''A Howling in the Woods'' is a 1971 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Daniel Petrie Daniel Mannix Petrie (November 26, 1920 – August 22, 2004) was a Canadian film, television, and stage director who worked in Canada, Hollywood, and the United Kingdom; known for directing grounded human dramas often dealing with taboo subject ...

and starring

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and producer best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965-1970). Other notable roles include Roslyn Pierce opp ...

, Larry Hagman,

John Rubinstein John Rubinstein (born December 8, 1946) is an American actor, composer and director. Early life Rubinstein is the son of Polish parents. His mother, Aniela (née Młynarska), a dancer and writer, was a Roman Catholic native of Warsaw, the dau ...

, and

Vera Miles Vera June Miles ( née Ralston, born August 23, 1929) is an American retired actress who worked closely with Alfred Hitchcock, most notably as Lila Crane in the classic 1960 film '' Psycho'', reprising the role in the 1983 sequel '' Psycho II ...

. The teleplay was written by Richard DeRoy based on the 1968 novel by Velda Johnston. Its plot follows a housewife vacationing in the woods who experiences mysterious howling noises in the night. The film premiered on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

as the ''NBC World Premiere Movie'' on November 5, 1971. It was released theatrically in Europe. Produced by

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a prede ...

, the film was shot on location in Lake Tahoe and nearby

Dayton, Nevada Dayton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 15,153 at the 2020 census. Dayton is the first Nevada settlement and home to the oldest hotel in Nevada. History ...

. ''A Howling in the Woods'' also reunited Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman shortly after their TV series '' I Dream of Jeannie'' was cancelled.

Summary

Liza Crocker (Barbara Eden) is a disillusioned housewife with plans to divorce her husband Eddie (Larry Hagman). She returns to her family home in a small Nevada town to visit her step-mother (Vera Miles) and discovers she has a new step-brother (John Rubinstein), her father seemingly missing, mysterious behavior by the townsfolk and a mysterious howling in the woods at night.

Cast

as Liza Crocker * Larry Hagman as Eddie Crocker *

as Justin Conway *

as Rose Staines *

Tyne Daly Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee. Daly began her career on stage in summer stock in New York, ...

as Sally Bixton *

Ruta Lee Ruta Lee (born Ruta Mary Kilmonis; May 30, 1935) is an American actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the musical '' Seven Brides for Seven Brothers''. She had roles in films including Billy Wilder's crime drama '' Witness for ...

as Sharon *

George Murdock George Peter ("Pete") Murdock (May 11, 1897 – March 29, 1985), also known as G. P. Murdock, was an American anthropologist who was professor at Yale University and University of Pittsburgh. He is remembered for his empirical approach to ethn ...

as Mel Warren *

Ford Rainey Ford Rainey (August 8, 1908 – July 25, 2005) was an American film, stage, and television actor.Myrna Oliver"Ford Rainey, 96; Performed Shakespeare, Shepard and Variety of Film, TV Roles" ''Los Angeles Times'', July 26, 2005. Early life Rainey ...

as Bud Henshaw * Lisa Gerritsen as Betsy Warren *Bill Vint as Lonnie Henshaw *

Karl Swenson Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne.

as Apperson

References

* Johnston, Velda, ''A Howling in the Woods'' 186 p. Dodd, Mead & Company, New York (1968)

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howling in the Woods 1971 television films 1971 films 1970s psychological thriller films NBC network original films American horror television films Films based on thriller novels Films based on American novels Films set in Nevada Films directed by Daniel Petrie Films scored by Dave Grusin 1970s American films