"Chiefs" (1983) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Jerry London

Writers:

Stuart Woods (novel)
Robert W. Lenski (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

An epic adventure seeming with power, love and hatred.

Plot:

Three generations of police chiefs for a southern town go about their jobs while a serial murderer operates.

Plot Keywords:

Chiefs | Police | Racism | Serial Teen Killer | Serial Boy Killer

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Hugh Holmes
Keith Carradine	...	Foxy Funderburke
Stephen Collins	...	Billy Lee
Brad Davis	...	Sonny Butts
Tess Harper	...	Carrie Lee
Paula Kelly	...	Liz Watts
Wayne Rogers	...	Will Henry Lee
Paul Sorvino	...	Sheriff Skeeter Willis
Victoria Tennant	...	Trish Lee
Billy Dee Williams	...	Tyler Watts (aka Joshua Cole)
Lane Smith	...	Hoss Spence
Kaiulani Lee	...	Mrs. Butts
Novella Nelson	...	Nellie Cole
Danny Glover	...	Marshall Peters
Leo Burmester	...	Emmett Spence

Also Known As:

"Once Upon a Murder" (UK)

Runtime:

Brazil:229 min (video version) | Germany:283 min (3 parts) | USA:200 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Chester, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Highgate Pictures

Trivia:

Andy Griffith was announced to part of the cast, but he became ill and was replaced by Keith Carradine.

Quotes:

Will Henry Lee: To beat the boll weevil you got to be both good and rich

Stuart Woods's best book and film!

This film was made at a time when the big networks, in this case CBS, took pride in making tv movies and mini-series. Excellent attention to detail in just about every aspect of this 3 part movies. As the film movies from the 1920's to the 1940's and eventually the 1960's the viewer gets to see the town of Delano Georgia grow and change. It almost seems as though Delano is a real town. The costumes, settings and props for each time setting are well done.

This mini-series stick very close to the original story written by Stuart Woods. During a 40 year time frame 3 different police chiefs try to solve the various and ongoing murders that are taking place in the vicinity of Delano. Young male transients are being kidnapped and sexually assaulted before they are murdered. Racial tensions run high in Delano and add to the difficulty in solving the murders. Good acting by all who participated. Charlton Heston, Paul Sorvino, Brad Davis and Billy Dee Williams were at the top of their acting game in this mini-Series.

I was able to tape the original 3 part mini-series when it was first aired and despite some drop in quality due to age this mini-series is a favorite of mine and viewed at least once a year. For those who enjoyed the film they may want to read and or watch the story and film GRASS ROOTS. This story continues to follow the Lee family as one of their members attempts to become a U.S. Senator. During the race another racially motivated murder in Delano complicates matters.