Bad Ronald aired on October 23rd, 1974 just a week before Halloween. I was eight years old and it scarred the hell out-of-me! It was one of those creepy TV movies from the 1970s that relied on mood, atmosphere and truly great writing to scare viewers without the need for unnecessary gore. Scott Jacoby -a favorite on 1970s TV often playing nerds and underdogs- plays Ronald Wilby, a socially awkward teen who accidentally kills a 12-year old girl who teases Ronald calling him "weird!" Ronald's overbearing mother, played by Kim Hunter convinces Ronald to construct a fake wall over the door to a spare bathroom in their large house and hide inside. A trap door leading to the pantry allows Ronald to escape from time-to-time. Mom Hunter tells the police that Ronald ran away in order to avoid his pending second-degree murder charge. All works well for a short time until his mother dies in the hospital following a gall bladder operation. That's when things start to get creepy. When a family with three young daughters move in, no one ever notices that a strange young man is peering out at them through peepholes in the wall. Ronald spends most of his time in a fantasy world of his own making filled with princesses and goblins that inspire Ronald to illustrate them in giant demonic-looking paintings. His growing obsession with one of the new young residents leads to the film's shocking conclusion. Based on the novel by Sci-fi writer, John Holbrook Vance, Bad Ronald also features a cast including Dabney Coleman and Pippa Scott. It was directed by TV veteran, Buzz Kulik who directed many classic TV films from the 1970s including Brian's Song. Oscar-winning composer Fred Karlin, provides a creepy score to go along with the odd and frightening images. Bad Ronald did enjoy a VHS release in the early 1980s on USA Home Video. We had a copy at our store for years until it was stolen by some creep who managed to rip us off twice with a bad credit card. In fact, he kind of looked a lot like the creepy Ronald portrayed in the film. But I digress. The video has been out-of-print for almost twenty years and a DVD release is still wishful thinking. Bootlegs can be found on ebay, but the quality is bound to be poor. If you're lucky enough to catch this film on late night TV or find an early VHS copy lying around be sure to give it a look. But when it's over don't be surprised if you find yourself checking all the walls in your house for small holes with a pair of eyes peering out back at you.
2 comments:
I, of course, love all made-for-TV movies from the 1970s and would love to see all of them released on DVD. At the very least, I would love to see THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN receive a proper DVD release.
A few are available, including:
WHEN MICHAEL CALLS, starring Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara and Michael Douglas. For some reason, the DVD is retitled SHATTERED SILENCE.
HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLAN, starring Anthony Perkins, Julie Harris and Joan Hackett. This was written by Henry Farrell, who wrote the novel WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? By the way, this is not about a certain former video store manager...
MAYBE I'LL COME HOME IN THE SPRING, starring Sally Field.
DEVIL DOG: THE HOUND OF HELL, starring Richard Crenna, Yvette Mimieux, Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards. Believe it or not, this is available as a 2-disc set with bonus interviews!
GARGOYLES, starring Cornell Wilde, Jennifer Salt, and the divine Grayson Hall. (Unfortunately, this one is out of print.)
THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO..., starring Stockard Channing. This revenge fantasy was written by Joan Rivers.
People love to trash the made-for-TV movie, but the ones from the 1970s were quite good and a good deal better than most of the feature films that are made today.
JN
Oh, I remember Bad Ronald. Freaked me the hell out, too. I would have been nine, I guess, when I saw it (assuming I saw the original broadcast). The movie tapped into all those voyeur fears so well.
There was something similar called "Hider in the House," with Gary Busey, in 1991. I caught that on TV and at first I thought it was the same film, but quickly realized it wasn't "Ronald." It's not a remake, either. But seriously... How many films can share that premise?
I'd forgotten about "The Girl Most Likely To." Wonderfully dark comedy as I recall.
From the cool '70s TV movies department, I remember one with lindsay Wagner called "The Two Worlds of Jenny Logan." Maltin didn't list it, but it's on IMDB. It's kinda like "Somewhere in Time" -- i.e. time-travelling romance. I remember being greatly taken with it when I saw it, but it seems to have vanished utterly.
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