By Erin Free
In this regular column, we drag forgotten made-for-TV movies out of the vault and into the light. This week: the gripping 1974 drama Strange Homecoming, starring Glen Campbell, Robert Culp, Barbara Anderson, Leif Garrett and Whitney Blake.
Like many legendary country singers, the late, great Glen Campbell also pulled a little side hustle as an actor. And just like fellow travellers such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton and others, he acquitted himself quite well, but never truly fully immersed himself in the acting profession like, say, Kris Kristofferson or Tim McGraw.
Campbell – who passed away in 2017 – will always be best remembered for his supporting performance in the classic John Wayne 1969 western True Grit, but he made a few other movies too, most notably 1967’s supremely swingin’ The Cool Ones and 1970’s largely forgotten Norwood, the story of a Vietnam veteran charting a new course, and based on a novel by True Grit master Charles Portis.
In amongst a few guest appearances, minor roles, and as-himself TV shots, Glen Campbell also appeared in an excellent 1974 telemovie called Strange Homecoming. Though goofily billed (in that very distinctive 1970s telemovie manner) as a “special guest star”, this is very much a dual lead, in which Campbell goes enjoyably toe-to-toe with TV veteran and scene stealer of note Robert Culp. Both charismatic and commanding in their own distinct ways, Campbell and Culp enjoy a great chemistry, and this nicely tailored telemovie gives them both plenty to do.
Glen Campbell is Sheriff Bill Halsey, chief lawman in a small, quiet American town. He’s happily married to the quietly supportive Elaine (Barbara Anderson), and his two loving kids in Bobby (future teen idol Leif Garrett) and Sandy (Tara Talboy). He also has a much-loved older brother in the worldly, confident Jack (Robert Culp), who is back in town for the first time in seventeen years for a family visit. Funny, cocky, and effortlessly macho, Jack was a high school bigshot before leaving town to chase his dreams, and everyone falls under his sway upon his return.
Via a chilling pre-credits sequence, however, the audience knows that Jack is actually a prolific cat burglar and jewel thief who has just murdered a woman when she awoke to find him rifling through her gem-and-diamond drawers. Jack is basically hiding out in his home town while he waits for things to cool down, and he passes his time by ribbing his younger brother, dispensing not-always-helpful uncle’s advice to his kids (“What are ya, a sissy?” he sneers at Leif Garrett while the pair play football) and romancing old flame Peggy Harwood (Whitney Blake).
The arrogant but incessantly charming Jack seems to have it all, but he makes one big mistake: he under-estimates both his lawman brother’s intelligence and his sense of civic duty. Sheriff Bill Halsey is an unassuming nice guy, but after a few police reports cross his desk, and some of his brother’s errant behaviour starts to pique his interest, the smalltown lawman opens up a proper investigation (assisted by Deputy Earl Gates, played by, of all people, minor cult star Gerritt Graham!), setting the scene for a brother-against-brother denouement.
Tightly directed by TV movie veteran Lee H. Katzin (who also directed a few interesting features, including Steve McQueen’s Le Mans and the post-apocalyptic thriller World Gone Wild starring Michael Pare and Adam Ant) and well written by fellow TV vets Eric Bercovici and Jerry Ludwig, Strange Homecoming is quietly, curiously gripping. Revealing Culp immediately as a killer and thief actually doses the piece with even greater suspense, as the audience is never quite sure just how amoral and dangerous he truly is, and how much danger Sheriff Halsey and his family are actually in.
Though a slow-burn, Katzin punctuates Strange Homecoming with welcome moments of action and excitement (bad boy Jack shows off his impressive moves in an excellently staged bar fight, while a dirt-bike racing sequence further juices proceedings) that really keep things percolating nicely. And at just 70 minutes or so, this superior telemovie certainly never outstays its welcome, while its smalltown setting provides a nostalgically bucolic vibe that belies the danger to come.
But Strange Homecoming is really a film about the performances, and Glen Campbell and Robert Culp are both excellent as two very different brothers on a compelling Caine-&-Abel style trajectory that reaps great rewards for the audience.
Availability: Strange Homecoming is a little tricky to find online, and unfortunately, it’s not in great shape, but it’s definitely watchable.
If you enjoyed this review, check out our other vintage telemovies The Possessed, Memorial Day, That Certain Summer, Elvis And The Beauty Queen, Scandal In A Small Town, Victims For Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story, The Seduction Of Gina, Blue Murder, The Brotherhood Of Justice, The Wave, The California Kid, The Cracker Factory, Night Terror, Inmates: A Love Story, The Shadow Riders, CHiPs: Roller Disco, Dawn: Portrait Of A Teenage Runaway, Young Love, First Love, Escape From Bogen County, The Death Squad, Hit Lady, Brian’s Song, The Defiant Ones, A Cry For Help, Trilogy Of Terror, Policewoman Centerfold, Smash-Up On Interstate 5, Something Evil, Savage, A Step Out Of Line, The Boy In The Plastic Bubble, The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission, A Very Brady Christmas, The Gladiator, Elvis, The Rat Pack, Silent Victory: The Kitty O’Neil Story, Terror Among Us, The Hanged Man, Hardcase, Charlie’s Angels: Angels In Vegas, Vanishing Point, To Heal A Nation, Fugitive Among Us, To Kill A Cop, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Police Story: A Chance To Live, Murder On Flight 502, Moon Of The Wolf, The Secret Night Caller, Cotton Candy, And The Band Played On, Gargoyles, Death Car On The Freeway, Short Walk To Daylight, Trapped, Hotline, Killdozer, The Jericho Mile, Mongo’s Back In Town and Tribes.
