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{{short description|1973 television film by Philip Leacock}}
{{Infobox television
{{Infobox television
| name = Dying Room Only
| image = Dying Room Only.png
| image = Dying Room Only.png
| caption = Home video cover art
| caption = Home video cover art
| image_size = 220
| genre = [[Horror film|Horror]]<br>[[Mystery film|Mystery]]<br>[[Thriller film|Thriller]]
| image_size = 220px
| genre = {{hlist|[[Mystery film|Mystery]]|[[thriller film|thriller]]}}
| writer = [[Richard Matheson]]
| writer = [[Richard Matheson]]
| based_on = {{Based on|"Dying Room Only" (1953 short story)|Richard Matheson}}
| based_on = {{Based on|"Dying Room Only"|Richard Matheson}}
| director = [[Philip Leacock]]
| starring = [[Cloris Leachman]]<br>[[Ross Martin]]<br>[[Ned Beatty]]<br>[[Louise Latham]]<br>[[Dana Elcar]]<br>[[Dabney Coleman]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
| music = [[Charles Fox (composer)|Charles Fox]]
* [[Cloris Leachman]]
⚫
| country = United States
* [[Ross Martin]]
⚫
| language = English
* [[Ned Beatty]]
* [[Dabney Coleman]]
}}
| director = [[Philip Leacock]]
⚫
| editor = Bill Mosher
| executive_producer = [[Lee Rich]]
| executive_producer = [[Lee Rich]]
| producer = {{Plainlist|
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* Allen S. Epstein
* Allen S. Epstein
* Neil T. Maffeo
* Neil T. Maffeo
}}
}}
⚫
| location = [[Borrego Springs, California]], U.S.
| cinematography = [[John M. Stephens]]
⚫
| editor = Bill Mosher
⚫
| location = [[Borrego Springs, California]], U.S.
| company = [[Lorimar Productions]]
| cinematography = [[John M. Stephens]]
| runtime = 74 minutes
| distributor = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| network = ABC
| company = [[Lorimar Productions]]
| released = {{Film date|1973|09|18}}
| budget =
| runtime = 74 minutes
| network = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| music = [[Charles Fox (composer)|Charles Fox]]
| released = {{Start date|1973|09|18}}
⚫
| country = United States
⚫
| language = English
| budget =
}}
}}


'''''Dying Room Only''''' is a 1973 American [[television film|made-for-television]] [[thriller film]] directed by [[Philip Leacock]] and starring [[Cloris Leachman]], [[Ross Martin]], [[Ned Beatty]], and [[Dabney Coleman]]. Written by [[Richard Matheson]] and based on his short story of the same name, the film follows a woman whose husband disappears after they stop by a rural diner in the Arizona desert.
'''''Dying Room Only''''' is a 1973 American [[television film|made-for-television]] [[horror film|horror]] [[mystery film|mystery]] [[thriller film]] directed by [[Philip Leacock]] and starring [[Cloris Leachman]] and [[Ross Martin]]. Written by [[Richard Matheson]] and based on his 1953 short story of the same name, the film follows a woman whose husband disappears after they stop by a rural diner in the Arizona desert.


Produced by [[Lorimar Productions]], who was also in charge of many television films of the period, ''Dying Room Only'' had its world premiere broadcast on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] as a Tuesday [[ABC Movie of the Week|movie of the week]] in September 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6yErAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9ogFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3602%2C3606871|work=Schenactady Gazette|date=15 September 1973|title='Dying Room Only' stars Cloris Leachman|accessdate=8 January 2015|page=7}}</ref> It was later released on VHS, and eventually DVD by the [[Warner Archive Collection]].
Produced by [[Lorimar Productions]], who was also in charge of many television films of the period, ''Dying Room Only'' had its world premiere broadcast on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] as a Tuesday [[ABC Movie of the Week|movie of the week]] on September 18, 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6yErAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9ogFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3602%2C3606871|work=Schenactady Gazette|date=15 September 1973|title='Dying Room Only' stars Cloris Leachman|access-date=8 January 2015|page=7}}</ref> It was later released on VHS, and eventually DVD by the [[Warner Archive Collection]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
Bob Mitchell and his wife, Jean, are driving through the hot [[Arizona]] desert on their way home to [[Los Angeles]]. A detour has taken them 100 miles out of the way down a deserted road ... because Jean insisted on taking photographs of a particular area to take back to their daughter. Bob is irritated by the delay in getting home and, after he throws a few jabs at Jean, the two stop at a roadside cafe/inn called the Arroyo Motel. It's a rundown claptrap and, aside from cook Jim Cutler and one customer named Tom King, the place is empty. But the two travelers are hungry, and the diner will do for now. To their surprise, both Jim and Tom are hostile and downright rude to them. The situation makes Jean uncomfortable. She tries to call home using the payphone but the line is busy.
Bob Mitchell and his wife Jean are driving through the [[Arizona]] desert on their way home to [[Los Angeles]]. A detour takes them 100 miles out of the way down a deserted road because Jean insisted on taking photographs of a particular area to take back to their daughter. The couple later stops at the Arroyo Motel, a rundown roadside cafe/inn. Aside from cook Jim Cutler and customer Tom King, the place is empty. To their surprise, both Jim and Tom are hostile to them. Feeling uncomfortable, Jean tries to call home using a payphone, but the line is busy.


