Underrated TV thriller and Highly Recommended

This 1974, made-for-television thriller, THE PHANTOM OF HOLLYWOOD was typical of the golden age of movie-of-the-week horror, supernatural, gothic, thrillers, and suspense dramas that were typically, low-budget, but high production values and quality actors and actresses. You didn't get the feel that you were watching a low-budget movie, even though financially these made-for-television movies didn't cost that much, not relying on expensive sets but rather on-location filming and employing well-known Hollywood actors and actresses who were often at the mature stage of their acting careers. Supernatural and gothic suspense were the most common. Sometimes an apparent supernatural gothic television movie would end with a surprise twist in which one of the movie's characters or someone mysterious was staging hoax supernatural phenomenon, for example, the 1972 suspense thriller, "When Michael Calls", starring a young Michael Douglas.

"The Phantom of Hollywood" was a very good example of the early 70s made-for-television movies. Someone else wrote this tv flick has a nostalgic old-time feel and he's absolutely right. The movie's producers and director cleverly interspaced momentary, black-and-white segments of old movies when panning past some spot on the old MGM film stage studio backlot. At the time the old MGM studio backlot was actually undergoing demolition and the the film's producers showed brilliance in utilizing the occasion to film this movie.

I did admit to nostalgia. Heck, this movie was filmed in 1974 and you see segments of old, sometimes, classic black-and-white films juxtaposed onto this movie and you recall these have to be 1930s to 50s old movies. By 1974, the old sets were absolutely decrepit. Because historical movie sets are faux and not constructed to last, the decay was accelerated. Now it's 2009, another 35 years gone by and the old movie nostalgia has only deepened.

Jack Cassidy did a good job playing the phantom. The special effects make-up department shrewdly applied a scarred face make-up job to Jack that was realistic, showing healed burns but not making you throw-up to see it.

For fan aficionados of the golden age of early to mid-1970s, made-for-television gothic, supernatural, horror, and suspense films, I highly recommend author David Deal's informative and entertaining documentary book, TELEVISION FRIGHT FILMS OF THE 1970s. You'll find Kolchak: The Night Stalker listed and yes, "The Phantom of Hollywood" is researched within.
For years I actually pondered writing such a book myself because the early to mid-70s were a nostalgic time for me when I sat in front of the television riveted by these movies as a pre-teenager and teenager. There was no internet or video games for individual entertainment back then. It was either watch the family TV or read. I was going to title my book, "The Golden Age of Made-For-TV Horror and Suspense Thriller Movies". But luckily, David Deal beat me to it and did a far better job than I could have possibly done. He did all the hard work writing the book and all I had to do was buy his book.