1973's "Arnold" served as the second in a double bill from two brothers far busier in television, producer Andrew J. Fenady and lesser known director Georg, shooting roughly four months after completing "Terror in the Wax Museum." Bing Crosby Productions and distributor Cinerama had enjoyed previous success with "Willard" and its sequel "Ben," but never actually paired these films together, Cinerama actually collapsing less than a year after the belated release of "Arnold." "Terror" can easily claim to be a straight up murder mystery with horror elements, while its companion piece, boasting many of the same cast members (Elsa Lanchester, Patric Knowles, Shani Wallis, Ben Wright, and Steven Marlo), is definitely a tricky affair, a morbid black comedy that ultimately proved more difficult to market. It opens in somber fashion as a funeral procession delivers the corpse of wealthy Lord Arnold Dwellyn (Norman Stuart) under the watchful gaze of Constable Hooke (Bernard Fox) and grave digger Jonesy (Ben Wright), only to stare in amazement at the arrival of beautiful Karen (Stella Stevens), clad in a wedding gown for the incongruous nuptials. The understandably flustered Minister (Victor Buono) stammers through the wedding ceremony, after which the participants gather together for a reading of the will, unusual in that the deceased has left specific instructions behind on recorded cassette tapes that can be played in his specially designed coffin. As his extramarital lover, Karen is to be Arnold's chosen heir, to the detriment of brother Robert (Roddy McDowall) and sister Hester (Elsa Lanchester), the not so grieving widow Lady Dwellyn (Shani Wallis) meeting her demise before night's end from a deadly application of cold cream doused with acid. Worthless playboy Robert has always coveted everything that his sibling possessed, including the curvaceous Karen, and is soon crushed by Arnold's constricting new suit. Next to perish is solicitor Douglas Whitehead (Patric Knowles), whose fatal attempt to score 'fringe benefits' from the distraught Karen is soon followed by the decapitation of suspicious behaving manservant Dybbi (Jamie Farr). The culprit becomes easier to spot once the cast gets whittled down, but McDowall's absence at the midway point leaves a gaping hole that can't be filled by performers without his flair for macabre humor (a role similar to his greedy killer in the "Night Gallery" pilot). Constable Hooke's running commentary on the nature of each death, and finding only 'bits and pieces' of the last three victims, offers most of the amusement on hand, leading to the best punch line as he sadly announces losing his lascivious father (John McGiver) and his busty fiancee (Wanda Bailey) at the same time ("they died?" "eloped!"). There's a natural suspension of disbelief as the improbabilities mount before a somewhat disappointing climax, but overall what should have become a cult item may yet find its proper audience. Best remembered for such popular TV Westerns as THE REBEL, BRANDED, and HONDO, Andrew J. Fenady revealed years later that the uncredited voice of the deceased Arnold belonged to underrated Australian thespian Murray Matheson, known for character roles in shows like THRILLER ("The Poisoner"), THE TWILIGHT ZONE ("Five Characters in Search of an Exit"), and KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER ("Horror in the Heights").
Review of Arnold
