WHEN MARRIAGES GO (MURDEROUSLY) BAD

WHEN MARRIAGES GO (MURDEROUSLY) BAD

Everyone hopes that a wedding is just the beginning of a lifetime of caring, companionship and happiness, but, sadly, it doesn't always work out that way, especially if you've had the misfortune to marry a sociopath. This theme has been explored on such true-crime cable shows as Scorned: Love Kills!, and this week Great Old Movies examines telefilms that also look into really bad marriages. Most of these films are based on true stories, but a couple are fictional.

If there's any lesson to be learned from these dramas, it's to be very, very careful who you get hitched to!

MURDER BY NATURAL CAUSES

Katherine Ross and Barry Bostwick

MURDER BY NATURAL CAUSES (1979 telefilm). Director: Robert Day.

Arthur Sinclair (Hal Holbrook) is a famous "mentalist" who claims psychic powers that may or may not be real. His younger wife, Alison (Katharine Ross), is having an affair with the struggling actor, Gil Weston (Barry Bostwick), and she urges him to help her carry out a plot to kill Arthur. Of course nothing runs smoothly, but there are other players in the drama who may have their own schemes at work ... Murder By Natural Causes has a typically twisty and satisfying plot by Richard Levinson and William Link, and boasts top performances by Holbook and Bostwick, who really score in a cat and mouse sequence inside Arthur's imposing mansion. Ross [Games] and Richard Anderson [The Night Strangler], who plays the Sinclairs' lawyer, are competent and effective but a cut below the other two. In addition to many other mystery scripts, Levinson and Link also wrote That Certain Summer, which also starred Holbrook.

Verdict: This pic won't make you "mental." ***.

DEADLY INTENTIONS

Michael Biehn and Madolyn Smith Osborne

DEADLY INTENTIONS (1985 telefilm/mini-series). Director: Noel Black.

Charles Raynor (Michael Biehn) is an aspiring doctor who boards with the Livanos family and has a rather neurotic adoptive mother (Cloris Leachman). Charles falls in love with Katherine Livanos (Madolyn Smith Osborne) and the two move to a new town where he gets a job at a hospital. Katherine discovers that her new husband is rather peculiar, giving her lists of things to do each day, treating her like a child, and deliberately frightening her as he takes photos of her distress. When he gives her medicine for their baby boy, and Katherine discovers from a pharmacist (Robert Clarke in a bit) that the stuff could have killed the child, she makes up her mind to get out. This leads to an incredibly suspenseful and scary sequence that ends part one. Part two, while still entertaining, and which details events that occurred after the Raynor's divorce and Charles' plot to murder his wife, should have been compacted to about half an hour. In any case Deadly Intentions, based on a true crime book written by the prosecutor in the attempted murder trial, is quite absorbing, and features two terrific lead performances. With his crazy eyes one could suggest that Biehn [Aliens] is halfway there with his part, but he really does give an outstanding and marvelously intense performance that deserved an Emmy (I don't think he was even nominated). Cloris Leachman, Kevin McCarthy as a defense lawyer, and Cliff De Young [Dr. Giggles] as the prosecutor are also notable. Noel Black also directed the theatrical film Pretty Poison. Followed by Deadly Intentions ... Again?

Verdict: Watch out for those eyes. ***.

SHE WAS MARKED FOR MURDER

Stefanie Powers and Hunt Block 

SHE WAS MARKED FOR MURDER (1988 telefilm). Directors: Charles and Chris Thomson.

Elena Forrester (Stefanie Powers of Crescendo) is the widowed publisher of a women's lifestyle magazine. Her assistant, Claire (Debrah Farentino), suggests it's time for Elena to start dating again, and she hooks up with a younger man named  Eric Chandler (Hunt Block). The two surprise everyone by getting hitched after just a short period. But before you can say Suspicion, Elena starts discovering alarming things about the husband she barely knows. The generic title should give you a clue as to what's going on. Powers, Block and Farentino all give good performances and there is also nice work from Lloyd Bridges [Deadly Dream] as an old friend of Elena's who is carrying a torch for her. Polly Bergen [Death Cruise] adds some spice as a TV talk show host who hopes to get Elena on camera. The movie is smooth and entertaining just as long as you don't expect any real surprises.

Verdict: Older, wealthy woman and younger man with no visible means of support is always a recipe for disaster. **1/2.

LOVE, LIES AND MURDER

Clancy Brown

LOVE, LIES AND MURDER (1991 telefilm/mini-series). Director: Robert Markowitz.

