THE TODD KILLINGS
US, 1971, 93 minutes, Colour.
Robert F. Lyons, Richard Thomas, Belinda Montgomery, James Broderick, Gloria Graham, Fay Spain, Edward Asner, Barbara Bel Geddes.
Directed by Barry Shear.
The Todd Killings is based on real-life characters and events. It is a piece of ugly Americana, a story from the 60s, the perspective of the 70s.
Robert F. Lyons portrays Skipper Todd in a manic fashion, surface charm but violence very quick to erupt. He is the darling of the high school girls – however, he is a predator and a killer.
He befriends a mentally-impaired young man played by Richard Thomas. He gets him to help him, especially with the burial of victims. He exploits the young man.
The film give some background for psychological interpretations of his behaviour, his relationship with his mother, with his family, with the people in the town. Robert F. Lyons is convincing as the manic Todd. Richard Thomas was able to portray ingenuous young men for a long period of his career both in films, telemovies and in The Waltons. There is a strong supporting cast with Barbara Bel Geddes as Lyons’s mother and Gloria Graham in support.
The film was directed by Barry Shear whose career was mainly in television but who made another rather grim film with its perspective on ugly American society and family, Wild in the Streets (1968).
1. How interesting a film, enjoyable? A piece of seventies' Americana? Did it exploit its material, or present valuable material for audience attention?
2. The use of Panavision and colour, Nevada locations, especially the atmosphere and feel of the town, its streets, houses, society? The importance of an authentic atmosphere? (The fact that it was based on a real character and real killings?) Comment on the style of photography, the impact and emotion, the cross-cutting of the editing and its effect?
3. The character of Skipper Todd, as portrayed by Robert Lyons, his ordinariness in the Nevada town, the importance of his following, the nickname of the Pied Piper? Skipper? The nature of his hold over the adolescents of the town? His relationship with his mother, her work, her devotion to him, supplying him with money, spoiling him? how spoilt was he, the darling of the girls? The importance of showing him immediately as violent, as a murderer? His charm and his getting others to help him, even in the killings? How psychotic a character? Why a product of this kind of American society?
4. The contrast with Billy, his reformatory background, his home life in the town, his being found by Skipper, the relationship with Skipper and Skipper's dependence on him, Skipper coaching him, the relationship with Amata, the emphasis on sexuality? Billy and the fact that he was mentally retarded? But an innate sense of justice which would cause Skipper's downfall?
5. The relationship between Skipper and Roberta? Roberta as a spoilt rich girl of the town, the strengths and weaknesses of her character, her double values, her frigidity in public, the effect of the rape on her, her dependence on Skipper? Her death as the cause of jealousy? Skipper's brutality towards her and her sister? The burial?
6. The jealous girls, Skipper's blindness to see that he could cause this kind of havoc?
7. Why did Skipper make Billy help him with the burial? Skipper's not understanding that Billy would betray him? The importance of Billy's fears for Amata and therefore his telling the truth?
8. Audience response to Skipper and his psychosis, his attitude towards his arrest, his denial, then his brazening things out? The response of the adults of the town, of the adolescents?
9. The importance of portraying sequences out on location for the digging up of the corpses, the effect and the reality of sunlight on murders in the night? The effect on people, the effect on the teenagers?
10. The presentation of the adult generation, the parents and their care for their children, their sense of responsibility or lack of it? The details of their way of life, for example Mrs Todd and her work, Mrs Roy and her groups? The various neighbours, the police, Sam and his commentaries?
11. The irony of the last line where the teenagers wonder what they are going to do without Skipper? An ironic comment on this kind of society?
12. Was this an accurate picture of the world of young people, of their behaviour and its possible consequences, morality and immorality? A comment on American society?
