Checkmate (TV Series) The Dark Divide (1960) User Reviews

The two faces of Barbara

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 24 February 2016]

Irene Tedrow a wealthy San Francisco dowager calls in The Checkmate team to explain some strange occurrences and to protect the life of her closest relative and heir Barbara Rush. It turns out to be one interesting assignment and one where two of the Checkmate team get concussions courtesy of their charge.

Barbara Rush dominates this Checkmate story with her performance as a woman with split personality. As Tedrow's mousy niece who's just frightened of life she's as good also as the wild child of her alter ego. As her alter ego Rush hangs out with a nasty criminal element and Checkmate has it's handful protecting her from herself.

Invading Joanne Woodward's territory here Rush should have gotten Emmy consideration for what she does here.

The plot is an old chestnut, but the performances are excellent

[shakspryn · 8/10 · 21 December 2022]

The plot is one that is very familiar to today's viewers, but back in 1960 it was more novel. I've started watching episodes of this series on the dvd set. This episode has Barbara Rush in a tour de force performance, which is reason enough to watch. The other thing I really liked about this one, is how it allowed Sebastian Cabot's character to show his warmth and humanity as a psychiatrist. He's very impressive, as are the other two main cast members. Doug McClure is so likeable! As with other episodes I've seen, this outing is much more thoughtful than most TV shows. It has that depth that some late 1950's and early 1960's series had, and which has been rarely seen since! The trio of leads work well together and there is a nice camaraderie. The emphasis in this episode, as in others of the series, is not on action; it' much more on character.