Madigan (1968)

This average crime drama’s production values make it feel like a made-for-TV movie and with good reason: it was produced by Frank Rosenberg directed by Don Siegel and its screenplay was written by a couple of TV series writers. One exception besides (only) sometime TV director Siegel is its motion picture cast: Richard Widmark in the title role Henry Fonda in the original title role (when the film was to be called “The Commissioner” like the Richard Dougherty novel on which its based) Inger Stevens and James Whitmore. Another exception are the overt “everyone’s having one” extramarital affairs which like the unnecessary and gratuitous nudity in today’s films seem thrown in (because they can) to differentiate it from television of the time. Like his role in this movie Harry Guardino was to become even more well known playing New York City police detectives on television as were a lot of the other supporting players (e.g. look quick for Conrad Bain from TV’s Diff’rent Strokes as a hotel clerk) in this film. Emmy winner Susan Clark midget Michael Dunn Don Stroud and Emmy nominee Sheree North round out the cast; Steve Ihnat’s overacting as the criminal Widmark & Guardino pursue is almost laughable.

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