The Todd Killings

Last updated
The Todd Killings
The Todd Killings.jpg
film poster
Directed by Barry Shear
Written byDennis Murphy
Joel Oliansky
Produced byBarry Shear
Starring Robert F. Lyons
Richard Thomas
Belinda Montgomery
James Broderick
Gloria Grahame
Holly Near
Edward Asner
Barbara Bel Geddes
Cinematography Harold E. Stine
Edited byWalter Thompson
Music by Leonard Rosenman
Production
company
Distributed byNational General Pictures
Release date
  • October 20, 1971 (1971-10-20)(U.S.)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Todd Killings is a 1971 psychological thriller directed by Barry Shear and starring Robert F. Lyons, Richard Thomas, Belinda Montgomery, and Barbara Bel Geddes. It is based on the true crimes of serial killer Charles Schmid in the 1960s.

Contents

Plot

Skipper Todd (Robert F. Lyons) is a ne'er-do-well who spends his time wanting to be a rock star and playing mentor to the local high school crowd while sponging off of his mother (Barbara Bel Geddes). He is also the chief suspect in the disappearance of a local girl. After befriending naive Billy Roy (Richard Thomas), Todd sets his sights on Roberta (Belinda Montgomery).

Cast

Release

The film was released theatrically in the United States by National General Pictures on October 20, 1971, but Warner Bros. bought the studio in 1969.

Home media

The film was released on VHS by Warner Home Video in 1993. It was released on DVD in 2010 via the Warner Archive on-demand service as anamorphic 2:35:1. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Johnny Belinda</i> (1948 film) 1948 American film

Johnny Belinda is a 1948 American drama film, directed by Jean Negulesco, based on the 1940 Broadway stage hit of the same name by Elmer Blaney Harris. The play was adapted for the screen by writers Allen Vincent and Irma von Cube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Thomas (actor)</span> American actor

Richard Earl Thomas is an American actor. He is best known for his leading role as budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama series The Waltons for which he won an Emmy Award. He also received another Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe Award nominations for that role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bebe Daniels</span> American actress, singer, dancer, writer, producer (1901–1971)

Phyllis Virginia "Bebe" Daniels was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Reed</span> American actress (1921–1986)

Donna Reed was an American actress. Her career spanned more than 40 years, with performances in more than 40 films. She is well known for her portrayal of Mary Hatch Bailey in Frank Capra's fantasy holiday film It's a Wonderful Life (1946). Reed won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Fred Zinnemann's war drama film From Here to Eternity (1953).

<i>Fourteen Hours</i> 1951 film

Fourteen Hours is a 1951 American drama directed by Henry Hathaway, which tells the story of a New York City police officer trying to stop a despondent man from jumping to his death from the 15th floor of a hotel.

<i>Robert Montgomery Presents</i> American TV series or program

Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ....The Johnson's Wax Program, and so on.

<i>The Long Night</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Anatole Litvak

The Long Night is a 1947 American film noir crime-drama directed by Anatole Litvak and produced by RKO Pictures. It is a remake of Le jour se lève (1939) by Marcel Carné. The drama stars Henry Fonda, Barbara Bel Geddes, Vincent Price and Ann Dvorak. The title of the original French film is an idiom which translates roughly as "dawn is breaking".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Bel Geddes</span> American actress (1922–2005)

Barbara Bel Geddes was an American stage and screen actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost five decades. She was best known for her starring role as Miss Ellie Ewing in the television series Dallas. Bel Geddes also starred as Maggie in the original Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955. Her notable films included I Remember Mama (1948) and Vertigo (1958). Throughout her career, she was the recipient of several acting awards and nominations.

<i>Waterloo Bridge</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Waterloo Bridge is a 1931 American pre-Code drama romance war film directed by James Whale and starring Mae Clarke and Kent Douglass. The screenplay by Benn Levy and Tom Reed is based on the 1930 play Waterloo Bridge by Robert E. Sherwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belinda Montgomery</span> Canadian-American actress

Belinda Montgomery is a Canadian-American actress. She initially attracted notice for playing Cinderella in the 1969 television film Hey, Cinderella! She appeared in films including The Todd Killings (1971), The Other Side of the Mountain (1975) and its sequel The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2 (1978), Stone Cold Dead (1979), and Silent Madness (1984). She starred as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill in the science-fiction series Man from Atlantis (1977–78), and as Katherine Howser, Doogie's mother, in the medical comedy-drama series, Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993).

<i>The Two Mrs. Carrolls</i> 1947 film by Peter Godfrey

The Two Mrs. Carrolls is a 1947 American mystery film noir directed by Peter Godfrey and starring Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, and Alexis Smith. It was produced by Mark Hellinger from a screenplay by Thomas Job, based on the 1935 play by Martin Vale.

<i>Young and Willing</i> 1943 film by Virginia Van Upp, Edward H. Griffith

Young and Willing is a 1943 American comedy film produced and directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring William Holden, Eddie Bracken, Robert Benchley, and Susan Hayward. With a screenplay by Virginia Van Upp based on the play Out of the Frying Pan by Francis Swann, the film is about young, aspiring actors—three men and three women—who combine their resources and move into the same apartment, hoping to keep the landlady in the dark until they can become famous. Young and Willing was made by Paramount Pictures and distributed by United Artists.

<i>The Boys</i> (1962 British film) 1962 film Sidney J. Furie

The Boys is a 1962 British courtroom drama film, directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Richard Todd, Robert Morley and Felix Aylmer.The screenplay was by Stuart Douglass.

<i>Easy Living</i> (1949 film) 1949 film

Easy Living is a 1949 American drama film directed by Jacques Tourneur, starring Victor Mature, Lucille Ball and Lizabeth Scott. The film features the real-life Los Angeles Rams football team.

Booky Makes Her Mark is a made-for-TV movie that is based on the books by Bernice Thurman Hunter, starring Tatiana Maslany. The family film also features Megan Follows, Roberta Maxwell and Lally Cadeau. Filmed in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and set in Toronto, it features a young and diverse cast of Canadian actors and actresses.

<i>Life with the Lyons</i> (film) 1954 film

Life with the Lyons is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon and Barbara Lyon. It was a spin-off from the radio series Life with the Lyons, and the screenplay was based on previous episodes from the show. It was shot at Southall Studios in London with sets designed by the art director Wilfred Arnold.

<i>Backfire</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Vincent Sherman

Backfire is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Vincent Sherman starring Edmond O'Brien, Virginia Mayo, Gordon MacRae, Viveca Lindfors and Dane Clark.

Robert Francis Lyons is an American actor of film and television. He is best known for guest starring in numerous popular television shows since the 1960s and for appearing in such films as Getting Straight (1970), Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), Death Wish II (1982), Murphy's Law (1986) and Platoon Leader (1988).

<i>Mary Lou</i> (1948 film) 1948 film by Arthur Dreifuss

Mary Lou is a 1948 American musical film starring Robert Lowery, Joan Barton and Glenda Farrell. The film featured Lynn Sousa, granddaughter of John Philip Sousa.

Silent Night, Lonely Night is a 1959 play by Robert Anderson.

References

  1. "The Todd Killings (1971)". wbshop.com. Retrieved 2012-04-20.