Wed 19 Sep 2012
A TV Movie Review: THE SNOOP SISTERS: “THE FEMALE INSTINCT” (1972).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV mysteries[13] Comments
THE SNOOP SISTERS: “THE FEMALE INSTINCT.†NBC. Pilot for TV series, 18 December 1972. Two hours. Helen Hayes (Ernesta Snoop), Mildred Natwick (Gwendolyn Snoop Nicholson), Paulette Godddard, Jill Clayburgh, Lawrence Pressman, Bill Dana, Kurt Kazner, Edward Platt, Craig Stevens, Fritz Weaver, Art Carney. Teleplay: Leonard Stern & Hugh Wheeler, based on a story by Leonard Stern, who also directed.
The series that followed this pilot episode began a year and day later, but as part of NBC’s Wednesday Mystery Movie, there were only four additional 90-minute episodes that ever aired. Other segments in the monthly rotation were Banacek, Tenafly, and Faraday and Company. Of these, the only one I remember watching on a regular basis was Banacek, which is also, I’m sure – without looking it up – the one that lasted the longest.
The entire season of The Snoop Sisters has been released on DVD, but this is the only one I’ve watched, so far. As a mystery, it is not very successful, but it was intended to be as much of a comedy as it was a detective series, and even at that, the pilot, at least, was not as funny as I think was intended. Amusing, yes, and enjoyable, but not out-and-out funny.
One thing I did not know before watching is that the Snoop Sisters were actually named Snoop, although Gwendolyn was widowed. The premise is that they are elderly and less than conventional in their approach to life, but still very sharp and far from dotty. Ernesta, as it happens, is a writer of detective novels, while her sister transcribes them and types them out.
Their nephew (Lawrence Pressman) is a lieutenant on the police force, which enables them to interfere (the right word, I think) in his cases. To keep them out of trouble (good luck with that) Lt. Ostrowski has assigned an ex-policeman named Barney (Art Carney) to chauffeur them around in an ancient Lincoln touring car.
You may have noticed Paulette Goddard’s name in the credits. This is the last time she ever appeared in either the movies or on TV. It’s a short role, unfortunately. She plays an old time movie actress who’s in the process of writing her memoirs, and “hot†is the understatement of the year if you had to describe them in only one word. And “dead†is the word that comes next, as there are any number of people who would do anything to keep the book from being published.
You may have also noticed Jill Clayburgh’s name in the credits. She was very young when she made this movie but also very beautiful, and you can tell from every moment she’s on the screen that she was going to be a star. (Hindsight, of course, is valuable, too, but I will stand on the previous statement as being 100% correct.)
The problem with so many suspects is that the writers of the screenplay (one of the them being half of the “Patrick Quentin†pen name) had a very easy task of it. Pick one out of a hat, and he’s it. There is a long scene in which explanations are made, but with it taking place with the two Snoop sisters in the back of their car during a long chase after the killer across one of New York City’s many bridges, it is very difficult to make out many of the details.
One nice touch is the use of some footage from The Ghost Breakers (1940), and one of the props in that film, to help solve the case. Paulette Goddard was a knockout then, but she still had a fine stage presence in this, her last appearance, as well, at the age of 62. It was good to see her again, one last time.
September 19th, 2012 at 2:13 pm
It is a lot easier to nitpick my own posts, but the show aired December 19, 1973.
The Wednesday Mystery Movie would move to Tuesday in January 1974. It would be cancelled that season, but reruns would return on CBS during late night programming when CBS was showing TV series reruns opposite Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.
This role won Mildred Natwick the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series. She beat out Helen Hayes (Snoop Sisters) and Lee Remick (Blue Knight).
September 19th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Re Paulette Goddard “hot”. She was, but is that what you mean or the character’s memoir?
September 19th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Michael
If no one picked the nits, we’d be up to our knees in nits.
I used the date from IMDB for the date of this pilot film, or 18 Dec 1972. Wikipedia says 16 Dec 1972. TV.com agrees with IMDB, so until you discover otherwise, I’ll stay with that.
But I certainly messed up the date that the series started. It wasn’t the next night, but a whole year later, plus a day: 19 Dec 1973. I’ll rewrite the first paragraph to reflect that.
