The Todd Killings (1971)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Barry Shear

Writers:

Dennis Murphy (writer)
Joel Oliansky (writer)

Release Date:

4 August 1972 (Finland)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Skipper Todd digs girls. It's his idea of killing time...

Plot:

Based on the true story of '60s thrill-killer Charles Schmidt ("The Pied Piper of Tucson"), Skipper Todd (Robert F...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Splatter | Teenkill | Death | Small Town

Cast

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

Also Known As:

A Dangerous Friend
Skipper

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1972) | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Australia:MA (cable rating)

Movie Connections:

References A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)

Brilliant...

Based loosely on real life killer, Charles Schmidt (sp?), the Pied Piper of Tucson, 'The Todd Killings' is a marvelous, underrated gem.

There is much to love about this movie. The cast are terrific. Most notable are the lead performances; Robert F. Lyons is truly outstanding, infusing his character with a giddy mix of indifference and charm. He manages to seduce the girls, impress the guys and squirm his way through a police interrogation with absolute ease.

Praise must go to the gorgeous Belinda Montgomery (Doogie Howser's mom). She looks thoroughly enticing and gives a soft, natural performance that looks like it was bathed in 70's sunshine.

Adding to the pleasure is the location shooting, making full use of what appears to be a small, sleepy Northern California town. One notable highlight being Skipper and Billy at a Jack in the Box restaurant - complete with an old-school JB clown logo and the menu displaying stupidly low prices (35 cents for a hamburger).

But this is no mere exploitation flick. The filmmakers have taken care with every detail and it shows. The relationship between Skipper and his Mom is perfectly addressed while she nobly attempts to defend him in the face of an angry mother accusing Skipper of hiding information on her daughter's whereabouts. Their two worlds are miles apart.

There is much to go on about here, but in the end, I simply can't recommend this film highly enough. This is the real deal.