Laura (1968 film)

Laura is a 1968 American TV film, a remake of the 1944 film of the same name. It was directed by John Llewellyn Moxey and written by Truman Capote and Thomas Phipps.^[1] David Susskind produced.^[2]

The film had previously been adapted for television in 1955.

Plot summary

The story follows detective Mark McPherson (Robert Stack) as he investigates the apparent murder of Laura Hunt (Lee Radziwill), a beautiful and successful advertising executive. Initially believing Laura to be dead, McPherson becomes obsessed with the case and finds himself falling in love with the victim through her portrait and the accounts of those who knew her.

The investigation leads McPherson to interview several key suspects from Laura's social circle. These include Waldo Lydecker (George Sanders), a sharp-tongued newspaper columnist and critic who had been Laura's mentor and was infatuated with her; Shelby Carpenter (Farley Granger), Laura's charming but weak-willed fiancé who has been having financial difficulties; and Ann Treadwell (Arlene Francis), an older woman who has been supporting Shelby and is jealous of his relationship with Laura.

As McPherson delves deeper into Laura's life, he discovers a web of jealousy, manipulation, and deceit among her acquaintances. The case takes a dramatic turn when Laura herself appears alive, revealing that the victim was actually another woman who had been staying in Laura's apartment. This revelation forces McPherson to reconsider everything he thought he knew about the case, while also confronting his own unexpected feelings for the woman he believed to be dead.

The mystery intensifies as the real killer's identity becomes clear, leading to a tense confrontation that reveals the true motives behind the murder plot.

Cast

• George Sanders as Waldo Lydecker
• Robert Stack as Mark McPherson
• Arlene Francis as Mrs. Ann Treadwell
• Farley Granger as Shelby Carpenter
• Lee Radziwill (billed as "Lee Bouvier") as Laura Hunt

Production

Truman Capote was friends with Lee Radziwill who wanted to act and had made her stage debut in a revival of The Philadelphia Story. He met up with David Susskind and told him, "Lee Radiziwill is going to be an actress and I think we should all put something together for her. I'm sure that she'll be so good I'll write it for her myself."^[3]

Susskind thought Radziwill "wasn't very good" in her stage performance "but I thought maybe I saw a glimmer of something in her performance. The television companies had noticed the publicity, so it looked like we could set something up."^[3]

Capote wrote an adaptation of The Voice of the Turtle for her but Susskind worried it would be too difficult. So he suggested they do Laura.^[4]

Michael Dyne reportedly rewrote Capote's script.^[5]

The show was taped in London in October 1967. Robert Stack and George Sanders reprised roles they had performed on TV in the 1955 version.^[6][3] Stack recalled in his memoirs that "the production resembled a junior high school effort."^[7]

Reception

Critical reception to Radziwill's performance was hostile.^[8] The Chicago Tribune called it the "worst drama" of the season in which Radziwill was "unbelievably bad".^[9] Another review in The Washington Post said it was "disappointing all round."^[10] The New York Times called it "so laboured and so dull that the occasion was just a laboured walk through."^[11]