Tuesday Weld, making her second and ultimately final appearance on "The Dick Powell Show" plays a young woman named Stacy Palmer, relentlessly pursued by a private detective by the name of Henderson (Bert Freed). She ditches her car, and ducks in a casino in Las Vegas, where she meets handsome drifter Jake Cobb (Fabian). The two hit off right away and he agrees to drive her to San Francisco, where she says her aunt lives. Things aren't quite what they seem, Henderson will not let up, and Jake falls for Stacy, who seems to have a love of speed and adventure and yet she has a fear of being touched. Of course they fall in love, but it's ill-fated from the start. Jake is also running away from his obligation to marry a girl back home and run his father's ranch. We never really find out why Stacy is running, or why Henderson (whose methods, particularly in the scene a motel room, come across as somewhat sinister) was sent by her father to bring her back. We can surmise that her father mistreated her, which would explain Stacy's almost manic behavior at times. Henderson's telling line near the end, "You can't run away; there's no where to go" seems both painfully true but also somewhat ominous.
Weld and Fabian (who had previously worked together in the 1960 college comedy "High Time") are both excellent; Fabian had just appeared in the controversial episode "A Lion Walks Among Us" (1961) of the short-lived series "Bus Stop" (Tuesday Weld had appeared in the pilot episode) in which his memorable performance as a psychopathic killer impressed Dick Powell and led to his guest spot here. Fabian has always gotten flack for being a "manufactured idol" in terms of his singing career, but his television work gave him the opportunity to show his acting chops. Tuesday Weld was a favorite of Dick Powell; she had appeared in his earlier series, "The Zane Grey Theater" and in a previous episode of "The Dick Powell Show". She was supposed to star in a third installment, but Powell's premature death midway through the second season prevented that. Weld has always had a unique talent and prolonged her career for three more decades. In addition to their talent, Tuesday and Fabian are both so strikingly beautiful, making "Run Till It's Dark" great for eye candy as well as moving and dramatic acting. The jazz score has film-noir vibe which suits the mood of the story very well.
Powell was quite humorous in the introduction; while praising the talent of the two young stars, he couldn't help but insert a little in-joke regarding his early career as a singing "juvenile" at Warner Brothers in the 1930s and he considerately mentioned his frequent (and favorite of that time) leading lady, Ruby Keeler. He clearly saw something of his younger self in Fabian.
Who knows when or if "The Dick Powell Show" will ever be released on DVD; from the small handful of episodes I have seen, it was a very good series that would have had a longer run if not for the untimely death of its host and producer.
Weld and Fabian (who had previously worked together in the 1960 college comedy "High Time") are both excellent; Fabian had just appeared in the controversial episode "A Lion Walks Among Us" (1961) of the short-lived series "Bus Stop" (Tuesday Weld had appeared in the pilot episode) in which his memorable performance as a psychopathic killer impressed Dick Powell and led to his guest spot here. Fabian has always gotten flack for being a "manufactured idol" in terms of his singing career, but his television work gave him the opportunity to show his acting chops. Tuesday Weld was a favorite of Dick Powell; she had appeared in his earlier series, "The Zane Grey Theater" and in a previous episode of "The Dick Powell Show". She was supposed to star in a third installment, but Powell's premature death midway through the second season prevented that. Weld has always had a unique talent and prolonged her career for three more decades. In addition to their talent, Tuesday and Fabian are both so strikingly beautiful, making "Run Till It's Dark" great for eye candy as well as moving and dramatic acting. The jazz score has film-noir vibe which suits the mood of the story very well.
Powell was quite humorous in the introduction; while praising the talent of the two young stars, he couldn't help but insert a little in-joke regarding his early career as a singing "juvenile" at Warner Brothers in the 1930s and he considerately mentioned his frequent (and favorite of that time) leading lady, Ruby Keeler. He clearly saw something of his younger self in Fabian.
Who knows when or if "The Dick Powell Show" will ever be released on DVD; from the small handful of episodes I have seen, it was a very good series that would have had a longer run if not for the untimely death of its host and producer.
