The Golden Age of made for television movies

HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLAN (1970) was among the first wave of, 'Made-For-Television-Movies', during the time period of, 1970 through 1974, although individual movies as such existed in 1969 and there were several after 1974 to 1983, but 1970 to 1974 was the Golden Age of television movies. Two of the major tv networks featured a 'movie of the week', usually on Mondays, but sometimes on Tuesday or Thursday.

Between 1970 and 1974 the majority of these television movies were mystery suspense gothic thrillers, with and without the supernatural, or sometimes pseudo-supernatural where it appeared so but at the end a person or persons were simulating the occult supernatural to deceive a victim. These were often very good low-budget movies. When I write, 'low-budget' I don't imply low-quality. Many of these tv movies had very good scripts and the production values improved as the years went by. Characteristic of these movies, they were were filmed typically in weeks, to go one month or more was rare. Expensive special effects were minimal. Directors relied on suspense, location, mood, atmosphere, and lighting, all very effectively that would be reprised in the 1978 horror classic, Halloween. Because these were television movies, censor standards were stricter so violence and blood were minimal and if there was violence there was little if any blood shown. It was the early 70s and so adult and sexual themes were very minimal and implied. Besides, the very fact of television already strictly limited what could and could not be shown and the language had to be PG-13 at worst. There was no foul or vulgar language or swearing beyond, the rare, damn or damn you.

If you liked adult (not sexual) level suspense mysteries, gothic suspense, gothic supernatural mystery suspense, these television movies could be very entertaining. Once in a while there was a true monster tv movie.

HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLEN was a good attempt at suspense mystery. It won't appeal to anybody who wants action, violence, and sex. The movie, I agree, can be very bland. Like I wrote, it's an intellectual taste, maybe an acquired one that would appeal to the much older crowd who only had television for entertainment at the time, long before home computers, the Internet, video games, iPhones, and long before sex and gore movies. You'd have to be a nostalgia movie buff to enjoy this movie.