If you really want to see a Hildegarde Withers film, I suggest you see one of the delightful Edna May Oliver films from the 1930s. They were fun and Oliver was just terrific as the snoopy lady. Here with "A Very Missing Person", ABC tried to revive the character...with less than stellar results.
When the film begins, Withers (Eve Arden) is recruited to help look for a missing heiress. She brings along a young guy unfortunately named 'Fister' to help her. The trail leads to a bunch of hippies, bohemians and religious cult members as well as a yacht where they all seem to congregate. Withers finds the missing lady...and at the same time finds the Captain of the yacht dead. Apparently someone poisoned him and Withers employs her flawless logic in exclaiming "poison is a woman's m.o.". And, since these amateur detectives are never wrong, you can only assume they'll eventually find a woman is behind the killing.
The biggest problem with the film, other than it NOT being Oliver in the lead, is that the picture tries way, way too hard to be hip with all the hippies and hippie references...most of which comes off as fake and silly. Imagine Pat Morita as a hippie! The only thing I actually liked about this one was the identity of the killer...that was interesting.
When the film begins, Withers (Eve Arden) is recruited to help look for a missing heiress. She brings along a young guy unfortunately named 'Fister' to help her. The trail leads to a bunch of hippies, bohemians and religious cult members as well as a yacht where they all seem to congregate. Withers finds the missing lady...and at the same time finds the Captain of the yacht dead. Apparently someone poisoned him and Withers employs her flawless logic in exclaiming "poison is a woman's m.o.". And, since these amateur detectives are never wrong, you can only assume they'll eventually find a woman is behind the killing.
The biggest problem with the film, other than it NOT being Oliver in the lead, is that the picture tries way, way too hard to be hip with all the hippies and hippie references...most of which comes off as fake and silly. Imagine Pat Morita as a hippie! The only thing I actually liked about this one was the identity of the killer...that was interesting.