He probably just falls out of the top 20, but Richard Crenna is a favorite actor of mine. Perhaps it's because he looks exactly like my own late grandfather, and thus constantly reminds me of my bloodline, but Crenna definitely also stars in a lot of cool movies! What other actor can claim that he parodied his own macho "Rambo" character in a bonkers parody like "Hot Shots"? Or appeared in obscure horror gems like "The Evil", "Death Ship", and "Stone Cold Dead"?
And today I discovered something entirely new about Richard Crenna, namely that he's the lead protagonist in a series of TV-thrillers based on the novels by an author named William Bayer! Granted, the character of Frank Janek doesn't quite play in the same league as Inspector Maigret or Colombo but resolving freaky murders in 7 different stories also isn't bad.
The opening sequences alone are worth seeking out, if only to witness Crenna's smooth and subtle techniques to seduce the guest speaker at a police convention in Canada. Luckily for him, he only gets called back to New York for a new murder case after he talked her straight into his hotel bed. "The Wallflower Murders" is an enjoyable whodunit with an absurdly grotesque plot and ditto denouement. One look at the vicious mug of hag-psychiatrist Dr. Archer suffices to establish she's evil, but the exploring of her background and motives are delightful. Janek is not allowed to take the case at first, because his own goddaughter is one of the victims, but like every stubborn New York copper he completely ignores the orders of his superior officer. Top-actor John Vernon, who's originally assigned to the case, doesn't even bother anymore as soon as Janek pulls the investigation towards him. Throughout his search, Janek makes a trio of ambitious FBI-profilers look like rookies, sacrifices police informants, and persuades his Canadian love-interest to take a plane and come live with him (and yet he doesn't even take the time to pick her up at the airport). What a role model.
I doubt "The Wallflower Murders" was meant to be as funny and light-hearted as I interpreted it, but hey, that's how it kept me entertained. PS: don't blink your eyes too much at the beginning of the film, or else you might miss the short but sweet appearance of future "Scream" heroine Neve Campbell.
And today I discovered something entirely new about Richard Crenna, namely that he's the lead protagonist in a series of TV-thrillers based on the novels by an author named William Bayer! Granted, the character of Frank Janek doesn't quite play in the same league as Inspector Maigret or Colombo but resolving freaky murders in 7 different stories also isn't bad.
The opening sequences alone are worth seeking out, if only to witness Crenna's smooth and subtle techniques to seduce the guest speaker at a police convention in Canada. Luckily for him, he only gets called back to New York for a new murder case after he talked her straight into his hotel bed. "The Wallflower Murders" is an enjoyable whodunit with an absurdly grotesque plot and ditto denouement. One look at the vicious mug of hag-psychiatrist Dr. Archer suffices to establish she's evil, but the exploring of her background and motives are delightful. Janek is not allowed to take the case at first, because his own goddaughter is one of the victims, but like every stubborn New York copper he completely ignores the orders of his superior officer. Top-actor John Vernon, who's originally assigned to the case, doesn't even bother anymore as soon as Janek pulls the investigation towards him. Throughout his search, Janek makes a trio of ambitious FBI-profilers look like rookies, sacrifices police informants, and persuades his Canadian love-interest to take a plane and come live with him (and yet he doesn't even take the time to pick her up at the airport). What a role model.
I doubt "The Wallflower Murders" was meant to be as funny and light-hearted as I interpreted it, but hey, that's how it kept me entertained. PS: don't blink your eyes too much at the beginning of the film, or else you might miss the short but sweet appearance of future "Scream" heroine Neve Campbell.