr DeBenning has the least amount of screen time but delivers in his scenes as the lifeguard who seems to be suffering from the same kind of insecurity over aging that Marian is. Tim O'Connor keeps us guessing as the husband; is he a passive sad sack or a cold-blooded killer? Julie Harris has the thankless role of George's sister. She has so little to do that I was sure she would be involved somehow in the murder but she's a red herring. Little Eve Plumb is fine as the daughter—she was already appearing as Jan in The Brady Bunch when this film aired. Keenan Wynn makes a good sidekick, and Geoffrey Deuel (brother of Pete Duel of Alias Smith and Jones) is cute in a 2-line role as a parking attendant at the sports club. This was enjoyable and I'm sorry that Christopher George never got a shot at a cop show of his own. I've read that George was offered the title role in the series but had to turn it down due to other commitments. Though I've never seen an episode of Dan August, I imagine Burt Reynolds was more laid back and snarky in the part. Lynda Day, whom George would marry a few months after making this movie, has a short bit as a stoned receptionist. [YouTube]