The Girl on the Late, Late Show

In a quest for ratings, the producer (Don Murray) of an early morning TV talk show heads to L.A. to find out whatever became of a half-forgotten movie queen and inadvertently sets off a string of killings...

Confusing TV murder mystery set in Hollywood with voice-over narration, nubile females, and even a detective's trench-coat for Don (why didn't he just call COLUMBO?). Veteran actors Gloria Grahame, John Ireland, Van Johnson, Yvonne Decarlo, Ralph Meeker, Cameron Mitchell, and "special guest star" Walter Pidgeon pop up in small roles. Grahame was probably the titular mystery woman because the makers, Columbia Pictures, could use clips from old movies Gloria made at that studio free of charge.

I've come to enjoy the rhythmic narrative flow of these TV movies (the action regularly builds to a crescendo with a quick fade-to-black where commercials were inserted) and I also love the credits that invariably include "guest stars" galore and at least one "special guest star". I'm looking forward to tracking down more.

This story concerns a New York television producer, 'William Martin' (played extremely well by Don Murray) who presents classic movies on the local "Late, late, show". Inbetween movies, actors are interviewed and there is the occasional colorful guest. There is a wonderful segment with George Fischbeck (yes, the former LA weatherman) playing the role of cat psychiatrist. Mr. Martin gets the inspiration to interview an actress (named 'Carolyn Porter', played by Gloria Grahame) who will appear in several upcoming old movies. Ms. Porter was famous in the 1950s, but what has she done lately? Where is she now? Of course, any sane person would check IMDb to get the information!! But back in 1974, there was no such thing...

Mr. Martin flies to sunny Los Angeles and visits the studios. He is struck with how 'The Great Carolyn Porter' is so forgotten. He cannot locate her files and nobody knows anything. She stopped making movies in 1954 and then disappeared. No doubt, she is probably married and living a quiet life.

But not everything is as it seems.

It soon becomes clear that Ms. Porter was meant to be forgotten, since people that Mr. Martin contacts are getting murdered. Of course the LA police take interest and provide unusually good assistance. The LA policeman is played by Joe Santos, who is perfect for this role as he is the regular LA policeman in "Rockford Files".

This is a great little mystery. Don Murray is believable as a likable and inquisitive television producer-turned-detective. In this transformation, he becomes more compelled to discover what happened to Ms. Porter even though a killer is on his trail, and mounting obligations are awaiting him in New York. In the course of the story are some wonderful appearances by other notable actors such as Yvonne DeCarlo, Van Johnson, and Walter Pigeon, to name a few. Also, we see the 'Ideal Los Angeles' of the 1970s: Sunset Boulelvard, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the not so congested freeways, and even Malibu. These places are still there, but don't look the same now. And you can't get away from those big 70s' cars and tacky clothing! Hard to find, but highly recommended!

TV movies from the seventies will always enjoy me. There is something special in them. Something we don't find now. This feature makes no exception. The story itself is fascinating; it is about the lost Hollywood, Hollywood and its dream. Our dreams. I won't describe the topic, as the other users have already done in a very accurate way.

Of course, there have already been other films about the "real" Hollywood, about its traps and broken faiths, broken dreams. But this one is poignant, especially in the ending. The other user has told it very well. It torn me to pieces. It reminds me a Twilight Zone episode, starring Ida Lupino, an ex star, a forgotten star, who watched her films on a screen, many years later.

And after a little while, I also realized that this little gem was inspired by Otto Preminger's masterpiece: LAURA.

The story of a man who falls in love of the woman he is looking for.

I repeat, the ending is devastating for a sensitive audience.