Jean gets up to go to the restroom and wash her face. When she returns, Bob is nowhere to be found. Perhaps he went to use the bathroom himself, she thinks. Their station wagon is still parked outside. Minutes pass and still no Bob. A tight-lipped Jim and Tom are extremely unhelpful, telling Jean that Bob probably just abandoned her. At Jean's request, Tom agrees to go into the men's room to see if her husband is alright. The seconds seem to take forever but, when Tom emerges, he tells Jean that Bob isn't there.
Jean goes to the restroom and washes her face. When she returns, Bob is nowhere to be found. She thinks he also went to the bathroom. Minutes pass and still no Bob. Jim and Tom are unhelpful, telling Jean that Bob probably just abandoned her. At Jean's request, Tom agrees to go into the men's room to see if Bob is alright. Tom later emerges, saying that Bob is not there.


Jean goes next door to the motel, where a woman named Vi works the front desk. She's also vaguely unfriendly and of no help. Unbeknownst to Jean, hurried calls are being made between Vi and Jim in the diner. Starting to worry even more, Jean tries to go inside the cafe men's room, but it is locked. Jim finally opens the door when Jean threatens to call the police. Bob isn't around, naturally, but she does notice a second door ... that may lead to another exit. The cook refuses to open it for her, and Jean contacts the police. Meanwhile, someone drives off in the Mitchell station wagon and Jean runs out screaming for her husband.
Jean goes next door to the motel, where a woman named Vi works the front desk. She is also unfriendly and of no help. Unbeknownst to Jean, hurried calls are being made between Vi and Jim. Jean tries to go inside the cafe men's room, but it is locked. Jim opens the door when Jean threatens to call the police. Bob is not around, but she does notice a second door. The cook refuses to open it, and Jean contacts the police. Meanwhile, someone drives off in the Mitchell car and Jean runs out screaming for her husband.


Night has now fallen, and the sheriff arrives. As Jean tells her story, the officer looks bewildered. It all sounds so far-fetched. In fact, the door to the men's room isn't locked. The other door inside leads to an old storage shed ... but still no trace of Bob. An APB is put out for the car, and Jean plans on staying in the motel until further notice from the sheriff. Neither Jim nor Vi are particularly happy to have her hang around. And, despite Jean's plea for him to check out the other rooms, the sheriff doesn't see any cause to do so.
Night falls, and the sheriff arrives. However, he does not believe Jean's story. He then sees the door to the men's room is not locked. The other door inside leads to an old storage shed, but there is no trace of Bob. An APB is put out for the car, and Jean plans on staying in the motel until further notice from the sheriff. Despite Jean's plea for him to check out the other rooms, the sheriff does not see any cause to do so.


Later, Vi refuses to place a call to the FBI, and Jean is unable reach her home in Los Angeles. Jean confronts Vi and tells her, "I don't know what's going on here, but I will find out!" The now-frantic wife has no choice but to search around the motel by herself. She enters the shed behind the men's room. Peeking through the keyhole into the restroom beyond, she spies Tom entering on the other side ... and immediately notices a light bulb illuminate next to her. That's how they did it, she thinks. A third man must have been hiding in the shed when Bob entered the restroom ... the bulb must have served as an alert to the kidnapper that it was time to nab her husband ... leaving Tom and Jim free to distract her as they carried out their plan!
Later, Vi refuses to place a call to the FBI, and Jean cannot reach her home in Los Angeles. A furious Jean has no choice but to search around the motel. She enters the shed behind the men's room. Peeking through the keyhole into the restroom beyond, she spies Tom entering and notices a light bulb illuminate next to her. A third man must have been hiding in the shed when Bob entered the restroom; the bulb must have served as an alert to the kidnapper that it was time to nab Bob, leaving Tom and Jim free to distract her as they carried out their plan.


