The Norliss Tapes
| The Norliss Tapes | |
|---|---|
 DVD artwork | |
| Written by | William F. Nolan |
| Story by | Fred Mustard Stewart |
| Directed by | Dan Curtis |
| Starring | Roy Thinnes Angie Dickinson Don Porter |
| Music by | Bob Cobert (credited as Robert Cobert) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Cinematography | Ben Colman |
| Running time | 72 minutes |
| Production company | NBC |
| Original release | |
| Release |
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The Norliss Tapes is a 1973 American television horror film directed by Dan Curtis and starring Roy Thinnes and Angie Dickinson. The film was originally produced by NBC as a pilot for a television series which was ultimately not produced.[1] The film premiered as a standalone movie on NBC Networks on February 21, 1973.
Cast
- Roy Thinnes as David Norliss
- Angie Dickinson as Ellen Sterns Cort
- Don Porter as Stanford T. Evans
- Claude Akins Sherriff Tom Hartley
- Michele Carey as Marsha Sterns
- Vonetta McGee as Mademoiselle Jeckiel
- Hurd Hatfield as Charles Langdon
- Bryan O'Byrne as Mr. Dobkins
- Robert Mandan as George Rosen
- Ed Gilbert as Sid Phelps
- Jane Dulo as Sarah Dobbins
- Stanley Adams as Truck Driver
- Bob Schott as Sargoth
- George DiCenzo as Man in Langdon Gallery
- Patrick Wright as Larry Mather
- Nick Dimitri as James Cort
Production
Originally written under the working title Demon,[2] The Norliss Tapes was adapted from a story by Fred Mustard Stewart; writer William Nolan said that he took Stewart's basic premise of a "walking dead man" and adapted it into a teleplay that was mostly made up of his own ideas.[3]
The pilot was shot in San Francisco and Monterey, California.
Release
The film premiered on February 21, 1973.
Critical reception
Variety said: "Curtis directed the film with an eye to tension, and that he manages. The idea behind Nolan's script has validity, with its open dependency on the supernatural. The basic thrust, to scare, is what counts, and there Nolan, Curtis, Thinnes, and company succeed.[2] The Hollywood Reporter also praised the film, calling it: "a lot of fun, with a new twist on the old vampire story."[2]
References
- ^ "The Norliss Tapes". TV Guide. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ a b c Thompson 2009, p. 130.
- ^ Thompson 2009, p. 128.
Bibliography
- Thompson, Jeff (2009). The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis: Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker and Other Productions, 1966-2006. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-78643-693-4.