In what looks like a pilot for a possible television series Jim Hutton plays the
District Attorney in a small southern California county who partners closely
with County Sheriff Robert J. Wilkie in the investigation. Hutton is even in on the
final shootout.
For Bob Wilkie sad this pilot wasn't picked up. Wilkie played dozens of bad guys
in westerns and this would have been a career change for him.
A body is found in the pool where Leslie Nielsen resides with daughter-in-law
Jessica Walter. Nielsen is in a wheelchair as a result of an accident where his son was killed several months earlier.
There's an insurance settlement in the offing. But the insurance company PI Vic
Tayback smells a rat.
Of course the murder and the accident are linked but you watch the movie to see just how. I guessed the right perpetrator, but not the extent of the con that was being played, A few murders happen before the solution is found.
Also note good performances from JoAnn Pflug as a reporter and Nita Talbot
who is an actress worried about keeping up with the younger women coming up in
her profession.
There's also Ed Asner who is an obnoxious and bumbling city police chief. His
role seemed superfluous to the story.
Might have made a good series.