At that moment, Jean is relieved to see the family vehicle pull up. But instead of Bob stepping out, she is frightened by a tall, hulking character with a limp (played by Ron Feinberg). She runs into some underbrush, and, when Tom comes near her, she whacks him with a stick. And then at last, she catches a glimpse of her husband ... bound and gagged, he's being shuffled into the station wagon and driven away.
Jean is then relieved to see the car pull up. But instead of Bob stepping out, a hulking character with a limp is the driver. She runs away, and, when Tom comes near her, she whacks him with a stick. Then, she sees Bob bound and gagged, being shuffled into the car and driven away.


The sheriff returns, and this time he believes her story. The two drive through the desert towards an abandoned pump station, while Tom follows. The sheriff tells her that the man with the limp is named Lou McDermott and that he recently jumped parole. Oh ... and there have been other mysterious disappearances, a fact he neglected to tell Jean earlier. At the gas station, the sheriff shoots and kills Lou, and then the officer himself is snuffed out by Tom. Jean grabs the steering wheel of the police vehicle and tries to run Tom down, but she's caught.
The sheriff returns, this time believing her. The two drive through the desert towards an abandoned pump station, while Tom follows. According to the sheriff, the man with the limp is Lou McDermott, who recently jumped parole. There also have been other disappearances, something the sheriff neglected to reveal earlier. At the gas station, the sheriff shoots Lou dead before being snuffed out by Tom. Jean grabs the steering wheel of the police vehicle and tries to run Tom down, but is caught.


Both Bob and Jean are taken back to the motel and are kept in Tom's truck until the three perpetrators can figure out what to do. Vi turns on Tom and shoots him. As Vi comes towards the truck with gun in hand, Jean lights a flare and blinds her. Jean then grabs the revolver and holds both Vi and Jim at bay until the authorities arrive. Now safe, Jean places a tearful call to her children and tells her daughter they had a "fine time" on their trip. They're coming home, she says ... as fast as they can.
Bob and Jean are taken back to the motel and are kept in Tom's truck until the three perpetrators can figure out what to do. Vi turns on Tom and shoots him. As Vi comes towards the truck with gun in hand, Jean lights a flare and blinds her. Jean then grabs the revolver and holds both Vi and Jim at bay until the authorities arrive. Jean then calls her children to say they had a "fine time" on their trip and are coming home as fast as they can.


==Cast==
==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
{{Cast listing|
*[[Cloris Leachman]] as Jean Miller
*[[Cloris Leachman]] as Jean Mitchell
*[[Ross Martin]] as Jim Cutler
*[[Ross Martin]] as Jim Cutler
*[[Ned Beatty]] as Thomas King
*[[Ned Beatty]] as Thomas King
Line 66: Line 60:


==Production==
==Production==
Although set in Arizona, the film was shot on location in [[Borrego Springs, California]], in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/2002-2/filmography.htm|work=San Diego History|title=San Diego Filmography|date=February 2002|accessdate=8 January 2015}}</ref>
Although set in Arizona, the film was shot on location in [[Borrego Springs, California]], in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/2002-2/filmography.htm|work=San Diego History|title=San Diego Filmography|date=February 2002|access-date=8 January 2015}}</ref>


==Release==
==Release==
''Dying Room Only'' had its world premiere on ABC as part of the network's Movie of the Week series, airing for the first time on September 18, 1973. Although the film was praised for its acting and cinematography, it did receive [[feminism|feminist]] criticism for its positioning of Leachman's character as a "helpless woman" who has had her "selfhood stolen" when she loses her husband.<ref name="friedman">{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aclHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8IsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6392%2C5434883|work=The Village Voice|title=Off drugs and on alcohol|date=28 September 1973|accessdate=28 December 2014|author=Friedman, Jack|pages=33–4}}</ref> In review after its world broadcast, Jack Friedman of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' criticized the film, saying, "The only frightening aspect of this tale of horror was that its latent hatred (class, regional, sexual) were being spewed all across the country. And the loam out there is rich enough already."<ref name="friedman" />
''Dying Room Only'' had its world premiere on ABC as part of the network's Movie of the Week series, airing for the first time on September 18, 1973. Although the film was praised for its acting and cinematography, it did receive [[feminism|feminist]] criticism for its positioning of Leachman's character as a "helpless woman" who has had her "selfhood stolen" when she loses her husband.<ref name="friedman">{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aclHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8IsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6392%2C5434883|work=The Village Voice|title=Off drugs and on alcohol|date=28 September 1973|access-date=28 December 2014|author=Friedman, Jack|pages=33–4}}</ref> In review after its world broadcast, Jack Friedman of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' criticized the film, saying, "The only frightening aspect of this tale of horror was that its latent hatred (class, regional, sexual) were being spewed all across the country. And the loam out there is rich enough already."<ref name="friedman" />


