The Underground Man (TV Movie 1974) Poster

(1974 TV Movie)

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2/10
Peter Graves deserved better than this...
newslogger444 August 2022
The plot for this pilot film of a potential but unrealized series was confusing, overly rushed, and included the tired, done-to-death, snarling supervisor cop (in this case sheriff played by Jack Klugman) who, despite contributing virtually nothing to identify valuable clues himself, constantly complains about the techniques of "renegade" private eye (Peter Graves), while in the end grudgingly acknowledging Graves' success in identifying the real perpetrators and resolving the crimes.

Gee, thanks for nothing, Jack! Get off my back! How about a little confidence and congratulating me for once? Hopefully, Klugman's annoyingly combative role would have been excluded entirely from the series, had it materialized.

In addition, the other players in the plot seemed too cartoonish to be believable and how each scene merged way too conveniently for the "suspension of disbelief" viewers most viewers would surely have groaned about.

Peter Graves deserved much better than this following his earlier role as Mr. Phelps on the brilliant, original Mission Impossible television series.
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4/10
A plot as twisted as the roads surrounding this odd family.
mark.waltz19 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The wealthy Celeste Holm and her housekeeper Judith Anderson are the keepers of many secrets in this weird mystery thriller that after a while isn't so thrilling. Detective Peter Graves becomes entrenched in a very weird old mystery that involves his girlfriend Jo Anne Pflug's son, kidnapped by her ex-husband (Holm's son), and the discovery of several old unsolved murders surrounding Holm's family. A mysterious photo gives some clues, so Graves and brash police sergeant Jack Klugman begin investigating, although Klugman isn't the greatest partner, especially when he seems to know more than he's telling.

I was drawn in by the awesome cast, but the storyline just gets odder and odder, involving mental illness, attempted suicide, kidnapping and police corruption, not very well written. Vera Miles, Sharon Farrell, Kay Lenz, Jim Hutton and Bill McKinney round out the ensemble, just adding to the confusion. Anderson and Holm are the most interesting (with Anderson along with Klugman getting special guest star billing), and Miles does add elegance to the mediocrity when she finally appears. Perhaps this was trying too hard to come off as complex where the results are just messy.
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