THE NAME OF THE GAME IS KILL

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS KILL (1968). Director: Gunnar Hellstrom.

A Hungarian named Symcha Lipa (Jack Lord) comes to a sleepy desert town and encounters a strange woman (T. C. Jones) and her three daughters, Nan (Tisha Sterling of Betrayal), Diz (Collin Wilcox Paxton), and Mickey (Susan Strasberg), all of whom seem to be keeping secrets. Symcha and Mickey seem to fall in love, but will they get the chance to get out of town and start a new life? The dialogue in Gary Crutcher's screenplay isn't bad, but this is one of those weird "psycho-thrillers" (another with an obvious nod to Psycho) that may have you scratching your head at the end trying to figure out the motivations of the demented characters. The acting is decent -- Lord and Paxton are fine, with Strasberg, and especially Sterling taking top honors. Mort Mills is as professional as ever as the sheriff, but Marc Desmond is poor as the doctor; he had few succeeding credits. T.C. Jones isn't bad either, although many will prefer his Alfred Hitchcock Hour vehicle "An Unlocked Window." Strasberg starred in the more memorable thriller Scream of Fear.

Verdict: This isn't terrible, just half-baked. **1/2. 

BETRAYAL

Amanda Blake

BETRAYAL (1974 telefilm.) Director: Gordon Hessler. 

Gretchen (Tihsa Sterling of The Name of the Game is Kill) makes a living as a companion to older ladies with money, and then robs them with the help of her abusive boyfriend, Jay (Sam Groom), who winds up murdering their latest victim. Gretchen next sets her sights on Helen Mercer (Amanda Blake), who is not quite as helpless as Gretchen might like, and certainly doesn't need her help with her finances. Pretending to be Gretchen's formerly estranged husband, Jay moves in as the two women bond. Gretchen just wants to live a normal life and leave Helen in peace, but Jay has no intention of walking away from a big score.

Tisha Sterling

Betrayal is a fairly standard telefilm that has a couple of twists and holds the attention. The performances are okay. Tisha Sterling is the daughter of Ann Sothern and Robert Sterling -- she's not a bad actress, she's just not very distinctive in this. A major cast surprise is that Helen's male friend who wants to marry her is played by an unrecognizable Dick Haymes, actor, singer and former husband of Rita Hayworth; he's fine. Sam Groom is also capable as the rather slimy Jay. The movie actually has an interesting plot but the execution is mediocre. At times this almost plays like a love story between Helen and Gretchen, and the ending is very satisfying. 

Verdict: Okay TV time-passer with some interesting elements. **1/4.