Tales of the Unexpected

Tales Of The Unexpected

"The Gift of Beauty"
Original Air Date: June 30, 1984

Thanks to youtube, I finally watched Carol's performance in "Tales of the Unexpected."

Carol plays a wealthy widow who's having an affair with a much younger, stud muffin who helped her kill her husband. Carol is in her 40s and is worried about remaining beautiful for her sexy boy-toy, so she responds to a letter from a company the fountain of beauty who promise to give her the gift of eternal beauty. But be careful what you wish for...


I used to watch this series in the early '80s, but I don't remember this particular episode. It reminded me of the old TV series, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", where every episode ended with a twist.

Carol is great here, and looks beautiful. That is, after the transformation. I should note that she spends the first half in a brown, mousy wig and little makeup to make her look dowdy. It works!

The role gives Carol a chance to play an older woman, and she does a fine job. She also gets in a good work-out (lots of montages of her exercising)! As for the episode itself: nothing earth-shattering here, but it is a fun way to waste a half-hour. Great jazzy score, too!


Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gawX8PuZiLY

A Carol Lynley Site Re-Launches

Glad to see that an old Carol Lynley site is back up and running. There is a great interview with Carol, plus a list of her movie and TV appearances with commentary.
Here's the link:
http://www.carollynley.com/

Happy Birthday, Carol!

Happy Birthday to one of my all-time favorite actresses!

Bad Georgia Road On Demand

I just learned that VCI Entertainment has released Carol's 1977 film, "Bad Georgia Road" earlier this year on DVD-R as part of their MOD (Made on Demand) line. It's available at places like DeepDiscount.com

Picture of the Day

Found this press photo used to publicize Carol's appearance on "Kojak" (see review below).

Who Loves Ya, Baby?

KOJAK
"Kiss It All Goodbye"
Aired: February 22, 1977

God bless all those retro TV channels like Me-TV, Antenna TV, and This TV.
Thanks to Me-TV, I finally caught Carol's appearance on Kojak (airing weekdays at 4:00).
For those who don't know, Kojak was a 1970s cop show starring the very bald Telly Savalas.

Here's the plot:
Late one night, Detective Bobby Crocker, receives an anonymous tip that a robbery is about to occur at a fur warehouse. When Crocker arrives on the scene, the robbers try to flee, and a shootout ensues. One of the crooks is shot and killed. Unfortunately, Crocker accidentally shoots an innocent bystander, a fashion model named Polly Aames (Carol). The girl survives, but is paralyzed from the waist down. Crocker feels enormous guilt, and visits Polly in the hospital to apologize. At first, Polly is bitter at the man who changed her life, but Crocker is persistent and she eventually succumbs to his charms. The two begin to spend a lot of time together, and fall in love. Meanwhile, Kojak is investigating the heist, and uncovers information that links Polly to the robbers. Is Polly all that she appears to be?

I was just a kid in the seventies when this show was on TV. I never really got into it as a kid because it was more of an adult show. I was more into the kid-friendly Aaron Spelling detective shows like Charlie's Angels, T.J. Hooker, and Hart to Hart. Watching it now as an adult, I was struck by how dark and gritty the series is. It's very well written, the productions values are superb, and the acting is top notch. This particular episode was filmed on location in New York during the Winter, and one of the thieves is played by a young Christopher Walken!. The show probably employed a lot of New York-based actors for the minor roles. They don't look like the stereotypical glossy Hollywood-types, but rather ordinary real people of all shapes and sizes.
This particular role gave Carol a great opportunity to display a wide variety of emotions, and Carol does not disappoint. Looking more solemn, and less glamorous, Carol fully immerses herself in the role, and delivers an outstanding performance. I really believed her character's struggles with feelings of guilt, and remorse.