Mon 14 May 2012
A TV Movie Review by Michael Shonk: DANGER HAS TWO FACES (1967).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV mysteries[17] Comments
DANGER HAS TWO FACES. 20th Century-Fox/Palomino Production, 1967. Cast: Robert Lansing as Peter Murphy/Mark Wainwright, Dana Wynter as Eva Wainwright, Murray Hamilton as Colonel Jack Forbes, Alex Davion as Roger Wainwright. Created by Teddi Sherman, Judith and Julian Plowden, and John Newland. Theme by Frank Cordell. Written by Teddi Sherman, Judith and Julian Plowden, Robert C. Dennis, and Judith and Robert Guy Barrows. Executive Consultant: Merwin Gerald. Director & Executive Producer: John Newland.
This movie was made from episodes of ABC-TV series The Man Who Never Was (1966-67) edited together, and released theatrically and for TV syndication by 20th Century Fox in 1967 (Broadcasting, September 25, 1967, and October 9, 1967).
Peter Murphy is an American agent in East Berlin. He meets with his contact and handed pictures of four men, but before he can learn more his contact is killed and he is on the run. He stops to pick up a woman he loves so they can escape together. During a chase through secret tunnels under the Berlin Wall, his lover is killed and he is hurt.
Peter makes it into West Berlin with the Eastern killer on his trail. Peter ducks into a bar and is shocked to find his exact double, drunk, and about to leave the bar. Stunned, he watches as the killer from the East gun down his unsuspecting double. The killer leaves and a confused Peter exit the bar only to be mistaken for his double by the man’s chauffeur. Peter collapses and wakes up in his double, billionaire Mark Wainwright’s bed and his wife talking to him about a meeting they need to attend.
The wife, Eva needs her husband alive or his evil stepbrother will take over the family’s billions and shove her and her family out. Peter’s control, Colonel Forbes wants him to continue as billionaire Mark Wainwright who has access to many important people and places. While the two looked exactly alike, Peter and Mark were opposites. Peter is a kind caring man while Mark was a rude mean drunk. Mark was an expert mountain climber but Peter is not, so in one episode he had to fake an injury to avoid suspicion.
Limited by the thirty-minute format, the series never succeed in making this Mark Twain’s Prince and the Pauper theme believable as a spy drama. Instead, the interesting plots with surprising twists, fitting soundtrack, visual locations, and exciting action was overshadowed by the series implausible premise.
Early reviews of the series were mixed, and perhaps best expressed by Dean Gysel of the Chicago Daily News, “If you can swallow the first episode, it may turn out exciting†(Broadcasting, September 12, 1966).
As a movie it was further weakened by the obviously edited together 30-minute TV episodes. Every thirty minutes or so, Colonel Forbes would show up and give Peter/Mark his next assignment.
The beginning of the story focused on establishing the premise. Then the killer discovers Peter is not dead. Eva joins him as they travel to save a priest from the East’s secret police. Eva is close friends with the wife of a suspected security leak. Over time, Peter and Eva would fall in love and give the movie a surprising final ending.
The Man Who Never Was had an interesting past. 20th Century Fox produced the TV pilot for sponsor Philip Morris tobacco (Broadcasting, November 1, 1965). Originally the series was not supposed to be on ABC’s fall schedule, but in March 1966, it suddenly replaced the never to air The Long Hunt of April Savage (Broadcasting, March 28, 1966).
The Man Who Never Was was filmed in Germany and suffered from production problems that had some concerned the series might get cancelled before it even aired (Broadcasting, June 20, 1966). The series filmed all over Europe and the locations were distractedly beautiful. Oddly, every source from Broadcasting to IMDb claim the series (and this movie) was done in color, but my copy was in black and white off a broadcast by KYW (Philadelphia).
In September 1966, ABC previewed several of their new shows a week early. Of the twelve new shows, The Man Who Never Was received the lowest rating of a 38.6 share (Broadcasting, September 12, 1966).
The next week, up against the other networks premieres, its ratings (Arbitron) dropped to a 27 share versus CBS’ Green Acres 38 share and NBC’s Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre with a 25 share (Broadcasting, September 19, 1966). By October, the series was ranked #50 (out of 88) in the ratings (Broadcasting, October17, 1966) and cancelled by November (Broadcasting, November 7, 1966).
The Man Who Never Was lasted 18 episodes, beginning September 7, 1966, and ending January 4, 1967.
May 14th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
I remember watching the first episode of the series, but I couldn’t tell you if it was telecast in color or not, since we still had only a black and white TV at the time.
I also remember the story being awfully complicated, though it probably wasn’t, except for the fact that I thought the TV show had something to do with the movie of the same title, the World War II film that came out in 1956.
If I was confused, though, I think a lot of other people were, too. I wonder whether the series might have had a better chance if it had been an hour long. But then, since they filmed the series in Europe, the costs would have been twice as much.
