Della (film)
| Della | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Richard Alan Simmons |
| Directed by | Robert Gist |
| Starring |
Joan Crawford Paul Burke Charles Bickford Diane Baker |
| Music by | Fred Steiner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Richard Alan Simmons |
| Producer(s) | Stanley M. Kallis |
| Cinematography | Wilfrid Cline |
| Running time | 70 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Four Star Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Original release | August 8, 1964 |
Della is a 1964 American made-for-television film pilot starring Joan Crawford, Paul Burke and Diane Baker. The pilot was originally intended for a proposed NBC television series named Royal Bay which was to star Paul Burke as a lawyer and Charles Bickford as his cantankerous, righteous father. The pilot aired in first-run syndication on August 8, 1964.
Following the successful film-to-television progressions of movie stars such as Lucille Ball and Barbara Stanwyck, Crawford attempted the same maneuver with Royal Bay, a soap opera in a fictional seaside town where she was the wealthy matriarch and daughter of the town's founder. However, the pilot centered on the two characters that would most likely not reprise their role for the series, mother and daughter Della and Jenny Chappell. This may have been one of the reasons the pilot was released as a stand-alone feature instead of the start of a series.[1]
Plot
Della Chappell (Joan Crawford) is a reclusive wealthy woman, consumed by power and dedicated to protecting the future of her daughter Jenny (Diane Baker). Her father founded the town of Royal Bay and she still owns most of it. An outside company wants to buy parts of the town for development but Della refuses to consider the option. Barney Stafford (Paul Burke), a lawyer representing the developers' interests, butts heads with Della frequently.
She invites him to her home for a meeting at 2:00AM. Barney, eager to settle the matter, heads over to Della's estate and instead he meets Jenny. Barney notices strange happenings at the house, such as everyone sleeping during the day and all business is conducted in the middle of the night. He comes to learn that Jenny has a skin condition that prevents her from being in the light and keeps her inside the home at all times. At a particularly tense meeting, Della attempts to employ Barney in a veiled attempt to buy his company for Jenny.
Instead, Jenny leaves the house at the urging of Barney and ultimately crashes her car because she is disoriented and is killed.
Cast
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Notes
Had the pilot been turned into a television series, Crawford would have most likely made an occasional guest appearance (she's listed as a "Guest Star" in the credits) but leave the primary responsibility to Paul Burke and younger cast members to keep the story moving along.[1]
Because the studio was disappointed in the final result of the pilot film, the plans for a TV series were scrapped and Royal Bay was renamed Della. The short film—just a little over 70 minutes—was released in a few theaters around the country.[1]
Joan Crawford and Diane Baker played mother and daughter for the second time in only a few months, following the horror classic, Strait-Jacket earlier that year.[1]
References
External links
- Della at the Internet Movie Database