The Deliberate Stranger
The Deliberate Stranger | |
---|---|
Genre |
|
Based on | The Deliberate Stranger by Richard W. Larsen |
Screenplay by | Hesper Anderson |
Directed by | Marvin J. Chomsky |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Gil Mellé |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Malcolm Stuart |
Producer | Marvin J. Chomsky |
Cinematography | Michael D. Margulies |
Editors |
|
Running time | 188 minutes |
Production companies | Stuart Phoenix Productions Lorimar-Telepictures |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | May 4, 1986 | May 5, 1986
The Deliberate Stranger is a book about American
Book
Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger was written by
Larsen would go on to cover the "Ted" murders in 1974, when Bundy was first identified as a suspect in Seattle area homicides, and then cover the Ted Bundy story up until Bundy's execution in 1989. Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger was published in paperback in editions as late as 1990 but has since gone out of print.
Television miniseries
The Deliberate Stranger was adapted into a two-part
The film omits Bundy's childhood, early life, and first six known victims (five murders and the first victim who survived), picking up the story with the murder of Georgann Hawkins and following Bundy's further crimes in
Cast
- Mark Harmon as Ted Bundy
- Frederic Forrest as Detective Bob Keppel
- George Grizzard as Richard Larsen
- Ben Masters as Detective Mike Fisher
- Glynnis O'Connor as Cas Richter
- M. Emmet Walsh as Detective Sam Davies
- John Ashton as Detective Roger Dunn
- Bonnie Bartlett as Louise Bundy
- Billy "Green" Bushas Officer Bradley
- Frederick Coffin as Jerry Thompson
- Deborah Goodrich as Martha Chambers
- Lawrence Pressman as Ken Wolverton
- Macon McCalman as Larsen's Editor
- Jeannetta Arnette as Barbara
- William Boyett as Aspen Detective
- Harry Northup as Tom Hargreaves
Broadcast technical difficulties
During the second part's broadcast, a few NBC affiliates (including
Reception
Bundy's lawyer Polly Nelson, in her book Defending the Devil, characterized the film as "stunningly accurate" and said it did not portray anything that was not proven to be factual. She singled out praise for Harmon's portrayal of Bundy, noting how Harmon reproduced Bundy's rigid posture and suspicious expression.[5] According to Nelson, her client, still on death row when the program aired, showed no interest in seeing the film.[6]
According to The New York Times, the two shows ranked seventeenth and sixth in the Nielsen ratings.[9] Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times described it as "taut, suspenseful, scary".[10]
References
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (May 2, 1986). "TV WEEKEND; NETWORKS INTRODUCING NEW SHOWS". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- ISBN 9781423605874.
- ^ "KPRC issued technical difficulties during second part". May 5, 1986. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ "WPXI issued technical difficulties during second part". May 5, 1986. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Nelson 1994, p. 68.
- ^ Nelson 1994, p. 66.
- ^ Rule 2000, p. 482.
- Lakeland Ledger.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (October 7, 1986). "2 MINI-SERIES TO LOOK AT SAME KILLING". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- ^ Rosenberg, Howard (May 3, 1986). "Weekend Tv : 'Stranger': Cold Look at a Killer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- Larsen, Richard W. (1980). Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger. ISBN 0-13-089185-1.
- Nelson, Polly (1994). ISBN 0688108237.
- Rule, Ann (2000). The Stranger Beside Me. Thorndike Press. ISBN 978-0-393-05029-5
External links
- The Deliberate Stranger at IMDb