Death at Love House

"Joel Gregory" (Robert Wagner) and his wife "Donna" (Kate Jackson) are writing a book on a former movie star by the name of "Lorna Love" (Marianna Hill) who captivated audiences with her sex appeal before dying in the prime of her life. To help them with this project they are given permission to stay in Lorna's former mansion to collect more information pertaining to their research. What they soon discover is that Lorna spent a great deal of money to hire a specialist in the occult who could give her immortality along with her lover--who just happens to have been the father of Joel. Soon mysterious things begin to happen to both Joel and Donna which not only threatens their marriage but also their sanity and their lives. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a fairly entertaining mystery film which was greatly limited by the made-for-television format. Additionally, while it had some suspense here and there, it seemed somewhat subdued in nature as well. All in all though, I suppose it was an okay movie and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I'm only giving this 5 stars because of the old-timers who appeared in this cheesy TV movie: Sylvia Sidney, Joan Blondell, John Carradine, and Dorothy Lamour.

Robert Wagner and Kate Jackson play a married couple researching a book on a silent old film star, Lorna Love, and her affair with Wagner's father.

This is a little like The Shining in that the spirit of the house takes over Wagner like five minutes after their arrival.

The actress playing Lorna Love, Marianna Hill, looked like something out of Charlie's Angels, not a '20s film star. After hearing for the entire film how irresistible she was, I still didn't get it.

Campy TV movie.

Although broadcast on Sept 3 1976, "Death at Love House" carries a 1975 copyright, an indication that, for once, producer Aaron Spelling figured he had a real loser on his hands (this wasn't "Crowhaven Farm"). It works to some extent as nostalgia, aided by some expert casting and shooting on the fabulous Harold Lloyd Greenacres estate. What doesn't work is just about everything else, in particular the poorly filmed footage meant to be from the 1920s, which looks as modern as actress Mariana Hill, whose unspectacular career would end sooner than veteran costars Sylvia Sidney and Dorothy Lamour. Robert Wagner also looks out of place in the flashbacks, and not too well in the current storyline, leaving the dependable Kate Jackson to do all the heavy lifting, with an assist from MAUDE's Bill Macy. Wagner and Jackson are not only married, they are also collaborating on a biography of the mysterious Lorna Love (Mariana Hill), a Clara Bow-type silent screen siren adored by all, except for the few who really got to know her well before her untimely death. As movie director Conan Carroll, who had actually been in love with Lorna before she betrayed him for another, John Carradine is able to share some of his bitterness with the would-be authors before expiring near Lorna's shrine of beauty. Dorothy Lamour gets good mileage as Lorna's greatest screen rival, and ever vivacious Joan Blondell displays her darling dimples yet again as the president of Lorna's now defunct fan club. The prime cast member turns out to be Sylvia Sidney, her career actually dating back to the 20s, as the longtime caretaker of Lorna's estate, who knows just how deeply the star truly loved her departed Joel, lookalike father of Robert Wagner's character. Had there been more meat in the script we might have had reason to fear as Kate Jackson does, but Wagner's writer comes off as a cold fish, hardly worthy of any women's eternal devotion. As weak as the whole thing plays out (nothing supernatural or ghostly goings on) the climactic twist is actually worth the wait, though DARK SHADOWS veteran Kate deserved better, and had shared the screen with Carradine in one episode of her earlier triumph THE ROOKIES, just before CHARLIE'S ANGELS took off.

Even at a trim 70 or so minutes, this TV-movie seems a bit slow and padded at times. Wagner and Jackson are married writers doing a book on "legendary" 1930's screen star Hill. They move into her estate (governed by a Mrs. Danvers-Lite type of housekeeper played by Sidney) and begin to research the life and career of this tempestuous talent. On the grounds of the estate, Hill's body is carefully embalmed and visible through a glass tomb. Wagner, whose father was her lover, slowly becomes enraptured by her appeal and begins to have flashbacks (possibly enhanced by witchcraft) of his father and Hill while Jackson frets and faces various spooky obstacles. The story is somewhat intriguing, but the execution is routine in the extreme. Hill exudes all the 1930's glamour and presence of, say, Cheryl Ladd or Suzanne Somers. With anachronistic hot-rolled hair and contemporary demeanor, she hardly evokes the necessary period details. Wagner and Jackson do okay jobs, though their roles are sketchy at best. It's nice to see Sidney in her usual crusty, tight-lipped mode (wearing what has to be THE reddest lipstick available!) There is also an opportunity for real-life Hollywood veterans Blondell, Carradine and Lamour to do something other than "The Love Boat" and keep their health insurance going. All in all, it's a mildly clever story with familiar actors, hampered by murky photography and a lackadaisical approach.

Aaron Spelling attempted to dabble in horror with this flick, concerning two married journalists doing research on a long-dead Hollywood star. Lorna Love was the top star of her time, and it seems that she employed more than charm and talent to get to the top, namely, witchcraft, and seems to be employing it from beyond the grave on the husband(Robert Wagner), who is the son of Lorna's former love. Will Lorna prevail? Or will the wife(Kate Jackson)save her husband? It's a surprise. It's a decent film, but if Dan Curtis HAD been doing this, it might have been much, much better.