Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Sundays, I will be reviewing the made-for-television movies that used to be a primetime mainstay.  Today’s film is 1971’s A Tattered Web!  It  can be viewed on YouTube!

Sgt. Ed Stagg (Lloyd Bridges) is a good cop and an overprotective father.  Ever since his wife left him, Ed has been determined to make sure that his daughter, Tina (Sallie Shockley), has a good life.  So, as you can probably guess, Ed is not amused when he finds out that Tina’s husband, Steve (Frank Converse), has been cheating on her with Louise Campbell (Anne Helm).  Ed has never liked Steve and would love it if his daughter left him.  But, Ed still doesn’t want want Tina to have to go through the pain of knowing that her husband is seeing another woman.

Ed decides to drop by Louise’s apartment and talk to her himself.  Louise, however, is not willing to let some old stranger tell her how to live her life.  After all, she’s heard from Steve about what a terrible and judgmental father-in-law Ed is.  Ed gets frustrated and shoves Louise.  Louise stumbles back, hits her head, and …. uh-oh.  Louise is dead!  To be honest, it didn’t really look like she hit her head that hard.  In fact, I had to rewatch the scene to see if she actually hit her head at all.  But no matter.  Louise is dead and Ed’s responsible.

The next morning, when Ed and his partner, Joe (Murray Hamilton), are called in to investigate Louise’s homicide, Ed is approached by Louise’s neighbor (John Fiedler), who gives him a description of a  young man who he says he frequently saw going up to Louise’s apartment.  The description perfectly describes Steve.  The police sketch artist draws a picture that looks like just like Steve.  Joe thinks that Steve is responsible.  Not wanting his daughter to think that her husband’s a murderer, Ed decides to frame Willard Edson (Broderick Crawford), an alcoholic who frequently comes into the station and confesses to crimes so that he can have a place to sleep for the night.

Yes, it’s a tattered web indeed.  Ed is able to talk Edson into confessing to the crime but then Steve does his own detective work and realizes that Edson couldn’t be the murderer.  Ed tells Steve that he should just let the police arrest Edson because, otherwise, they’re going to come after Steve.  Steve, however, says that he would rather be arrested and be given a chance to prove his innocence than just stand by idly while an innocent man goes to jail.  Being a veteran cop, Ed wasn’t expecting everyone to be so damn honest!

A Tattered Web isn’t bad for a 70-minute made-for-TV movie.  The film’s main strength is the cast, with Lloyd Bridges, Murray Hamilton, and especially Broderick Crawford giving strong performances.  The scene where Ed talks Edson into confession is especially well-done, with Crawford giving a performance of growing desperation while Bridges himself appears to be on the verge of tears as Ed realizes what his life has become.  Like his sons Jeff and Beau, Lloyd Bridges is such a likable actor that it’s hard not to care about what happens to the characters that he’s playing, even when he’s playing a murderer.  A Tattered Web is an effective thriller that reminds viewers that guilt cannot be escaped.