And up against GREEN ACRES? I guess success just wasn’t in the cards.
May 14th, 2012 at 10:17 pm
The description of the series around the internet and source books are as confused by the premise and title as you were Steve.
The half hour format killed it. It needed to get deeper into the characters for us to accept all the coincidences driving the plot.
May 14th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Michael,
In case you or anyone else is wondering, I’ve just added a scan of the movie poster to the end of the review. I don’t know why I didn’t come across it before, but I just did.
— Steve
May 15th, 2012 at 12:14 am
This was released overseas. In fact it was released in a 11 film package by Fox along with another “film” of note, I DEAL IN DANGER.
I am not sure how, but I got stuck in ABC’s 1960’s failed spy series. AMOS BURKE (September 1965- January 1966), BLUE LIGHT (January 1966-May 1966), THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS (September 1966- January 1967). All three were on Wednesday night.
Of course, ABC showed some other spy series in 1966, THE DOUBLE LIFE OF HENRY PHYFE, THE BARON, and in March, THE AVENGERS.
The poster highlights the series action side well.
May 15th, 2012 at 10:44 am
A bit more background, and a look at how networks operated in the ’60s:
This story starts in 1965, with Robert Lansing’s sudden departure from 12 O’Clock High after that show’s first, mildly successful season.
The reason given was that the ABC network’s “experts” determined that Lansing’s character, an Air Force general, “skewed to an older audience” than the net wanted, so the new lead would be a colonel (played by Paul Burke, who was two years older than Lansing).
When the change was announced, ABC was hit with a fanmail firestorm; apparently, Lansing had built up a considerable (largely female) fan following. ABC promptly put Lansing on a “hold” deal, to find him another series ASAP.
By early ’66, this was supposed to be the abovementioned April Savage, a western.
But 1966 was the season of an ABC executive shakeup, with many series announced for that fall, and then suddenly dropped with little or no explanation. Adding to the chaos was the fact that everything on the schedule had to be produced in color – this was the year that all three nets purged black&white from their slates.
April Savage was one of the slated shows that was suddenly dropped. (Two others of note were Sedgewick Hawk-Styles – Prince Of Danger, a Sherlock Holmes spoof with Paul Lynde, and House Of Wax which was retooled into a theatrical feature, Chamber Of Horrors, which I believe has been written up elsewhere on this site.)
Anyway, with Savage scrapped, ABC ordered Lansing plugged into the nearest available series, which turned out to be The Man Who Never Was.
And there you have one of the major factors in the short life of this series – the extreme haste with which it had to be put together, combined with all-European location shooting, and the added expense of color.
The available money was gone in a snap, and ABC bailed before anybody could figure out a quick solution.
If memory serves, the producers actually did bring the show to an end, with the leads falling in love and marrying (I’m hazy {and therefore likely mistaken} on details), and I also can’t recall what ABC’s replacement was(my references are at home – sorry).
So anyway, there you have yet another lode from my mine of nickel knowledge.
Come back any time …
May 15th, 2012 at 11:39 am
#5. Mike, ABC replaced this with Wednesday Night at the Movies.
You are correct about the ending. Naughty Mike, no spoiler warning. It was a shock to see the movie end that way when you know there is another TV movie of later episodes out there.
THE LONG HUNT OF APRIL SAVAGE was a Desilu Production, created and written by Sam Rolfe and produced by Gene Roddenberry (STAR TREK). It was a Western period piece. A gunfighter searches worldwide for the eight men responsible for the death of his relative. Every six or eight episodes he would find one.
The creators of THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS were a mixed bunch. Teddi Sherman resume includes 4 FOR TEXAS and a MANNIX episode. According to the Internet she is teaching acting in Malibu.
Judith and Julian Plowden virtually dropped off the map. IMDb has more about Judith than Julian.
John Newland had a long resume including an episode of MAN FROM UNCLE (done before this series) entitled “The Double Affair.”
This episode would be part of the theatrical release THE SPY WITH MY FACE. The plot centered around a double of Solo.
Do you think THE MAN FROM UNCLE episode might have had more influence on this series than Mark Twain?
May 15th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
As michael and mike say, the APRIL SAVAGE western also starred Lansing, and was produced by Gene Rodenberry. Of course, around this time STAR TREK began its first year. By the end of the second year Rodenberry was attempting to spin off a series from TREK. This was the final second season episode ASSIGNMENT EARTH. A mash up of sci-fi and espionage, it has Gary Seven (a human who has been trained by benevolent aliens and given sophisticated gadgets which allow him to protect the Earth) and his assistant Roberta Lincoln. Set in contemporary 60s America, it was an attempt to cash in on the spy craze of the sixties. Lincoln was played by then unknown Teri Garr, whilst Seven was played by…Robert Lansing. It didn’t get made into a series, which is a shame as it looked as if it could have been fun.
Just a thought: Lansing was still in his 30s when he did these programmes, but I’ve always thought that he looked far older. He had one of those grizzled looking faces.
