''Daughter of the Mind'' is a 1969 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 ...

horror-

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 ...

starring Don Murray, Ray Milland and

Gene Tierney Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, she became established as a leading lady. Tierney was best known for her portrayal of the title character in the ...

. It was first broadcast on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on December 9, 1969 as the

ABC Movie of the Week ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

, December 6–12, 1969, pp A62-A63 It was based on the book ''The Hand of Mary Constable'' (1964) by

Paul Gallico Paul William Gallico (July 26, 1897 – July 15, 1976) was an American novelist and short story and sports writer.Ivins, Molly,, ''The New York Times'', July 17, 1976. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2020. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictu ...

Plot

At the request of a colleague, psychologist and

ESP ESP most commonly refers to: * Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability ESP may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Music * ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars * E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000, ...

researcher Dr. Alex Lauder investigates leading cybernetic expert Dr. Samuel Hale Constable's claim that he has seen and spoken with his young daughter, Mary, who died 13 weeks before. Keeping an open mind, Lauder decides to take the case and see where it may lead. As Lauder's investigation progresses, he learns that U.S. government counter-intelligence is watching his every move with great interest. "Mary" appears to others besides her father (always preceded by Mary hauntingly calling out "Daddy"), including Lauder, Mary's mother and other acquaintances during a seance. "Mary" leaves physical evidence of her appearance (a tooth impression in wax, her voice on a recording and a wax mold of her hand—found in a clear bowl of water—that even has her

fingerprints A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surf ...

inside). "Mary" also tells Constable he must abandon his work if he wants to continue to see her. After learning from a major general how valuable disrupting Constable's work would be to the Soviet Union (a motive for deception), the possibility of "Mary" being a real spirit begins to erode in Lauder's mind. He starts to pursue the possibility that everything connected to Mary's appearances may be generated by elaborate human-made illusions to guilt Constable into abandoning his research (which, unbeknownst to Constable was being used by the U.S. military), and defecting to work for the Soviets to equalize their power. In the end, Lauder and the counter-intelligence agents monitoring Constable uncover a plot from behind the Iron Curtain to get the Nobel-winning scientist to defect from the United States. ''Daughter of the Mind'' was one of the first high-quality offerings of ABC's Movie of the Week series.

Cast

* Don Murray as Alex Lauder * Ray Milland as Professor Samuel Constable *

as Lenore Constable * Barbara Dana as Tina Cryder *

Edward Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

as Wiener *

Pamelyn Ferdin Pamelyn Wanda Ferdin (born February 4, 1959) is an American animal rights activist and a former child actress. Ferdin's acting career was primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, though she appeared in projects sporadically in the 1980s and later ...

as Mary *

Ivor Barry Ivor Barry (12 April 1919 – 12 December 2006) was a Welsh film and television actor. Born in South Wales, Barry served with the British Royal Artillery during World War II and completed his university studies prior to beginning his act ...

as Dr. Cryder *

Virginia Christine Virginia Christine (born Virginia Christine Ricketts; March 5, 1920 – July 24, 1996) was an American stage, radio, film, television, and voice actress. Though Christine had a long career as a character actress in film and television, she i ...

as Helga *

George Macready George Peabody Macready Jr. (August 29, 1899 – July 2, 1973) was an American stage, film, and television actor often cast in roles as polished villains. Early life Macready was born in Providence, Rhode Island on August 29, 1899. He graduated ...

as Dr. Frank Ferguson * William Beckley as Arnold Bessimer *

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later ...

as Bosch * Cecile Ozorio as Devi Bessimer *

Frank Maxwell Charles Francis Maxwell (November 17, 1916 – August 4, 2004) was an American actor who served as president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists from 1984 to 1989. Life and career A native of The Bronx borough of New Yo ...

as Augstadt *

Bill Hickman William Hickman (January 25, 1921 – February 24, 1986) was an American professional stunt driver, stunt coordinator and actor in the U.S. film industry. His film career spanned from the 1950s through to the late 1970s, and included films su ...

as Enemy Agent

References

External links

* ABC Movie of the Week 1969 television films 1969 films American horror television films 20th Century Fox Television films Films directed by Walter Grauman 1969 horror films Films based on works by Paul Gallico 1960s American films {{US-tv-horror-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links