"Cimarron Strip" Knife in the Darkness (1968)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Charles R. Rondeau

Writers:

Christopher Knopf (developer)
Harlan Ellison (written by)

TV Series:

"Cimarron Strip" (1967)

Original Air Date:

25 January 1968 (Season 1, Episode 18)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Marshal Crown, during the course of an hauntingly foggy night, hunts for a killer who is butchering his victims...

Plot Keywords:

Jack The Ripper | Marshal | 1880s

Cast

Stuart Whitman	...	Marshal Jim Crown
Percy Herbert	...	Angus MacGregor
Randy Boone	...	Francis Wilde
Jill Townsend	...	Dulcey Coopersmith
Jennifer Billingsley	...	Josie
David Canary	...	Tal St. James
Philip Carey	...	Kallman
Jeanne Cooper	...	Pony Janr
Patrick Horgan	...	Tipton
George Murdock	...	Bladgey
Victoria Shaw	...	Maddie Lennart
Tom Skerritt	...	Enoch Shelton
Ron Soble	...	Shadow Feller
Karl Swenson	...	Dr. Kihlgren
Don Hanmer	...	Peddigrew

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Stuart Whitman Enterprises

Quotes:

Marshal Jim Crown: You make a strong point with a knife.
Kallman: The product of a misspent youth, Mister.

Jack the Ripper Goes West!

Two things make this episode a standout: a fine script by Harlan Ellison, and a great original Bernard Herrmann score that's perfectly suited to the grim and creepy subject matter.

It's been three months since Saucy Jack's last escapade in London, and one foggy night in Cimarron, the body of a girl from the local bordello "Pony Jane's" is found, bearing all the gory earmarks of an encounter with the Ripper. When shortly afterward an old flame becomes the next victim, Marshall Jim Crown (Stuart Whitman) comes to the reluctant realization that he must try to do what all the resources of Scotland Yard couldn't: bring history's most mysterious and infamous serial killer to justice.

There's some hokey dialogue, and the low budget occasionally works against the story's premise (i.e. that with so many rootless people passing through this frontier town, it's not so easy to pick out one suspicious stranger). Still and all, the entire story (except for the epilogue) takes place at night, and the director makes fairly effective use of the spooky atmosphere.

For Ripper afficianados, Ellison put some nice touches in his script, including a taunting letter from Jack to the Marshall that reads quite authentically when compared to the real thing. There's an original twist involving the true identity of the Ripper, and the fate he meets at the end of the episode is highly appropriate.

Plus, the original Bernard Herrmann score is a treat, very effective and well-matched to the somber mood of this (mostly) convincing little nightmare.

So why did I give this only a 7 out of 10? Primarily because of the budget limitations, as well as Whitman's shortcomings as an actor. However, the actor playing the Ripper is quite good, very convincing when he finally reveals his true self.