David Brown (Clancy Brown) tells the police that his wife, Linda, was shot but can't bring himself to check on her in the bedroom. He then tells them that his 14-year-old daughter, Cinnamon (Moira Kelly), murdered Linda, who was her stepmother. Linda's younger sister, Patti (Sheryl Lee of Twin Peaks), was also in the house. Although the cops feel that there are things about the story that don't add up, Cinnamon confesses after a suicide attempt, and is incarcerated. But while David and Patti live large on Linda's huge insurance payout, Cinnamon decides to open up to the police, and a diabolical scheme unfolds ... Love, Lies, and Murder is based on a true case (which was also the subject of two books), and features some fine performances by the leads, with especially good work from Kelly and Lee. If there's any problem with the movie it is that we don't get to know the victim very well, and the other characters are defined more by what has happened to them than anything else. Cynthia Nixon has a small early role as a friend of Patti's. Clancy Brown does a lot of voice work for animated shows such as Justice League where he played Lex Luthor.

Verdict: Absorbing and shocking true crime story. ***.

DEADLY INTENTIONS ... AGAIN?

Joanna Kerns and Harry Hamlin

DEADLY INTENTIONS ... AGAIN? (1991 telefilm). Director: James Steven Sadwith.

In this sequel to Deadly Intentions, Charles Raynor (now played by Harry Hamlin) has gotten out of prison after being convicted of trying to murder his first wife. His second wife, Sally (Joanna Kerns) has always believed in his innocence, but she becomes suspicious of his actions, as well as of a chained up case that he keeps in the trunk of his car. Sally finally comes to the conclusion that not only is Raynor guilty of the crime he was convicted of, but he is still planning to get even with his wife, not to mention the prosecutor whose book was turned into the Deadly Intentions telefilm. Will Sally be able to notify the authorities before her time runs out? Deadly Intentions ... Again? is an entertaining TV flick, but Hamlin [Clash of the Titans], although more than competent, can't hold a candle to Michael Biehn, who played the role in the earlier film. The always-amiable Hamlin rarely if ever seems seriously threatening. Kerns is excellent, however, as are Eileen Brennan [Jeepers Creepers], who is even better as Raynor's mother than Cloris Leachman was; and Fairuza Balk, who plays Raynor's troubled stepdaughter. More fictionalized than the original film.

Verdict: You just can't keep a good sociopath down. ***.

THE DANGER OF LOVE: THE CAROLYN WARMUS STORY

Illicit Lovers: Joe Penny and Jenny Robertson

THE DANGER OF LOVE: THE CAROLYN WARMUS STORY (1992 telefilm). Director: Joyce Chopra.

Teacher Michael Carlin (Joe Penny) is married to Mary Ann (Deborah Benson) but is drawn to a co-worker, the wealthy Carolyn Warmus (Jenny Robertson), who is used to always getting what she wants. Although Michael tries more than once to break things off, Carolyn just won't take no for an answer. One evening Michael meets Carolyn for drinks, and comes home to find his wife shot to death, almost execution style. As far as Detective Pollina (Joseph Bologna) is concerned, Michael is the number one suspect, but first he has to take a hard, cold look at the man's mistress ... The Danger of Love is based on the true story of the notorious Warmus, and is bolstered by excellent performances from the two leads, especially Robertson. Richard Lewis also has a good turn as Michael's friend, a lawyer named Edward. The screenplay is perhaps too kind to Michael, who in real life was probably not as sympathetic as Joe Penny portrays him.

Verdict: Even smart blonds can be dumb. ***.

FINAL APPEAL

Brian Dennehy

FINAL APPEAL (1993 telefilm). Director: Eric Till.

Christine Biondi (JoBeth Williams of Poltergeist) is accused of murdering her husband, Ed (Tom Mason), and taking a shot at his skank nurse mistress, Delores (Ashley Crow). She claims the shootings were in self-defense, but an ambitious prosecutor (is there any other kind in these movies?)  named Dana Cartier (Lindsay Crouse) wants to hang her. A bigger problem for Christine is that her lawyer is her alcoholic brother, Perry (Brian Dennehy of Righteous Kill), who seems too tired to make an "objection" when his sister's life is on the line. But with the help of a sympathetic cop, Detective Ayers (Eddie Jones), who knows there was a cover-up in the investigation, Perry may yet win the day. Final Appeal's main strength is in the incredibly sharp performances by Williams and Dennehy, and virtually everyone else in the cast, including the talented youngster who plays Christine's young son, Zach (Keegan MacIntosh). Although this is supposedly based on a true story, some elements seem strictly fictional, such as Perry, whose license has been suspended, getting it back temporarily so that he can defend his sister. The production has to be taken with a large grain of salt, but it is absorbing and full of interesting developments.

Verdict: Well-done "true" crime drama with outstanding performances. ***.