User Reviews

In the 1960s, TV and movies rarely talked about serial killers-- though they are pretty common fair today. It seems that a murderer nicknamed by the press 'Georgie Porgy' is out murdering blondes-- especially those who have a particular 'cheap' look. He was apparently in Chicago and moved south...but now he's back in Chicago and doing what serial killers do best. Can the cops (led by Charles McGraw and Ted Knight) stop this maniac? And, how is this all complicated a missile convoy coming through town?

The look and feel for this episode is quite different from the other shows from "Kraft Suspense Theatre". Producer/director Robert Altman took the show on the road and filmed it on location--and it looks a lot more real than the usual episodes. It also was incredibly brutal--especially for 1960s television. Overall, it's a very tense and well done episode--and actually ages pretty well.

By the way, these shows were broadcast in color but the episode I found on YouTube was in black & white--and of very dubious quality. Also, it was funny to see that the killer was played by Philip Abbott--a guy who played a government agent for years on "The FBI"!

with my esteemed predecessor but this is one of Altman's most interesting films combining his industrial background and his use of cutting-edge technology (location filming with lenses and faster color film stock in this instance)and anticipating both the serial-killer phenomenon and such oddball affects as David Lynch's Blue Velvet. It's a weirdly creepy experience and covered more extensively on IMDb under it's other name: Nightmare In Chicago. I especially like the strip club scene and the scenes set in and around Chicago's freeways and the traveler's oasis where Georgie has a strange little conversation with a waitress right out of Ben's place. It's a gas man!

A very odd episode of the old Kraft TV show, with young director Robert Altman shooting almost completely on real locations (such as a diner and a highway toll plaza), resulting in a gritty feel with uncorrected sound. It plays more like a documentary than a drama, and employs many non-actors as extras. A serial killer is on the loose in Chicago and leads the bulls on a merry chase. Charles McGraw plays a gruff police captain always one step behind the maniac. I understand this was a pilot for a series that never was. Takes getting used to, and unfortunately, it goes on way too long. Rarely seen, which frankly is understandable. Altman is a Hollywood maverick most of whose films have never been seen by the majority of Americans. Actors, however, adore him. Go figure.