It’s interesting about Mildred Natwick winning the Emmy. I wouldn’t have imagined that voters would go for a star of comedy-detective series, so good for her. I do wonder why she won rather than Helen Hayes, who had the stronger role of the two, if you were to ask me. Which nobody did, of course.
September 19th, 2012 at 5:45 pm
Barry
I left a word out. Here’s what I meant to say:
“She plays an old time movie actress who’s in the process of writing her memoirs, and ‘hot’ is the understatement of the year if you had to describe THEM in only one word.”
I’ll make the change, but your interpretation would have worked too.
September 19th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
I am not having a good day for accuracy (see other reviews comments). You do have the right date for the TV Movie. I am going to shut up now…at least until tomorrow.
September 20th, 2012 at 6:29 am
I remember watching some of this series when it first came out. And agree with Steve’s comments: it was not anywhere as good as it could have been.
It sure had a great cast!
The local library has the DVD’s. Maybe a second look is in order…
September 20th, 2012 at 7:35 am
Of the other segments of this particular grouping (wheel) of Wednesday Mystery Movies, only BANACEK has also been released on DVD. I’d like to see TENAFLY and FARADAY AND COMPANY officially released also.
TENAFLY starred James McEachin as a black PI named Harry Tenafly. Even though it was created by Levinson and Link, it also lasted only five episodes, including the pilot.
FARADAY AND COMPANY starred Dan Dailey (Frank Faraday) and James Naughton (Steve Faraday) as a father and son running a PI agency, with Sharon Gless assisting. It ran for four episodes.
By some kind of coincidence that happens only in the real world, Tuesday on Elizabeth Foxwell’s blog, she covered a movie called Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate, starring “Helen Hayes, Myrna Loy, Mildred Natwick, and Sylvia Sidney as elderly women who create an alluring, fictitious dating profile as a joke and reap sinister results. Prescient in terms of today’s concerns with online safety, it was the precursor to the Snoop Sisters TV series.”
http://elizabethfoxwell.blogspot.com/2012/09/donotfold-disney.html
Helen Hayes and Mildred Natwick didn’t play the same characters, but they must have had a good time playing their roles together. I’ll have to see if this earlier TV movie is available anywhere.
September 20th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
I have often wondered why so many amateur detectives are writers of mystery novels. MURDER SHE WROTE, STONE, OVER MY DEAD BODY, ELLERY QUEEN, etc all feature a mystery writer as someone who gets involved with real crimes.
September 20th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Off the top of my head, the reason might be this: If you as an author want to write a detective novel using an amateur as your main character — someone other than a policeman or a private eye –who but a mystery writer might know enough about solving a crime than a writer of detective fiction? It’s sure a lot more reasonable than having your main character being the owner of a fudge factory or a yarn shop.
And I’m sure there’s a longer list than the one you have so far, Michael. There’s probably even a list somewhere on the Internet. I don’t have time to look for one now, so if anyone reading this has some time on your hands, let us know what you find on Google.
September 20th, 2012 at 6:21 pm
I always felt SNOOP SISTERS laid it on too thick. Here was two stereotypical little old ladies who one just happened to be a best selling mystery writer who both just happened to be related to a cop. Each step made it harder and harder to accept the premise. They were too cute for their own good.
September 20th, 2012 at 9:09 pm
Re comment #8: I haven’t been able to find the right search terms to use on Google to be of any help. “fictional detectives who are mystery writers themselves” doesn’t work, nor any break-up pieces of the phrase. I’m sure I’ve seen a list of such detectives before, but I don’t remember where. I must be getting old. At one time, I’d have had such a list at my fingertips.
September 26th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Very fun review, Steve! I’ve been curious about this show, as I enjoy a lot of early to mid 70s detective shows and quite enjoy most of the MYSTERY MOVIE programs I’ve seen. BANACEK is good fun, light and breezy. THE SNOOP SISTERS sounds in a similar vein, and the casting sounds great. Pity there are only 5 stories in the DVD set, not a lot of bang for the buck (over $30 on Amazon right now).
September 26th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
BANACEK was and still is a long-time favorite in this house, too. No argument there. You’re right about the SNOOP SISTERS set being pricey, but it consists of three disks, if that helps justify the cost. The pilot was probably two hours long, before commercials, and the other four episodes 90 minutes each.
Or of course you could wait a few months. It won’t be a big seller and my guess is that Amazon will lower the price as time goes on.