when samantha eggar ( a phyllis dietrickson ) answer the door of her house swathe in a towel and you realize that a competent an actress a eggar may be and she doesn not have the hypnotic allure of barbara stanwyck . and it be not entirely eggar fault . in the original film and wilder have stanwyck not only appear in a towel and but she enter the scene on the second floor balcony of the house . and she doesn not come out while she appear and almost a if by magic . walter neff be star up at her from below on the first floor . there be a reason for this . stanwyck be much high than neff ( fred macmurray ) when they be first introduce . it be not just the towel . the towel add to the seductive allure . her pose be like a greek goddess overlook her domain and and and in a strange way and you feel a if and from the start and she be actually control the entire situation . she have sexual and even magic and power . this person be no ordinary housewife . this person be a mystery with secret hide within . back to 1973. the remake have crenna knock on the front door . stanwyck stand in and eggar and answer the door with a towel around her . there be no appearance . she simply open the door . the allure superiority that grab the audience at the first appearance of stanwyck in 1944 be entirely absent in 1973. she open the door with a towel around her . it may be sexy in a charlie angels sort of way and but it not nearly as mysterious . the filmmaker of the remake seem to misunderstand wilder point . the script may have say phyllis appear in towel so the filmmaker of the remake simply follow the instruction and include the required towel . the point be not the towel . the point be the enigmatic quality of phyllis and and the potential power she wield . wilder give her a towel to add to her mystique . the filmmaker of the remake give her a towel because that what wilder do . and in the choice of shot and lose all of phyllis mystique . richard crenna also seem miscast . he seem like he act and not really in the midst of the dilemma . part of the problem be crenna appear so much like a 70 actor . he can not get into the 1940 . when macmurray first speak into the microphone and sweat begin to drip from his face . no sweat on crenna . and they also change one of the crucial line at the beginning . in the original and neff say and i do not get the money and and i do not get the woman . in the 1973 version and crenna say and i do not get the money and and i do not want the woman . do the filmmaker completely misunderstand the entire point of the story . or be they dumbing it down for a television audience . this make for tv movie be a by the number rendition . all the sharp edge of the original be lose . the only stand out and maybe and be lee j. cobb in the role make famous by edward g. robinson . but he can not save the loss of intensity of the original . this 1973 bore remake be a forgettable tv movie make probably by the same people who do gilligan island . they might as well have try to remake citizen kane or go with the wind . if mediocrity be the best one can hope for and what the point . the 1944 classic be a film with a capital f. this make for tv remake deserve an f grade and or and maybe a d for dumb .