Zane Grey Theatre (TV Series) One Must Die (1961) User Reviews

The two faces of Joan

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 16 August 2015]

This teleplay is one of two appearances Joan Crawford made on the Zane Grey Theater. Clearly Crawford was exploring television, but a year later her and her arch rival Bette Davis would make comebacks of a sort in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane.

The main problem is that a half hour format was not sufficient time to develop the issues involved in this drama. Carl Benton Reid is a transplanted Yankee in post Civil War Texas and he owns a lot of holdings but keeps to himself. The town has viewed both his daughters, the prim and proper Sarah and the wild child Melanie, both played by Joan Crawford.

Reid is dying and he sends for Philip Carey from Boston, son of an old friend to draw up a will that disinherits the wild child. But of course Carey discovers he's got a multiple personality situation here.

The ending of this was rather lame, but the writers had only a limited time to develop the characters and situation. Crawford and her supporting cast do well, but the story has limitations.

Filled will predictable plot twists.

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 18 February 2024]

While this episode of "Zane Grey Theatre" stars Joan Crawford, it is a very poor one...mostly because of the writing. While there are several plot twists, what they are are so predictable and overused that they are cliches.

A lawyer is called to the home of a dying rich man who wants to have a new will. He plans on leaving everything to Sarah, though the lawyer is surprised because he's seen two identical twins living in the house, Sarah AND Melanie. What gives? And, more importantly, who doesn't see what's coming next?!

Joan Crawford was a very game actress who wasn't afraid to take on roles that were beneath her. This was certainly the case late in her career and this episode certainly is an example of this. She does try her best and in a campy way, her performance is fun to watch.

As for the plot, it's utterly ridiculous and lazy. I am shocked no one in charge questioned the script for this one!

"This Woman is Dangerous II"

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 3 July 2022]

It's a reunion for Joan Crawford and Phillip Carey who co-star together in the Warner Brothers 1952 film noir "This Woman is Dangerous", part of Dick Powell's spin-off show "Zane Grey Theater" from "Four Star Playhouse". Crawford is the daughter of the ailing Carlton Benton Reid, who has summoned Carey to write up his will. Writing one of his two daughters out of his will for reasons well known to her most likely.

Crawford, in a dual role (something she did not do on the big screen like contemporaries Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland), is good as one sister and that is the other, dressed almost like Barbara Stanwyck did on "The Big Valley" as the bad one and more conservative and dowdy as the good one. A lot of drama to cover in a half hour series with commercials. However, Crawford and Carey do what they can. Not enough time for camp, but definitely something that will be a great pleasure to Crawford fans. An abrupt ending is rather jarring with the predictable twist wrapped up unrealistically.

Joan Crawford awesome

[searchanddestroy-1 · 7/10 · 7 November 2018]

Yes, Joan Crawford was here given a role that seemed to have been prepared just for her. Not the same as the one she had previously in JOHNNY GUITARE, but at least a character which I could not even imagine another actress it could have been given to. But is it really a western? No, certainy not. It could have been a great Warner Bors film directed by the likes of Michael Curtiz, Vince Sherman or Curtis Bernhardt, film makers whom she was used to work with. But the ending is totally flat, silly, lousy.