THE
POWER
|
S * T * A * R * R * I * N * G
George
Hamilton
Richard Carlson, Yvonne DeCarlo,
Earl Holliman, Gary Merrill, Ken Murray,
Barbara Nichols, Arthur O'Connell, Nehemiah Persoff,
Aldo Ray, Michael Rennie, Miiko Taka, Celia Lovsky,
Vaughn Taylor, Lawrence Montaigne, Miss Beverly Hills
Year: 1968
Name: Margery Lansing,
geneticist
Music: Miklos Rozsa
Makeup: William Tuttle
Hairstyles: Sydney Guilaroff
Source:
THE POWER by Frank M. Robinson
Screenwriter: John Gay
Producer: George Pal
Director: Byron Haskin
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
"Unlike science fiction," as Pleshette was quoted in the press info, "this picture is based on a very possible premise. The 'power' is a dimension of the mind directing the actions of another person by thought control, similar to the mass hypnosis Hitler exercised in persuading people to follow his destructive ideas.
"This is the sort of entertainment which gives audiences something to think about, which is why I was happy to be offered the role I play. Only a simpleton wants to do nothing but boy-meets-girl plots. I don't even insist on being starred if a part intrigues me. I played a supporting role in a two-part episode of the DR. KILDARE series. It was a girl stricken with leukemia. It was a difficult assignment, but I feel it offered me more rewards than some of the starring roles I've played."
"Stardom used to be associated with an image," Pleshette continued, "and, as a result, audiences sometimes found it difficult to identify with an actress who played a variety of roles. Films today, except in rare instances, are not written specifically for an actress, and the days of the studio image-making, such as the Harlow and Garbo era, have passed. Personally, I am glad of it. I enjoy versatility and the freedom to choose interesting parts. If I have one sustaining goal, it is to avoid being a one-type actress. An image is hard to hit if you're a moving target."
Oscar Power: Producer George Pal had won seven Academy Award nominations prior to THE POWER; special effects experts Wah Chang and Gene Warren won an Oscar for their effects in THE TIME MACHINE; and Lovell Norman received the first Oscar ever awarded by Motion Picture Academy for sound editing on WAR OF THE WORLDS.
R * E * V * I * E * W * S
"Hamilton is okay in his
role and MISS
PLESHETTE,
in part of his geneticist girlfriend, IS
EASY ON
THE EYE."
—VARIETY
Suzanne Pleshette's
Feature Films
The Secret Career of Suzanne Pleshette
TV Movies • TV Series • TV Guest Star
Theatre • Video • Miscellaneous • The Visual