User reviews

Another great made for tv movie. Tisha Sterling (Ann Sothern's daughter) plays a con artist who preys on wealthy, lonely women (Amanda Blake). Ms. Sterling starts out being a friend and companion to Ms. Blake who is quite lonely. Little by little we see how conniving Tisha really is. She's a thief, a liar and a master manipulator who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Ms. Blake starts to become suspicious and the fun begins. I don't want to spoil it by telling too much, but this is a fun movie. Tisha Sterling is an underrated actress who has always chosen some interesting roles despite her debut in 1965's campy "Village of the Giants". Amanda Blake really brings out the pathos in this role, as you really feel quite bad for her after all the drama she goes through by just wanting a friend to hang out with. Catch it if you can, as these made for tv gems are seldom on video.

Enjoyed this 1974 film which deals with a couple, Helen Mercer, (Amanda Blake) and her boyfriend who are con-artists who go around getting the confidence of widow's that are lonely. In one scene, one widow is killed and they both move on to another woman named Gretchen Addison, (Tisha Sterling) who is a very clever woman who takes a liking to Helen Mercer and takes Gretchen under her wing, so to speak. Harold Porter, (Dick Haymes) plays the role as a judge who is good friends with Helen and also has a love interest in Helen. Some one is killed and this changes the entire story around and points the audience into another direction. This is a great Classic film and very worth your time to view and enjoy this film.

Betrayal is an above average 70s TV thriller by experienced genre filmmaker Gordon 'Cry of The Banshee' Hessler. The capable cast's performances are all peachy, and Hessler does a credible job mounting all the essential Hitchcockian tensions. Bravo!! Like one of the perpetrator's more corpulent victims, 'Betrayal' is a trifle soft in the belly, but I found it to be consistently entertaining. Veteran composer, Ernest Gold's lush score is a slick complement, and as a wholly gratuitous aside, the deliciously devious Gretchen (Tisha Sterling) is one smoking hot, lean cuisine tamale! This classy 1974 ABC movie-of-the-week gem remains a quality time-eater for vintage thriller fans of all ages! As a final thought, Tisha Sterling & Amanda Blake have great chemistry, generating far more sympathy for their predicament than one might expect.

Novel concept that plays out pretty well. An officious, dark hired woman assists an old lady until a masked intruder enters and kills the old lady for her money. Next we see a delightful young blonde woman (Sterling) applying to assist an emotionless wealthy older woman (Blake). Together, they really hit it off even though Blake mysteriously killed a man several years earlier. The plot then becomes whether these two women can remain together despite their backgrounds. We root for them since each overcomes the difficulties in the other. You can almost say it's a 'buddy' picture, despite the complicating moral conflicts just beneath the surface.

Both lead actresses shine in their roles, almost making me forget I was watching Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty. The unusual plot manages to involve us even though some implicit suspense threads are not played up. In fact, the script could be a lot tighter. Note too, how the story's outcome appears determined by the hand of fate, or should I say its head.

On a lighter note, watch for ex- big band singer Dick Haymes in an affably dangling role that looks like a needed payday for a kingpin of the late 40's and early 50's. Unfortunately for him, his career was ruined by accusations of draft-dodging during WWII. I recall it being quite a scandal at the time when the crooner was 'here today' and 'gone tomorrow'. So this is one of the few chances to catch him in his later, obscure, years.

Anyway, the flick's a novel concept, well-acted and mounted; it may waver some, but generally holds interest throughout.