TWILIGHT OF HONOR

Claude Rains and Richard Chamberlain

TWILIGHT OF HONOR (1963). Director: Boris Sagal.  

David Mitchell (Richard Chamberlain) is stunned when Judge Tucker (Edgar Stehli) insists he defend an Army vet, Ben Brown (Nick Adams), accused of murdering the beloved citizen and cop, Cole Clinton (Pat Buttram). David hasn't been in a courtroom in years, and then he was a prosecutor! Forced to take on the case, he consults with his aged mentor, Art Harper (Claude Rains), who agrees to help him. A widower, David draws closer to Harper's smitten daughter, Susan (Joan Blackman), as he prepares his case. He is convinced that even if Brown killed Clinton, it might be a justifiable homicide under New Mexico law if Clinton was sleeping with Brown's wife, Laura (Joey Heatherton). But the question of adultery -- and prostitution -- might test the limits of the angry town's patience, not to mention Clinton's widow, Amy (Jeanette Nolan). But David might be surprised by what Amy tells him outside of court ... but will she repeat it under oath?

Heatherton, Buttram, Adams

Twilight of Honor is a very good and absorbing courtroom drama that benefits from a swift pace, sharp direction, interesting twists, a certain sixties-style frankness, and some excellent performances. Taking time off from his hit medical series, Dr. Kildare, Chamberlain certainly delivers as the impassioned and intelligent, no-nonsense defense attorney. Nick Adams fought hard and spent much money to get a supporting Oscar, and while he was nominated -- and is quite good as well -- his screen time may have simply been too limited, and he lost to Melvyn Douglas. Rains is as good as ever, but perhaps the most impressive performance is from James Gregory (of A Distant Trumpet) as the special prosecutor -- he has a superb turn as a rather slimy character who's out to win at all costs, and makes no bones about it. Joey Heatherton -- introduced in this, her first movie -- proves that she had more than sexiness going for her, and Jeanette Nolan also scores as the widow who knew her husband's peccadilloes all too well. 

Chamberlain with Jeanette Nolan

There are also smaller roles played well by Paul Langton, Pat Buttram (as the victim), Don Barry, Arch Johnson, Edgar Stehli (as the judge), Bert Freed as the sheriff, and George Mitchell as the D.A. Linda Evans, later famous for Big Valley and Dynasty, plays the victim's angry daughter -- her first film as well. The only player who really doesn't impress is Joan Blackman; most of her credits were on television although she also did a couple of films with Elvis and was Jerry Lewis' leading lady in Visit to a Small Planet. Boris Sagal did most of his work for television, but also helmed such features as The Omega Man. 

Verdict: Solid courtroom drama with generally excellent performances. ***1/4. 

MY BLOOD RUNS COLD

Troy Donahue and Joey Heatherton

MY BLOOD RUNS COLD (1965). Producer/Director: William Conrad.

"Oh, father, you sound like something out of East Lynne." 

Julie Merriday (Joey Heatherton) meets a handsome and brooding young man named Ben (Troy Donahue) who tells her that they are the reincarnation of past lovers: Julie's lookalike great-great-grandmother and the sailor she was separated from. Naturally Julie's father, Julian (Barry Sullivan), thinks that Ben is a fortune hunter while her Aunt Sarah (Jeanette Nolan) at first can't seem to make up her mind between Ben and Julie's fella, Harry (Nicolas Coster). Julie, who thinks she might be "a trifle over-bred,"  finds herself drawn to the strange young man even as Julian protests, and then the corpse of the caretaker (of their retreat, Spindrift) is washed up on shore... My Blood Runs Cold hasn't got a bad plot, but its interesting elements never really jell. Although Heatherton is the better actress, both she and Donahue [Live Fast, Die Young] appear to have the IQs of doorstops. The dialogue is cliched and the ending drawn out and tedious. Heatherton has given better performances elsewhere, but Sullivan [Suspense] and Nolan [The Big Heat] are excellent as the arguing brother and sister, and Coster is also effective. A major problem with the film, and one that in this case really sinks the movie, is Donahue's lousy acting. Scenes that might have been touching or bristled with tension or passion, are just frittered away by an actor who can say his lines, look pretty and gloomy, but little else. In this, at least, Donahue is a model, not an actor.

Verdict: This had possibilities, but ... **.