A Tattered Web

Average TV movie concerning cranky cop (Bridges) whose son-in-law (Converse) is having an affair with local harlot (Helm) that threatens to de-rail his marriage to Bridges beloved daughter (Shockley). Bridges tries to convince both Converse and Helm (separately) to end the infidelity, but goes too far, resulting in the title woes.

Murray Hamilton is reliable as Bridges' loyal police buddy, concerned by his colleague's apparent carelessness in handling aspects of the murder case, while familiar faces Walter Brooke, James Hong, John Fiedler and Whit Bissell have small roles. Broderick Crawford has a key supporting role as a drunk fingered for the crime, but Hamilton's not convinced by the forced confession obtained by Bridges. In my opinion Shockley, as the almost child-like daughter of Bridges over-protectiveness, does an outstanding job, neglected by her two-timing husband, but knowing more than she appears to comprehend.

Small-scale thriller moves at an economical pace with solid performances and some moments of suspense. Experienced TV and movie director Wendkos knows how to fashion a taut thriller for 70 minutes, but where there was the promise of a tense climax on two occasions (in both the bedroom scene and cliff-edge confrontation with Converse), neither comes to fruition, instead, the conclusion is tepid and ultimately disappointing.

Gosh, Frank Converse was such a hunk. Wish I'd seen him do Streetcar Named Desire.

In A Tattered Web, he's 33, playing the cheating husband of Sallie Shockley and son-in-law of Lloyd Bridges in a tv movie directed by Paul Wendkos.

Bridges is Sergeant Ed Stagg who's been following Steve (Converse) to a girlfriend's (Anne Helm). Fiercely protective of his daughter to the point of obsession, Stagg confronts the woman, and during an altercation, accidentally kills her.

He can't have Steve accused, so he focuses on an old drunk (Broderick Crawford) who has already been arrested for murder and tries to convince him that he killed her.

The big problem here is that Stagg acts so guilty his colleagues become suspicious, especially when a sketch in the newspaper looks so much like Steve. He begins to unravel, remembering his drunken father and how he nearly killed him.

Steve, meanwhile, knows he's innocent and wants to come clean with his wife and the police. To Stagg, these are not admirable qualities.

Bridges unravels very well, and Converse is convincing. Broderick is excellent, very sympathetic. Shockley doesn't have much to do, but one certainly feels sorry for her going forward. Her dad's losing it.

The most entertaining aspect about "A Tattered Web", I think, is the short description on the back of the Dutch DVD-release. Here it says about Lloyd Bridges' character: "he's a mean person, but we understand him...". Excuse me? Speak for yourself, will you! Bridges depicts a dictatorial patriarch who murders a girl in her own apartment, and then abuses his power and authority as a life-long police detective to frame an elderly drunkard for his vicious crime. I, for one, have absolutely no respect or understanding for anything this man does.

That being said, "A Tattered Web" is an obscure and inconspicuous, but nevertheless solidly engaging made-for-television thriller from the early 70s, with a simple but effective plot and competent people in front as well as behind the cameras. TV-regular Paul Wendkos ("The Legend of Lizzie Borden", "Haunts of the very Rich") directs steadily, and the cast contains a handful of familiar faces, including Lloyd Bridges (yes, in a serious role), Frank Converse, Murray Hamilton and Broderick Crawford. There's a fair amount of suspense to enjoy, especially when the titular web closes around Sgt. Ed Stagg and he's running out of cover-up options.

Sgt. Ed Stagg (Lloyd Bridges) is a tough cop who has a son-in-law who is cheating on his wife (the sergeant's daughter). When Stagg finds out about it, he goes to see the mistress to scare her into abandoning the man. But things get out of hand and soon Ed knocks the lady across the room...and she dies.

When the body is discovered, Ed and his partner are the detectives called to investigate. Now it's not surprising that Ed would protect himself from being a suspect, but oddly he also shields his son-in-law, as although he hates the guy he doesn't want to see his daughter hurt. But there's a problem...witnesses have seen the son-in-law with the dead woman and he's a prime suspect. So, Ed has to find someone to pin this murder on in order to make the case go away. It all seems too easy...but it isn't.

I generally liked this movie as well as the creepy close relationship between Ed and his daughter. However, all this good is undone a bit at the end, as the ending is poorly handled and even a bit silly. Not a bad made for TV movie....but the ending left me feeling disappointed.

This film is a low budget drama which is chiefly remarkable for containing one of Broderick Crawford's finest performances, as a befuddled drunk who has murdered his best friend but doesn't remember doing so, and an intense and convincing performance by Lloyd Bridges (father of Jeff and Beau). Bridges plays Police Sergeant Ed Stagg who is obsessively devoted to protecting his grown daughter, whom he raised alone after her mother ran off. He discovers that his daughter's husband is having an affair, and he orders him to stop it. Things get out of hand and someone ends up dead by accident, but dead is dead, and a cover-up is necessary. So we get involved in a whodunnit where the who is concealed, and will this all unravel? Bridges is rather terrifying in his obsessive love for the dreamy and over-protected daughter, and the extremes to which he will go. He reveals terrible things about his own childhood as the story progresses. It is an engrossing film.