Primetime Panic 2 (1977/81/84)
From 1977-1984, producer Michael Jaffe turned out a series of hard-hitting and topical primetime television movies. First working within his father Henry’s production company, the younger Jaffe has gone on to produce well over 100 TV movies, series and mini-series, in addition to popular feature films such as Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer. This collection includes three made-for-television films from Michael Jaffe’s early career: The Death of Richie, Incident at Crestridge and The Seduction of Gina. Each film has been restored from the best surviving 35mm or 16mm elements and is presented in both 4:3 and widescreen aspect ratios.
In the searing, fact-based drama The Death of Richie (1977), Robby Benson (Jeremy and One on One) stars in the title role as a teen spiraling into drug addiction and clashing with his father (Ben Gazzara, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and They All Laughed), who is desperate to set his son straight. The sobering material is sensitively handled by veteran director Paul Wendkos (The Mephisto Waltz and Gidget) and a talented cast that includes Eileen Brennan (Private Benjamin), Lance Kerwin (Salem’s Lot), Clint Howard (Rock ‘n’ Roll High School), Charles Fleischer (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Barry Miller (Fame), John Friedrich (The Wanderers) and Cindy Eilbacher (Bad Ronald).
A newcomer in a corrupt Wyoming town (Eileen Brennan, The Last Picture Show and Clue) runs for sheriff and takes on the crooked mayor (Pernell Roberts, Bonanza and Trapper John, M.D.) and his goons in Incident at Crestridge (1981). A modern Western that evokes High Noon, the film reflects the changing times by having a “lady with a badge” as its hero. Inspired by a true story, it is directed by Jud Taylor (Star Trek and The Great Escape II) and co-stars Sandy McPeak (Ode to Billy Joe), Bruce Davison (Last Summer) and Cliff Osmond (The Fortune Cookie).
Playing against type, Valerie Bertinelli (One Day at a Time and Silent Witness) is wholly convincing as a college student who succumbs to a gambling obsession that empties her bank accounts and pushes her young marriage to the brink in The Seduction of Gina (1984). This chilling, ripped-from-the-headlines tale is directed by Jerrold Freedman (Kansas City Bomber and Borderline) and co-stars Michael Brandon (Four Flies on Grey Velvet), Ed Lauter (The Longest Yard), Frederic Lehne (Ordinary People) and Dinah Manoff (Grease). It boasts cinematography by Tak Fujimoto (Badlands) and original music by Eddie Van Halen and Thomas Newman (The Player).
Directed by: Paul Wendkos, Jud Taylor, Jerrold Freedman
Starring: Ben Gazzara, Robby Benson, Eileen Brennan, Pernell Roberts, Sandy McPeak, Bruce Davison, Valerie Bertinelli, Michael Brandon, Fredric Lehne, Ed Lauter
1977,81,84 / 283 min (combined) / 1.78:1, 1.33:1 / English Mono