May 15th, 2012 at 8:08 pm
And some mystery fans might remember Robert Lansing’s first TV series, 87TH PRECINCT, based on Ed McBain’s series of popular mysteries. Lansing played Detective Steve Carella.
May 16th, 2012 at 12:59 am
According to what I’ve read, Ed McBain was enormously impressed by Lansing in the role. “He IS Steve Carella”.
May 16th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
I think it’s pretty fascinating that this show was created and written by, among others, two women, which I venture to say could not have been very common among suspense dramas with male leads on US network television in the sixties, although I would have to research it to confirm.
May 16th, 2012 at 4:26 pm
The IMDb is more confused that usual when it comes to the credits for this TV movie, the series and who wrote what.
IMDb lists the writers of DANGER HAS TWO FACES as William Bast and Edmund Morris. None of the on screen credited writers are mentioned.
For the series neither woman is mentioned in the writers credits.
Teddi Sherman has a short bio, but longer than Judith Plowden who is listed as having only written one script for THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS, one for ROARING TWENTIES, and the story for a BEN CASEY. All three have Teddi Sherman and Judith Plowden as a writing team.
Julian Plowden is listed with one credit at IMDb, a cast credit for NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN – associate: Mr. Schwartzman.
The most experienced writer involved as “executive consultant” Merwin Gerard.
Coverage at the time focused on John Newland as running the show.
May 17th, 2012 at 7:44 am
Michael, thanks for that information. I would have to go with the screen credits. DC Fontana has gotten so much attention (deservedly so) for her pioneering work on Star Trek, but I’d never even heard of Teddi Sherman. One day when I have more time I will have to look into it.
May 17th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
DC goes back to the fifties when she wrote for SHOTGUN SLADE and other TV Film syndicated series.
Western fans who read credits might remember Teddi from 4 FOR TEXAS.
Julian Plowden’s page at IMDb (like too many others) makes you wonder what happened to these people and why hasn’t anyone updated their IMDb credits.
May 17th, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Teddi Sherman is still alive and active. Here’s a link to her website:
http://www.teddisherman.com/about_Teddi.html
This particular page is filled with photos and information about her career. It begins:
“Teddi Sherman has had a great run; actress, film and television writer, story editor and test director, she has been involved in the entertainment industry for most of her life.”
and ends:
“Since retiring several years ago she has spent her time as a drama coach and acting teacher at her Actor’s Workshop in Malibu.”
January 12th, 2017 at 7:56 pm
I’ve always been a huge fan of Robert Lansing, mainly from seeing him as Gary Seven on Star Trek and many years later in Twelve O’Clock High thanks to METV. I only saw the first episode of The Man Who Never Was, but I thought it was great. It’s a shame that the series was never released on DVD.
September 21st, 2017 at 1:48 am
This is what happens when you’re up late with nothing to do:
I just found out the real reason (one of them, anyway) that Robert Lansing was switched from a Western (April Savage) to a spy show (The Man Who Never Was).
It seems that TMWNW‘s original pilot had a different star actor, to whom ABC’s designated sponsor took a dislike, leading to Lansing’s last-minute hiring.
There was a Canadian actor named Donald Harron, who had racked up numerous credits on US TV during the ’60s; he was John Newland’s first choice for the dual-role lead.
As Harron tells the story in a memoir, the Man Who pilot, which was supposed to be an hour show, was filmed in Germany, as the whole series was slated to be.
Dana Wynter was the wife of the dead guy, but in Harron’s pilot, the brother was Donald Sutherland, who was still at the starting gate.
Anyway, Newland’s pilot was made in Munich, and then everybody went home to wait for news of the sale.
Meanwhile, ABC passed on Savage, as above, but still had Robert Lansing on hold –
– and then an attached sponsor didn’t like Donald Harron –
– and ABC told Newland that Man Who was a sale if Lansing was subbed for Harron (which resulted in Sutherland’s part being recast with Alex Davion) …
… and there you are.
My source is My Double Life, the aforementioned memoir by Don Harron, who went on to become one of Canada’s most popular TV comedy stars.
The “Double” refers to his character “Charlie Farquharson”, a grizzled Canadian backwoodsman, which he ultimately brought to US TV as a regular cast member of Hee Haw! (Yes, really …)
Hello RSS …
September 25th, 2017 at 10:16 am
Mike, Mac hates RSS and occasionally takes it away. I am temporary without it, but Steve came to our rescue. Thanks, Steve.
Interesting news about Lansing. As I understand it April Savage was on the schedule but Sam Rolfe the creator and producer got mad over something and quit. ABC dropped April and found another place for Lansing who they liked. Your news completes the story.
As a Rolfe fan I have been able to see much of his work – some great (DELPHI BUREAU), some bad (KILLJOY) – but LONG HUNT FOR APRIL SAVAGE remains near the top of my wish list to find.