El retrato de mi madre

So many films have yet to be released that it's shocking what does trickle down from on high onto DVD. You'd think whoever owned this little souvenir of 70's syndication would want to start seeing some long overdue profits from it already. They must be working on a Director's cut. Right.

I haven't seen this TV movie for a very long time, but I remember it well. There was a song that played over the credits that was the eeriest thing about Picture Mommy Dead. It was a little nursery rhyme with the chilling refrain;

"The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, in your stomach and out your mouth," or something appetizing like that. Is it coming back to you now?

If not, check the DVD when it does come out and see what an evening's TV entertainment used to look like in America in the late 1960's. The best thing about these movies is that because there were only a couple of options on the toob back then, everyone seems to have seen them. These were the days of the 75% share for a TV movie. "Friends" doesn't even come close in viewership. For better or worse that age has come to an end and made us less of a family.

WOW I have been trying to remember the name of this movie for a very long time... today I goggled the famous "the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out"... and found the title of the movie "Picture Mommy Dead". I re-watched this movie today after I found the movie title again and I must say it is pretty good old film.

I recalled that as a kid this movie scared me... but after re-viewing it as an adult I find it a good mystery/thriller film.

The movie is worth watching if you like older "whodunnit" types of movies. Nobody will ever find out Daddy.

The Hearse Song is the creepiest part of this film -- the part I remembered for years.

7/10

This is one of schlock producer Bert I Gordon's best films. After watching her mother Jessica (Zsa Zsa Gabor) die in a mysterious fire, young Susan Shelley (Susan Gordon) is sent to a convent/mental hospital where she remains for three years. In the meantime, her father Edward (Don Ameche) has married Susan's former governess, Francene (Martha Hyer) who is also his former mistress. After Susan's release from the hospital, she returns with her father and stepmother to the family estate. Immediately, the familiar surroundings bring back visions of her dead mother, as well as a gnawing suspicion that it was she herself who is responsible for her mother's death. Meanwhile, the money-hungry Francene, who has exhausted her husband's share of his late wife's bequest, begins a campaign to return Susan to the hospital for good--thereby gaining the half million dollar inheritance held in trust for her. Enlisting the help of Susan's cousin Anthony (British actor Maxwell Reed and former husband of Joan Collins), Francene also seeks to learn the whereabouts of a magnificent diamond necklace she is sure Susan has hidden. An atmospheric production, filmed at the old Doheny estate in Beverly Hills, the scene of many subsequent films, an attractive musical score by Robert Drasnin, and fine acting by all (including Miss Gordon, the director's daughter) give this murder mystery spice. And the beautiful Martha Hyer gives it class. Look for screen veterans Signe Hasso (as a nun) Wendell Corey (as the family lawyer) and Anna Lee (as a friend of Jessica). A very good novelization of the screenplay was written by screenwriter Robert Sherman. Incidentally, the pressbook synopsis has a different ending!

PICTURE MOMMY DEAD had the potential to be more than a little potboiler. Photographed handsomely in Pathe color amid elaborate settings, its look is far beyond that of the average programmer.

But two things defeat it: an absurd plot and a dreadful performance by Susan Gordon in the central role as the traumatized victim of a horrible murder scene.

The adults are a little over-the-top in performing--especially Don Ameche, Martha Hyer (looking very glamorous), and Maxwell Reed. No doubt they knew the melodramatic material was so overly meller that it didn't matter much. Hyer at least is convincing as a greedy woman who has only one objective: to get her hands on as much estate money as possible after the death of the girl's wealthy mommy and especially a glittering diamond necklace.

Zsa Zsa Gabor flits about once in awhile when flashbacks permit the girl to remember a few events as they unfolded in the past. She's every bit the glamorous creature she always set out to be, and mercifully is not burdened by too much dialog.

Most surprising is that this wasn't photographed in low-budget style in B&W. Instead, the sharp color photography puts it on a higher level than the script would suggest.

The story lacks credibility as it goes along, becoming more and more improbable by the time it reaches a predictable conclusion.

Summing up: Watchable, but hurt by a central performance that is cringe worthy.

34 years have not dimmed the memory of this super low budget thriller. The special effects remind me of a Mario Bava film because maximum use is made of camera angles and light and shadow. Mind you, I only saw this shocker once at a remote air base but, along with the early Dario Argentos (Bird, Cat & Flies), What's the Matter with Helen?, Who Slew Auntie Roo?, and Romero's original Night of the Living Dead, this flick hit my funnybone and I remember its twisted plot and shocking ending as fondly as I remember those schlocky Bill Castle masterworks, Homicidal and Strait-Jacket. Seriously, the film is a fun ride and if you like Grade B thrillers, you'll get a big kick out of it. So, please, put it on DVD before the film stock dissolves!