''The Death of Me Yet'' is a 1971

television film 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 for ...

directed by

John Llewellyn Moxey John Llewellyn Moxey (26 February 1925 – 29 April 2019) was an Argentinian-born British film and television director. He was known for directing the horror film '' The City of the Dead'' (also known as ''Horror Hotel'', 1960) and directing epi ...

and starring

Doug McClure Douglas Osborne McClure (May 11, 1935February 5, 1995) was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his role as the cowboy Trampas during the entire run from 1962 to 1971 o ...

and Darren McGavin. It based on the 1970 novel of the same name by

Whit Masterson Whit Masterson was a pen name for a partnership of two American authors, Robert Allison Wade (June 8, 1920 – September 30, 2012) and H. Bill Miller (May 11, 1920 – August 21, 1961). The two also wrote under several other pseudonyms, including W ...

. The movie appeared on 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 ...

'' on October 26, 1971.pp. 107 Karol, Michael ''The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: A Loving Tribute to the Classic Series'' iUniverse, 2008

Plot

Edward Young lives in Middletown, seemingly an idyllic 1950s small town. On returning home, he finds a letter that his unit has been activated, so he says a farewell to his girlfriend, Alice. He packs and leaves the town, which is revealed as a

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

training facility for sleeper agents. He has one final debriefing from Robert Barnes, his KGB superior. He spends the following years in the United States, rising to the position of newspaper publisher in Redwood Beach,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

under the name Paul Towers. Preparing to visit his brother-in-law, Paul goes diving for abalone but is nearly killed when his

SCUBA Scuba may refer to: * Scuba diving ** Scuba set, the equipment used for scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving * Scuba, an in-memory database developed by Facebook * Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array, either of two in ...

tank starts feeding him carbon dioxide instead of oxygen. His wife Sibby dives in to save him. Edward's brother-in-law, Hank Keller, is the head of a defense contractor where an executive's recent suicide has drawn the attention of the FBI. Vandamm, the victim, was homosexual and was being blackmailed by the Soviets for plans to a secret sonar system. Hank wants Paul to fill the vacant position.

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

agent Joe Chalk questions him harshly at the dinner and promises to thoroughly investigate his background for his security clearance, which concerns Paul. At a formal dinner party, Paul is called away due to problems with the newspaper presses. As he gets into his car, he is taken by surprise by a KGB agent, Nylec, in the back seat. The agent promises, "This time, the obituary will be real." Paul manages to overcome Nylec, knocking him off the pier. But he can't bring himself to shoot the agent in the water. He returns home, where Sybil believes he's keeping secrets from her and runs out of the room. He finds a pregnancy test which is positive. Deciding to come clean, he visits Joe Chalk's hotel room and confesses his true identity and how he assumed Paul Towers' identity after he decided to defect and failed to board a plane that crashed with no survivors. Chalk is skeptical of his story but Paul bargains, offering to identify Barnes, whom he believes was Vandamm's KGB contact. Paul returns home where he still keeps the truth from Sibby but tells her he will accept the job. Paul contacts an attorney who can put him in touch with Barnes. He's told to go to a street corner, which he recognizes as the model for Middletown. Alice is there. They bargain for the plans and reminisce. Afterward, Chalk arranges to give certain sheets of plans to trap Barnes with. Paul gets a notice on his car to go to an old mine. A helicopter intercepts him on a dirt road and Barnes gets out of it. He explains that he saw Paul's picture under an editorial and recognized him, hence the attempts to kill him. Paul gives him the sheets but Barnes is unsatisfied. He has a plan for Paul to photograph the most critical sheets. One day at lunch, Nylec sets fire to a car to distract Chalk so Paul can copy the plans. Paul and Chalk make plans for Paul to identify Barnes for arrest as he leaves their meeting. At a restaurant, Barnes appears, identifying himself as Dr. Shevlin, Sibby's boss. He hints that he's holding Sibby hostage and her safety depends on his own continued freedom. Paul identifies an innocent bystander to Chalk and goes to Sibby's workplace, where he finds her unconscious. Alice confronts him at gunpoint as he pleads for Sibby's life. Nylec enters to kill Paul. Alice shoots Nylec to save Paul, who in turn shoots both Paul and Alice. Chalk stages Paul's funeral and they watch from a helicopter. He tells Paul that with Barnes still on the loose, Sibby cannot be safe if anyone suspects Paul is still alive. Paul, again a man who does not legally exist, reluctantly agrees to help the FBI track down the other sleeper agents, who have all adopted new covers.

Cast

... Pytor Avanosov/ Edward Young / Paul Towers * Darren McGavin ... Joe Chalk *

Rosemary Forsyth Rosemary Forsyth is a Canadian-born American actress most notable for her role as Bronwyn opposite Charlton Heston in '' The War Lord'' in 1965. Early years Forsyth was born in Montreal, Quebec. Her father, David Forsyth, was Scots-Canadian ...

... Sibby Towers *

Richard Basehart John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. He starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson in the television science-fiction drama '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1964–68). He also portrayed Wilton Knig ...

... Robert Barnes / Dr Shevlin *

Meg Foster Margaret Foster is an American film and television actress. Some of her many roles were in the 1979 TV miniseries version of ''The Scarlet Letter'', and the films ''Ticket to Heaven'', ''The Osterman Weekend'', and '' They Live''. Early years F ...

... Alice *

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as on the 1980s and 1990s television series ''MacGyver'' as Peter Thornton, MacGyver's immediate ...

... Hank Keller *

Jean Allison Jean Allison (born October 24, 1929) is an American actress. She appeared in numerous films and TV series throughout the 1950s to the 1980s. Biography Allison was born in New York City on October 24, 1929. She made her debut on television in th ...

... Marilyn Keller * Stephen Dunne ... George Dickman * Scottie MacGregor ... Nora Queen * Allen Jaffe ... Nylec * Sam Edwards ... Jerry * John Kroga ... Redstone * Ivan Bonar ... Easley

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Death Of Me Yet 1971 television films 1971 films 1970s English-language films Cold War spy films 1970s spy films Films based on American novels Films based on thriller novels ABC Movie of the Week American spy films Films directed by John Llewellyn Moxey 1970s American films