Those of a certain age may share my
fond memories of watching the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie during the
1970s. Each week we viewers were entertained as a murder or other
whodunit was solved by one of three different protagonists: Dennis
Weaver’s McCloud, Peter Falk’s Columbo, or Rock
Hudson and Susan Saint James’ McMillan and Wife. (Over the
years, other shows came and went in the rotation, both in this series
and its less-popular sister series on Wednesday and, briefly,
Tuesday. But these three formed the perennially popular core of the
lineup.)
Though I liked McCloud and loved
Columbo, McMillan and Wife always charmed me the most.
Not because of anything having to do with the crimes they solved, but
because of the relationship of its two protagonists: San Francisco
police commissioner Stewart (“Mac”) McMillan and his smart but
somewhat ditzy wife Sally. They always seemed to be so in love with
each other and to have such a cool yet pleasant life together. (A
life which Wikipedia accurately describes as often consisting of
“attending fashionable parties and charity benefits before solving
robberies and murders”.) More than any other TV couple, with the
possible exceptions of Mike & Carol Brady and Gomez &
Morticia Addams, they made me think that marriage and life-long
commitment were definitely for me. (All of which probably helps to
explain why I still find myself sans boyfriend. But I
digress…) When it came to my enjoyment of Mac & Sally, the
whodunit was always secondary. It provided the structure for the
story, but it was the byplay between the two of them that really made
it interesting and fun for me to watch.
I found myself having a similarly
pleasant reaction to On the Other Hand, Death: A Donald Strachey
Mystery. Though all the particulars are very different from
those of McMillan and Wife, the comfortable love that exists
between its two main characters is still the crucial thing that, for
me, makes it all worth watching. In this case, these characters are
openly-gay, Albany-based private eye Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) and
his husband, lawyer Tim Callahan (Sebastian Spence). Don and Tim are
very different people. As a P.I., Don’s life is occasionally –
well, not quite seedy, but perhaps a touch unseemly – while Tim
looks to be the very soul of seemliness. It is these differences,
though, that makes each the perfect complement to the other. That’s
not to say, of course, that the appearance of Andrew – an old
boyfriend of Tim’s who happens to be nice, hot, and occasionally
naked – doesn’t make the situation a bit more complicated...!
Despite my somewhat dismissive comments
above, the “whodunit” aspect of On the Other Hand, Death
is both substantial and well-done. It centers around two older, out
lesbians, Dorothy (Margot Kidder) and Edith (Gabrielle Rose), and the
escalating vandalism and threats to which they have recently been
subjected. On the surface, the crimes could simply be due to “run
of the mill” homophobia in their small town. (After all, Dorothy
is a wonderfully brash high school counselor with a big heart and a
knack for recognizing kids who are in crisis over their sexuality.
And the parents of those kids aren’t always happy to have to deal
with such issues, especially with someone who is out, herself.) But
things always seem to be tinged with noir when Donald’s around, and
especially when people start turning up dead, his detective’s
instincts know when people have secrets that need revealing, whether
they involve a possible land deal with shady overtones, mistakes made
in one’s youth, or even… ah, but that would be telling.
An important component of each Donald
Strachey mystery seems to be the social and political aspects of gay
life. Previous installments dealt with so called “gay reparative
therapy” (a.k.a. the “ex-gay movement”) and the outing of
celebrities or political figures. This one involves gay or
questioning youth and their need for their family’s support and
understanding. (But make no mistake: The film is no public service
announcement. It does not preach, but rather weaves the social
issues into the story in an appropriately organic and matter-of-fact
way.)
The film’s acting ranges from good to
very good. Even to those who, like me, have not seen the previous
installments in the series, the down-to-earth decency of Allen’s
Strachey immediately makes him likeable, as does the stiff but fierce
supportiveness of Spence’s Callahan. Kidder’s Dorothy is
enjoyably in-your-face, and Rose’s Edith is suitably supportive but
haunted (whether by her fear of the vandals or by something else).
And Nelson Wong is fun and energetic as Donald’s enthusiastic
assistant, Kenny Kwon. It is Kenny who cluelessly but endearingly
utters perhaps the best line of the film: “When I’m old like all
you guys, I hope I have an amazing relationship, too.” Indeed.
On the Other Hand, Death is the
third installment in here! television’s Donald Strachey Mystery
series, based on Richard Stevenson’s books, though it is the first
one I’ve seen. (A fourth installment, Ice Blues, is
apparently also on the way.) Given how much I enjoyed this one, I’m
thinking I’ll have to track down the disks for the others, as well.
Maybe I’ll watch them all on a Sunday
night.
[DVD to be released Feb. 24, 2009.
Rated R for adult language and a scene of nudity. Extras include a
behind-the-scenes documentary and a photo gallery.]
On Top Magazine Entertainment
Editor Slim can be reached at slim@ontopmag.com.