Bing Crosby as a charming serial killer? This forgotten TV gem will ruin your nostalgia.
A young doctor returns to his New England home town after a long absence. He visits with the town's kindly old physician, Dr. Cook, a man he has admired since childhood. However, he soon finds out that the old doctor isn't quite what he seems to be, and the young doctor finds his life in danger.
Acting
Bing Crosby's career-against-type performance is genuinely chilling.
Direction
Ted Post builds dread through mundane small-town pleasantries.
Writing
Tight 75-minute moral thriller, no fat, all unease.
Director
Ted Post
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bing Crosby chose this role specifically to break his wholesome image; he reportedly loved making audiences uncomfortable.
This 1971 TV movie prefigured the 'angel of death' killer trope years before it became a true-crime staple, with Cook's justification mirroring real debates about assisted suicide that intensified through the decade.
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