The File on Devlin

The File on Devlin is a 1969 American TV film for the Hallmark Hall of Fame, and was directed by George Schaefer. It was based on a novel by Catherine Gaskin.

Cast

• Judith Anderson
• Elizabeth Ashley
• David McCallum
• Helmut Dantine
• Donald Moffatt

Production

The novel was published in 1965.^[1]

George Schaefer had just directed the feature film Pendulum. He called the film "an old fashioned spy story with a mysterious disappearance, an old castle, dark corridors and secret passages, great fun."^[2]

Elizabeth Ashley made it after having been retired for five years.^[3] Rehearsals started in July 1969,^[4] and it was mostly shot in the studio with two days location.^[2]

Reception

One review called it "a thriller that thrilled indifferently."^[5] The New York Times called it "an overstuffed, improbable bit of claptrap without suspense, wit or intelligence."^[6]