After its premiere in 1973, the film became a staple of late night TV, airing erratically throughout the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_rUfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=itcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6110%2C1345050|work=The Southeast Missourian|title=Friday Night Movies|date=14 September 1983|page=36}}</ref>
After its premiere in 1973, the film became a staple of late night TV, airing erratically throughout the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_rUfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=itcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6110%2C1345050|work=The Southeast Missourian|title=Friday Night Movies|date=14 September 1983|page=36}}</ref>


===Home media===
===Home media===
It was also released on VHS, and later on DVD in 2010 through the [[Warner Archive Collection]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/41981/dying-room-only/|work=[[DVD Talk]]|title=Dying Room Only DVD|url-status=live|last=Mavis|first=Paul|date=January 29, 2010|archive-date=May 14, 2020|archive-url=http://archive.today/wip/r5YLO}}</ref>
It was also released on VHS, and later on DVD in 2010 through the [[Warner Archive Collection]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/41981/dying-room-only/|work=[[DVD Talk]]|title=Dying Room Only DVD|url-status=live|last=Mavis|first=Paul|date=January 29, 2010|archive-date=May 14, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200514015321/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/41981/dying-room-only/|access-date=May 14, 2020}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 83: Line 77:


==External links==
==External links==
*{{Allmovie title|15005}}
*{{AllMovie title|15005}}
*{{IMDb title|0070012}}
*{{IMDb title|0070012}}


{{Philip Leacock}}
{{Philip Leacock}}
{{Richard Matheson}}
{{Richard Matheson}}

[[Category:1973 films]]
[[Category:1973 films]]
[[Category:1973 horror films]]
[[Category:1973 horror films]]
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[[Category:1970s mystery films]]
[[Category:1970s mystery films]]
[[Category:ABC Movie of the Week]]
[[Category:ABC Movie of the Week]]
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[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American horror thriller films]]
[[Category:American horror thriller films]]
⚫
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about missing people]]
[[Category:Films about missing people]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Richard Matheson]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Richard Matheson]]
[[Category:Films scored by Charles Fox]]
[[Category:Films set in Arizona]]
[[Category:Films set in Arizona]]
[[Category:Films shot in San Diego]]
[[Category:Films shot in San Diego]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Richard Matheson]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Richard Matheson]]
[[Category:Films directed by Philip Leacock]]
[[Category:Films directed by Philip Leacock]]
[[Category:Horror television films]]
[[Category:American horror television films]]
[[Category:Television films based on short fiction]]
[[Category:Television films based on short fiction]]
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[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
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[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]
[[Category:English-language mystery films]]

Revision as of 18:15, 6 October 2024

Dying Room Only
Home video cover art
GenreHorror
Mystery
Thriller
Based on"Dying Room Only" (1953 short story)
by Richard Matheson
Written byRichard Matheson
Directed byPhilip Leacock
StarringCloris Leachman
Ross Martin
Ned Beatty
Louise Latham
Dana Elcar
Dabney Coleman
Music byCharles Fox
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerLee Rich
Producers
  • Allen S. Epstein
  • Neil T. Maffeo
Production locationsBorrego Springs, California, U.S.
CinematographyJohn M. Stephens
EditorBill Mosher
Running time74 minutes
Production companyLorimar Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 18, 1973 (1973-09-18)

Dying Room Only is a 1973 American made-for-television horror mystery thriller film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Cloris Leachman and Ross Martin. Written by Richard Matheson and based on his 1953 short story of the same name, the film follows a woman whose husband disappears after they stop by a rural diner in the Arizona desert.

Produced by Lorimar Productions, who was also in charge of many television films of the period, Dying Room Only had its world premiere broadcast on ABC as a Tuesday movie of the week on September 18, 1973.[1] It was later released on VHS, and eventually DVD by the Warner Archive Collection.

