Haunting in ‘Home on Greenapple Street’ 1970

Janet Leigh is memorable as a determined housewife in “Home on Greenapple Street.”

The 2 hour lengthy ABC TV film, Home on Greenapple Street, aired January 11, 1970, and launched
audiences to Lt. Dan August. Right here, the taciturn detective was performed by
Christopher George, who match the function completely. The scores have been so good that
it was became a weekly sequence, however George was unavailable, and the function
went to Burt Reynolds.

Christopher George is well-cast as hard-nosed Lt. Dan August, however nonetheless capable of present compassion towards the individuals combined up in his case, in “Home on Greenapple Street.”

What’s fascinating about Home
on Greenapple Street was how grownup the subject material was for 1970 tv.
The movie opens with a gory crime scene found by a toddler and the lacking
individual/attainable sufferer seems to have been an sad housewife who had a
sequence of salaciously depicted affairs. Based mostly on a bestselling ebook by Harold
R. Daniels, the seek for the lacking individual/sufferer is spliced with flashbacks
of the seamy backstory, which jogged my memory of the 1965 characteristic movie Sylvia, a shady woman who’s previous is
investigated. Nevertheless, this TV film is extra hardnosed that the old-school
theatrical melodrama starring Carroll Baker. That is fascinating,
contemplating the a lot stronger censorship on tv versus movie on the time.

Janet Leigh as a dissatisfied housewife, who appears for love in all of the improper locations. Right here, she hooks up with the nation membership life guard, in “Home on Greenapple Street.”

The thriller blonde right here is performed by Janet Leigh, in considered one of
her greatest however lesser-known performances. Aired a decade after a profession excessive in Psycho, Janet Leigh was 42 and struggling
to maintain her profession afloat as a number one woman. The function of a girl who relied on
her face and physique for self-worth hit a bit near the bone for Leigh. Her
daughter revealed after her dying that Janet had consuming problems and feared
rising older, shedding her appears and determine. It is ironic in Home on Greenapple Street that Janet appears unbelievable and may be very
susceptible, however is handled so casually by the male characters. There are some
allusions to her well-known function in Psycho.
Right here she is Marian Ord, in Psycho she
was Marion Crane. In her varied trysts, Janet sports activities a stunning determine in varied
undergarments, which additionally induced a stir within the Hitchcock traditional. Her
characters search to decide out of their boring lives, solely to seek out themselves in nice
hazard. The movie’s ending is a intelligent nod to Psycho.

Janet Leigh was 42 when she filmed “Home on Greenapple Street.” Regardless of high-quality performances & trying nice by way of the ’60s, maintaining stardom was an uphill battle.

Home on Greenapple Street has a forged of veteran stars and then-newcomers.
The story is intriguing, there’s some nifty digicam work, the story is
unsentimental, and the performing is strong. The kind of crime dedicated and the
ultimate revelation could have been a shocker again then, however it’s very commonplace
right this moment in our present actuality present mentality. So the story hardly feels dated by
right this moment’s requirements.

“Home on Greenapple Street” was a kind of TV films that haunted
my ’70s childhood when re-run on the afternoon films!

The premise of Home
on Greenapple Street is predicated on a real story. A home spouse simply
disappeared sooner or later in 1961 and was by no means heard from once more. And her kitchen was
left a literal bloody mess, like this film. Whereas there have been every kind of
rumors, nothing was confirmed, however that is the place the similarity ends.

Christopher George, Janet Leigh, and Tim O’ Connor provide
standout performances as Dan August, and the couple in query, Marian and
George Ord.

(R) Christopher George’s Dan August spars with (L) Peter Mark Richman’s sleaze businessman in “Home on Greenapple Street.”

The actors who play the lads in Marian’s life are good in
their sleazy roles. Burr DeBenning is a rustic membership life guard, who’s a bit
mature act so ageist towards Marian. Peter Mark Richman (Blake Carrington’s
lawyer!) is Sal, a enterprise man who
will get off on treating the needy housewife like a hooker. Lawrence Dane is the brand new
age preacher who needs to do greater than enlighten Marian. There’s boozy
and cynical William Windom because the nation membership president, who picks up the place
the life guard left off.

William Windom is the nation membership president who’s considered one of houswife Marian’s lovers in “Home on Greenapple Street.”

Nice veteran actors like Walter Pidgeon, Keenan Wynn, and
Barry Sullivan provide strong help. Julie Harris is typecast effectively because the
uptight sister-in-law. Joanne Linville is righteously bitchy because the nation
membership president’s rightly jealous spouse.

Julie Harris brings her patented nervous edge to the function of the sister-in-law to
Janet Leigh’s housewife in “Home on Greenapple Street.”

Pre-stardom Ed Asner performs a heavy-handed sheriff. Lynda
Day is a pissy, pot-smoking secretary named Lillian Crane, a riff on Psycho’s Vera Miles as Lila Crane. And Jan Brady herself, Eve Plumb, is the
Ords’ younger daughter, who discovers the blood-drenched crime scene.

Eve Plumb is the younger daughter who finds a bloody crime scene in
“Home on Greenapple Street.”

Janet Leigh’s innately empathetic persona makes the viewers
wish to perceive her character. Marian is greater than a promiscuous girl. She
is searching for validation and her checklist of Mr. Wrongs jogs my memory of Searching for Mr. Goodbar, which was additionally
primarily based on a real story. Marian Ord’s husband at all times forgives her as she seeks to
bolster her vanity relating to ageing and shedding her desirability. Among the many
improper locations she appears for love is with the nation membership life guard, a sleaze
bag enterprise man, a brand new age minister, and the nation membership president! Marion’s
at all times disillusioned, solely to maneuver on to the following man. But, in her naïve manner,
her intentions are honest. But, she’s handled as a toy, when she’s searching for
a teen dream model of real love. And Marian’s search doesn’t finish effectively. Leigh’s
naturalistic, robust performing make you consider in her character’s motivations, as
tousled as they’re. Leigh gave some terrific performances within the ‘60s and
regarded nice doing so, however one can solely assume it was her age that discovered her more and more
handed over by the ‘70s.

Janet Leigh as Marian, livid over feeling performed, in “Home on Greenapple Street.”

Tim O’Connor, intense in his breakthrough function on Peyton Place as Elliot Carson, is
equally full of nervous power right here, as George Ord. The unhappy sack, gentle
husband loves his spouse, however she just isn’t happy with their middle-class life.
Marian’s concern of shedding her enchantment is accelerated by the sensation that life is
passing her by. The affairs no less than jump-start her self-worth, however Marian’s
additionally searching for an actual love, and a manner out. And O’Connor’s scenes admitting
all this later are made genuinely transferring by his robust efficiency.

Tim O’ Connor as George Ord lastly comes clear about his marriage to Marion.

Right here’s the true life story that Home on Greenapple Street makes use of as a premise for the fictional novel
and film, primarily based on the 1961 disappearance of Massachusetts home spouse Joan
Risch: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Painted-Blood-Unsolved-Disappearance/dp/1476681848

And right here’s considered one of my favourite movies, which starred Janet
Leigh, my tackle 1962’s The Manchurian
Candidate: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-manchurian-candidate-1962.html