Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (TV),
USA 1973, color

Distributed by: NBC Television
Produced by: Burt Rosen
Genre / keyword: Musical
Runtime: 90
Directed by: David Winters

Summary:





 

 

 

Musical version of the story in which Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of revealing the hidden, dark side of man and releases a murderer from within himself.

The critics was so-so, with many commenting that the very idea of Jekyll and Hyde set to music was absurd. On reflection Douglas thoroughly agrees with all the critics.

Douglas´ singing was of the patter kind, and in reviewing the program, Variety commented: "His idea of dramatic contrast is to prance like a superannuated schoolboy as Jekyll while impersonating a bumptious, braying loudmouth as Hyde. The latter´s "sins" consequently are more an offense to manners than morals." In short this version of the Stevenson tale was not a success, and Kirk Douglas claims he does not even possess a video cassette of it.

Cast (in credits order): Kirk Douglas ... as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
  Susan George ... as Anne
  Susan Hampshire ... as Isabel
  Stanley Holloway ... as Poole
  Michael Redgrave ... as Danvers
  Donald Pleasence ... as Fred Smudge
  Judi Bowker ... as Tupenny
  Geoffrey Moore ... as Wainwright
  Nicholas Smith ... as Hastings
Written by: Sherman Yellen (based on the story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Music by: Lionel Bart, Mel Mandel and Norman Sachs

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