A Death in California

Sam Elliott stars as an escaped prisoner fleeing Chicago in 1973 (arrested for attempted murder, he managed to flee custody in his robe and slippers after requesting a shower!). Crime story adapted from Joan Barthel's book was based on real-life killer Gerald Daniel Walker, though the clichés and exposition-heavy dialogue from writer E. Jack Neuman are nearly impossible to wade through. The information is dropped immediately that Elliott's psychopath is a real ladies' man--and don't all women love the bad boys? Once we're introduced to Cheryl Ladd as a socialite, it's a connect-the-dots job to the movie's finish line. Two Emmy nominations: Joseph F. Biroc for his (unflattering) cinematography and for Outstanding Art Direction in a Limited Series.