One of My Wives Is Missing
One of My Wives Is Missing is a television thriller (ABC, 1976) with Jack Klugman, Elizabeth Ashley, James Franciscus, Joel Fabiani, and others. The teleplay was based on the 1960s stageplay Trap for a Single Man.[1] The play also inspired two other television films, Honeymoon with a Stranger and Vanishing Act. The French play itself is based on two Indian films, Sesh Anka and Puthiya Paravai, which are loosely inspired by the British classic Chase a Crooked Shadow.
| One of My Wives Is Missing | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Thriller |
| Written by | Peter Stone (teleplay) (as Pierre Marton) Robert Thomas (stage play "Trap for a Single Man") |
| Directed by | Glenn Jordan |
| Starring | Jack Klugman Elizabeth Ashley James Franciscus |
| Music by | Billy Goldenberg |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Leonard Goldberg Aaron Spelling |
| Producers | Barney Rosenzweig Shelley Hull (associate producer) |
| Production locations | Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California |
| Cinematography | Archie R. Dalzell |
| Editor | Aaron Stell |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Production company | Spelling-Goldberg Productions |
| Distributor | Sony Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release |
|
Cast
- Jack Klugman - Inspector Levine
- Elizabeth Ashley - Elizabeth Corban
- James Franciscus - Daniel Corban
- Joel Fabiani - Father Kelleher
- Milton Selzer - Sidney Bernstein
- Ruth McDevitt - Rebecca Foster
- Garry Walberg - Officer Foley
- Tony Costello - Bert
- Byron Webster - Manager
Story
Daniel Corban (James Franciscus) reports his wife missing, yet the local police in the sleepy village isn't too concerned. Inspector Levine (Jack Klugman) reluctantly takes the time to listen to Corban's statement of how she drove off after they had a fight and hasn't returned since. He tells Corban that since she left on her own free will, there is nothing he can do, but she'll probably come back soon enough.
That evening Corban gets an unexpected visit from the local priest, Father Kelleher (Joel Fabiani). Apparently he is acting on behalf of Corban's wife, since he asks Corban if he would welcome her back with open arms if she wanted to come back. Whereupon Corban replies, of course, the fight they had was ultimately meaningless, he loves her. Right on cue, Elizabeth (Elizabeth Ashley) enters - and the story could be over, but really this is only the beginning, since Corban declares in front of the astonished priest that this is not his wife!
An even more astonished Inspector Levine appears shortly after, having been called by Corban. He wonders, "how come that a woman fitting the description of Corban's wife, who came back in a car fitting the description of her car, is not recognized as said wife by her husband?" Corban doesn't have an answer to that, but keeps insisting that she is not his wife. While she insists that not only is she his wife, he is out of his mind and in serious need of help. Now Levine, reluctant as he may be, has to put some effort into the case and figure out the truth behind what is going on. That takes the entire rest of the movie, leading through numerous plot twists, and keeps the viewer in suspense until the very end.
Nominations and awards
The movie was nominated for an "Edgar" for "Best Television Feature or Miniseries" in 1977.[2]