The Todd Killings (1971)Based on the true story of '60s thrill-killer Charles Schmidt ("The Pied Piper of Tucson"), Skipper Todd (Robert F. Lyons) is a charismatic 23-year old who charms his way into the lives of ... See full summary » Director:Barry Shear |
|
| 0Share... |
Share this Rating
Title: The Todd Killings (1971)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Robert F. Lyons | ... |
Skipper Todd
|
|
| Richard Thomas | ... |
Billy Roy
|
|
| Belinda Montgomery | ... |
Roberta
|
|
| Sherry Miles | ... |
Amata
|
|
 |
Joyce Ames | ... |
Haddie
|
|
|
Holly Near | ... |
Norma
|
| James Broderick | ... |
Sam Goodwin
|
|
| Gloria Grahame | ... |
Mrs. Roy
|
|
| Fay Spain | ... |
Mrs. Mack
|
|
| Edward Asner | ... |
Fred Reardon
|
|
| Barbara Bel Geddes | ... |
Mrs. Todd
|
|
|
|
Michael Conrad | ... |
Detective Shaw
|
| Frank Webb |
|
||
| William Lucking |
|
||
|
|
Sandy Brown Wyeth |
|
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
Based on the true story of '60s thrill-killer Charles Schmidt ("The Pied Piper of Tucson"), Skipper Todd (Robert F. Lyons) is a charismatic 23-year old who charms his way into the lives of high school kids in a small California town. Girls find him attractive and are only too willing to accompany him to a nearby desert area to be his "girl for the night." Not all of them return, however. Featuring Richard Thomas as his loyal hanger-on and a colorful assortment of familiar actors in vivid character roles including Barbara Bel Geddes, Gloria Grahame, Edward Asner, Fay Spain, James Broderick and Michael Conrad. Written by alfiehitchie
Taglines:
Another Kill. Another Thrill. See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 August 1972 (Finland) See more »Also Known As:
A Dangerous Friend See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Skipper Todd: I try not to. But sometimes there's a guy who's really sweet... it's so easy. We're both men... we both know where it's at. Personally, you not giving anything away.
Police Officer: What's your feeling's towards girls?
Skipper Todd: I can sleep with them once because it degrades them. It makes them dirty. The worst thing about it is... you meet a chick who isn't... bad. You can't screw her because you don't want to make her "dirty".
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Inspired by real-life 1965 murders orchestrated by Charles Schmid, so-called "Pied Piper of Tucson," a charismatic young Southern Arizona homicidal maniac whose crimes (involving teen followers and victims) roughly paralleled those later perpetrated by teen guru/killer Charles Manson. See more »Quotes
Police Officer: Do you have relations with men?Skipper Todd: I try not to. But sometimes there's a guy who's really sweet... it's so easy. We're both men... we both know where it's at. Personally, you not giving anything away.
Police Officer: What's your feeling's towards girls?
Skipper Todd: I can sleep with them once because it degrades them. It makes them dirty. The worst thing about it is... you meet a chick who isn't... bad. You can't screw her because you don't want to make her "dirty".
See more »
This is an interesting little time capsule from the early 1970's. I watched it because the video box claimed it was similar to River's Edge (1987), one of my favorite movies. It turned out to be the fictionalized story of a real-life serial killer nicknamed the "Pied Piper of Tucson" who partially inspired the famous Joyce Carol Oates short story "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" (which in turn inspired the movie Smooth Talk with Laura Dern and Treat Williams). While it is a long way from being a classic, it does capture the restlessness and malaise of the period, and like River's Edge is a pretty honest, if extreme, story of wayward youth. As other reviews have noted, the movie contains some surprising nude scenes, especially considering the female lead looks to be pretty underage. (I wouldn't be surprised if these scenes were trimmed when the movie went to video since times are a little less permissive than they used to be). The characters are pretty good, although the Skipper Todd character doesn't really seem to be too much of a genius when he dumb says things like, "But wasn't Herman Melville a fag?", and Robert Lyon doesn't really have the charisma to play a young Charlie Manson type. Still it's nice to see a movie that despite its extreme subject matter honestly portrays the period, and it wasn't all that idealized peace and love crap some aging Baby Boomers would have you believe.