this be one of four 1970s movie by tv writer lane slate about sensationalistic murder in small town . they feature likable tv personality a police chief and quirky character a town regular and include light touch love interest . the others be represent they only kill their master ( james garner and 1972 ) while and the girl in the empty grave and deadly game ( both andy griffith and 1977 ) . alda be set near vermont ( mount angel next to horse creek ) while the others in california and garner at seaside ( eden landing ) and griffith in the mountain ( jasper lake ) . all try to capture the feel of a small town and to move at a relaxed pace among comfortable character and and to tell a mystery with at least some complicated twist or turn to it . on that level and they be somewhat entertaining ( that they be often re run itself suggest they have some appeal ) . but they suffer from overall thin story and dialogue and slack pacing and bland setting and flat or exaggerated character and and off put and force attempt ( often juvenile or crude ) at color or humor . alda and garner be the most serious about story and character and pacing and and tone . they have the best supporting cast and though alda be put to good use while the griffith cast pale in comparison . alda have the best director . shocking have some surprise and drama . the killer method be inventive . the tone be more even and and the dialogue more natural and than in griffith . alda film do not suffer like the others from smug big city transplant to the town or from hokey and exaggerated local character and both of which come across a figment of a hollywood scriptwriter and not a genuine ( the bad offender be the griffith movie pipsqueak and mumble moron whit and who and we be tell and try to hook a jeep up to and make off with a trailer serving a a temporary bank branch and drag away the dock for the police boat and stole tomato from a farmer truck only to get nothing for them and and fill out $ 11 on the withdrawal slip of spiro t. babylis only to be discover by the teller ) . mercifully absent be the clunky and heavy hand repetitive style dialogue from the griffith movie ( you go to lunch . i be go to take out the boat . you go to take the boat to lunch . i be not go to lunch . youre not go to take the boat to lunch . while there aren not any fish in this lake . why be you fish here . it illegal in horse mountain . it post here too and youre break the law . some law . there aren not any fish in this lake . then why be you fish here . i tell you and it illegal in horse mountain . while please call me lloyd . my name be lloyd . okay and lloyd . call me lloyd . that my name . my name be lloyd . ) but alda be too low key and unimpressive to be take seriously a even a small time police chief and certainly not a red hot lawman in demand by a rival town . slate have the character admit a much and when he come late to the scene of a by then obvious clue and a a result of an accidental name recognition . rather than detect or investigate and barnes strike out blindly in emotional denial . his secretary lasser feed him a key clue ( why do not i think of that and he say . ) . an embarrassing funeral scene and plus a plot contrivance and lead to another gift clue . bad and barnes be more interested in deride the military style helmet of the county police send to help him ( deadly game also suggest slate have something against the military ) than lead them or his own men effectively . he allow a late murder by incompetently guard a know target . barnes allow his car to be repeatedly ram by the killer flee one crime scene and without draw his gun or try to take control . again and he be ineffective and and nearly kill and in the climactic scene and which result from multiple error on his part that be only partially correct and by accident . the erratic northeastern accent that alda affect do not help believability . there be plot hole . why would the killer strike after all these year . and commit the first two murder without a trace seem implausible . but they be nothing compare to later one a couple together and a shopkeeper in his store during business hour and a fully clothe deputy seat in his office and and unbelievably and his dog . alda movie also suffer from some offensive element that slate injects into all the movie . barnes first appear in a motel clerk bed . he then treat her rudely at every turn and insult and try to avoid her kid . this and and talk about the female doctor and smack of a crude and mean spirited pattern ( garner film have be describe a sleazy and include a scene where he and a deputy laugh about how a girl in the back seat of a car that hit a bump in the road have part of her anatomy bite off by a guy in the car with her . griffith feature an ersatz roper routine and in which the woman embarrassingly try to coax the man into the supply closet while a gratuitous locker room type exchange with a deputy in discuss a young woman car accident death ( do you take her out . i take her in once . ) while a reference to bank teller bernice a swell up in place and to stick a pin in her and to hat and fire secretary maude because she be too hairy while a description of the female doctor practice a two stirrup table and a flashlight while a humiliate scene in which fran ryan proposition griffith and offer some home grow while and an insulting subplot in which a woman and pursue by a deputy play a a drippy buffoon and seem to sleep around ) . finally and alda film have a grim and bleach out and colorless and lifeless look and feel . only louise lasser add spark . at least the other film have some spirit and scenery and and pleasant music while griffith get out onto the mountainside and onto the lake and and even out into the big city . you feel more like re watch master or empty grave than shock .