Crime Club (1975)

Crime Club was a two-hour TV movie that aired on CBS on April 3, 1975. In the movie, which was titled "The Last Key", an attorney (Lansing), an investigative reporter, and a detective set out to find out who is behind a series of ice-pick murders. The movie was intended to be a pilot for a new TV series starring RL, Scott Thomas, and Eugene Roche, but it was never picked up by the network.

Crime Club was also the name of another pilot that aired in 1973. It had a different writer and producer, but was based on the same premise -- public and private individuals banding together to solve crimes. The earlier version starred Lloyd Bridges, Victor Buono, Paul Burke, William Devane, David Hedison, and Cloris Leachman. It, too, was never picked up by the networks as a series.

The 1975 version of Crime Club has never been released on VHS or DVD, but I do have a copy of it in my personal collection. You can contact me for more information if you are interested in obtaining a copy.

To the left is a publicity shot of Lansing as Alex Norton, the attorney he played in the movie.

CAST:

Scott Thomas... John "Jake" Keesey

Eugene Roche... Daniel Lawrence

Robert Lansing... Alex Norton

Biff McGuire... Byron Craine

Barbara Rhoades... Angela Swoboda

Michael Cristofer... Frank Swoboda

David Clennon... Peter Karpf

Martine Beswick... Dr. Sonia Schroeder

M. Emmet Walsh... Lieutenant Jack Doyle

Kathleen Beller... Pam Agostino

Jenifer Shaw... Mary Jo Karp

Carl Gottlieb... Jorge Gamos

Regis Cordic... Judge Jack Dowd

Rosanna Huffman... Martha

Dolores Quinton... Gloria

Erica Yohn... Pam's mother

John Durren... Philip Considine

Jerome Guardino... Pam's father

Robert Burton... Gordon Dent

Jack Durren

Dianne Harper

PRODUCTION:

Produced by... Matthew Rapf (executive producer) and James McAdams (producer)

Directed by... Jeannot Szwarc

Written by... Gene R. Kearney

Original Music... Gil Melle

Cinematographer... Gayne Rescher

Film Editors... Jim Benson; Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.

Art Director... Peter Wooley

NOTES:

--James McAdams, the producer, also was the executive producer of The Equalizer.

--Jeannot Szwarc, who was born in Paris, France, has directed many television series, including most recently JAG, Providence, and CSI: Miami.

--After a brief acting career, Michael Cristofer turned to screenwriting and won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for his Broadway play "The Shadow Box".

--David Clennon is currently appearing in the TV show The Agency as Joshua Nankin.

--Kathleen Beller was a regular on the prime time soap opera Dynasty in the role of Kirby Anders.

--Carl Gottlieb, who had a small role in this movie, wrote The Deadly Triangle, another TV movie in which RL appeared.