A Howling in the Woods

A year after the cancellation of "I Dream of Jeannie", Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman reteamed for this made-for-TV movie that was as different from their series as night and day! It seems Ms. Eden is coming back to the house she grew up in to the surprise of her stepmother (Vera Miles) and new stepbrother (John Rubinstein). There's also a little girl (Lisa Gerritsen) who mentions another one her age who drowned in a nearby river. Not to mention a howling dog constantly bellowing...There's more but I don't want to spoil anymore of what happens. I will, however, mention that Hagman plays Ms. Eden's husband who's trying to reconcile with her after she abruptly left. Also, future "Cagney & Lacey" star Tyne Daly also makes a pivotal appearance. The suspense builds with each new revelation which is to the credit of director Daniel Petrie. So on that note, I recommend A Howling in the Woods.

A year after their classic comedy series, "I Dream of Jeannie" , left the air, stars Barbara Eden & Larry Hagman made this wonderful TV movie in 1971. After five years, Liza Crocker ( Eden ) returns to the small town that her family founded generations ago--Stainesville, out west in Nevada. She has come out here because she is seeking a divorce from her husband, Eddie ( Hagman ), back in New York. When she reaches Stainesville, she finds that old friends she grew up with have a mysteriously hostile attitude toward her, and old acquaintances are even worse. She drives up to the Stainesville Lodge where her step-mother, Rose ( Vera Miles )greets her. Rose introduces Liza to her new step-brother, Justin ( John Rubenstein ). Liza is very anxious to see her archeologist father, but , as Rose puts it, "He's down in Mexico poking through those ruins of his. We had no idea you were coming." Shortly after Liza's arrival, she learns that a little girl had been murdered in the town recently and the girl's body had been thrown in the lake. A stray dog can be heard howling in the woods. There is a bizarre double-murder / conspiracy that has occurred in Stainesville, and the locals are determined to keep a lid on things forever. Only Rose seems to be aware that, now that Liza has returned, it is only a question of time before the entire truth comes out. Eddie has followed Liza to Stainesville because he does not wish to lose her. "A Howling in the Woods" was filmed entirely in and around beautiful Lake Tahoe, Nevada and features excellent performances from a wonderful cast. The audience can't help but root for Barbara Eden's character ( the former 'Jeannie' is extremely gripping here ! ). The viewer gets bits & pieces of relevant information all through the film, but the suspense never really let's up right until the very end. This is one of the finest TV movies of the early 1970s and it sometimes is shown in the late evening on a local station. You should set your VCR to tape this one if you can. A marvelous and very well written mystery / thriller that could rival even a similar theatrical film shown today, "A Howling in the Woods" is a small screen cinematic triumph that should not go ignored...if you can help it!

Starring I Dream of Jeannies titular Barbara Eden and Larry "JR" Hagman A Howling in the Woods isn't what I expected at all. It was a pick and mix movie so I didn't know what to expect but based on the title I assumed horror and likely werewolf.

Well it's not a horror and no wolves were or otherwise are to be found. Instead it's a thriller about a woman returning to small town America to see her father but being met with a very unpleasant welcome from a town with a dark secret.

It's a slow burner but that works to its favour, what doesn't sadly is the movies weak structure and instantly forgettable characters.

Does everything come together in the end? Yep. Is the revelation interesting? Absolutely. But the film itself is badly flawed and though watchable is something I feel could and maybe should have been considerably better.

The Good:

Some good ideas

The Bad:

Poorly structured

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I am in no way saddened that I missed out on telegrams

Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman definitely didn't end things on a sour note after I DREAM OF JEANNIE as the next year they starred as a married couple in a mystery-thriller that sounds like a werewolf-horror, the made-for-television A HOWLING IN THE WOODS. Then again, they're hardly on screen together at all. It's mostly Eden's ride, beginning three decades of TV movies...

Centers on a rich woman who returns to a woodsy small town where she's given the silent treatment by the locals. Expository from her mother-in-law Vera Miles's wimpy secret lover John Rubinstein teaches us the town's been broke since her currently out-of-town father sold a factory, and only he and his family got rich...

Although Eden's character is no spoiled brat since she made her own money as a fashion designer in New York while Hagman, a photographer of naked women, wants her to return home via random phone calls...

The townspeople want her gone too, which is most of the mystery involved without that many thrills. Eden, sans her cute smile, broods most of the time, trying to figure things out after the initial long-stretched shun...

Which is also the most entertaining aspect as she and the audience remains in the dark while various characters add up including Ruta Lee as a jovial diner waitress; Ford Rainey as the sheriff; Lisa Gerritsen as an abused little girl; and Tyne Daley as the only person willing to eventually speak up. After which Hagman earns half his paycheck and... almost helps out. At one point near the end, wanting to join her quest for the truth, his wife tells him, "You stay here... I'm better off alone."

Perhaps Eden was predicting her own solo TV-movie future following what would always be her signature role as the friendly Astronaut's gorgeous Jeannie. Meanwhile, Larry Hagman's lucrative television future hadn't yet begun: From this point it was no more Mr. Nice Guy.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Daniel Petrie; Produced by Douglas Benton, for Universal TV, broadcast by NBC-TV. Screenplay by Richard De Roy, based on Velda Johnston's novel; Photography by JackMarta; Edited by Robert Shugrue; Music by Dave Grusin. Starring: Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, John Rubinstein, Vera Miles, Ruta Lee, Tyne Daly, George Murdock, Ford Rainey, Bill Vint and Karl Swenson.

Unsuspenseful, unstylish attempt at a horror mystery, based on a poorly-presented "Bad Day at Black Rock" combined with impersonation type plot. TV's ersatz attempt at "daring" entertainment includes near-nudity and pretend incest, but Petrie's handling of a "Road to Salina" type trio and irrelevant flashback is poor. Laughable is the Vera/Barb versus Vera/Janet Leigh resemblance, plus thrown-in Eden/Hagman teaming and a bit of Barb in white nightgown action.