Plot

Bob Mitchell and his wife Jean are driving through the Arizona desert on their way home to Los Angeles. A detour takes them 100 miles out of the way down a deserted road because Jean insisted on taking photographs of a particular area to take back to their daughter. The couple later stops at the Arroyo Motel, a rundown roadside cafe/inn. Aside from cook Jim Cutler and customer Tom King, the place is empty. To their surprise, both Jim and Tom are hostile to them. Feeling uncomfortable, Jean tries to call home using a payphone, but the line is busy.

Jean goes to the restroom and washes her face. When she returns, Bob is nowhere to be found. She thinks he also went to the bathroom. Minutes pass and still no Bob. Jim and Tom are unhelpful, telling Jean that Bob probably just abandoned her. At Jean's request, Tom agrees to go into the men's room to see if Bob is alright. Tom later emerges, saying that Bob is not there.

Jean goes next door to the motel, where a woman named Vi works the front desk. She is also unfriendly and of no help. Unbeknownst to Jean, hurried calls are being made between Vi and Jim. Jean tries to go inside the cafe men's room, but it is locked. Jim opens the door when Jean threatens to call the police. Bob is not around, but she does notice a second door. The cook refuses to open it, and Jean contacts the police. Meanwhile, someone drives off in the Mitchell car and Jean runs out screaming for her husband.

Night falls, and the sheriff arrives. However, he does not believe Jean's story. He then sees the door to the men's room is not locked. The other door inside leads to an old storage shed, but there is no trace of Bob. An APB is put out for the car, and Jean plans on staying in the motel until further notice from the sheriff. Despite Jean's plea for him to check out the other rooms, the sheriff does not see any cause to do so.

Later, Vi refuses to place a call to the FBI, and Jean cannot reach her home in Los Angeles. A furious Jean has no choice but to search around the motel. She enters the shed behind the men's room. Peeking through the keyhole into the restroom beyond, she spies Tom entering and notices a light bulb illuminate next to her. A third man must have been hiding in the shed when Bob entered the restroom; the bulb must have served as an alert to the kidnapper that it was time to nab Bob, leaving Tom and Jim free to distract her as they carried out their plan.

Jean is then relieved to see the car pull up. But instead of Bob stepping out, a hulking character with a limp is the driver. She runs away, and, when Tom comes near her, she whacks him with a stick. Then, she sees Bob bound and gagged, being shuffled into the car and driven away.

The sheriff returns, this time believing her. The two drive through the desert towards an abandoned pump station, while Tom follows. According to the sheriff, the man with the limp is Lou McDermott, who recently jumped parole. There also have been other disappearances, something the sheriff neglected to reveal earlier. At the gas station, the sheriff shoots Lou dead before being snuffed out by Tom. Jean grabs the steering wheel of the police vehicle and tries to run Tom down, but is caught.

Bob and Jean are taken back to the motel and are kept in Tom's truck until the three perpetrators can figure out what to do. Vi turns on Tom and shoots him. As Vi comes towards the truck with gun in hand, Jean lights a flare and blinds her. Jean then grabs the revolver and holds both Vi and Jim at bay until the authorities arrive. Jean then calls her children to say they had a "fine time" on their trip and are coming home as fast as they can.

Cast

Production

Although set in Arizona, the film was shot on location in Borrego Springs, California, in 1973.[2]

Release

Dying Room Only had its world premiere on ABC as part of the network's Movie of the Week series, airing for the first time on September 18, 1973. Although the film was praised for its acting and cinematography, it did receive feminist criticism for its positioning of Leachman's character as a "helpless woman" who has had her "selfhood stolen" when she loses her husband.[3] In review after its world broadcast, Jack Friedman of The Village Voice criticized the film, saying, "The only frightening aspect of this tale of horror was that its latent hatred (class, regional, sexual) were being spewed all across the country. And the loam out there is rich enough already."[3]

After its premiere in 1973, the film became a staple of late night TV, airing erratically throughout the 1970s and 1980s.[4]

Home media

It was also released on VHS, and later on DVD in 2010 through the Warner Archive Collection.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "'Dying Room Only' stars Cloris Leachman". Schenactady Gazette. 15 September 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  2. ^ "San Diego Filmography". San Diego History. February 2002. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b Friedman, Jack (28 September 1973). "Off drugs and on alcohol". The Village Voice. pp. 33–4. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Friday Night Movies". The Southeast Missourian. 14 September 1983. p. 36.
  5. ^ Mavis, Paul (January 29, 2010). "Dying Room Only DVD". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
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