Zebradelic

Illustrated adverts for Lisa, Bright and Dark

Though she had been acting since she was a child, Kay Lenz really entered the popular consciousness in 1973. That year she co-starred with William Holden in the Clint Eastwood directed film Breezy. That movie is fairly well remembered today, but 1973 also saw Kay Lenz appear in an acclaimed TV movie called Lisa, Bright and Dark. Based on the book by John Neufeld, the story deals with a teenage girl's struggle with mental illness. One reason that the film adaptation of this popular work is not widely recognized is because it has not been released on DVD and I don't know if it ever saw a VHS release either. Most likely, it will turn up someday and everyone will get a chance to take a look at it (edit: it has now been released!). In the meantime, here are two promotional images for Lisa, Bright and Dark:

Kay Lenz in Murder By Night

In 1989, co-starred alongside Robert Urich and Michael Ironside in Murder By Night. In the movie, Kay Lenz plays a police psychologist who works alongside amnesia victim Robert Urich. Michael Ironside plays her ex-husband, a cop who thinks that Robert Urich might be a serial killer.

Murder By Night was the fourth film made for original broadcast on the USA cable network (it was later released om VHS). Though set in New York City, the project was filmed in Toronto. Murder By Night is not so well remembered today, probably mostly sought out by fans of one of the three stars or the director. However, the movie still plays well today and I quite enjoyed watching it. Looking at it one way, Murder By Night is just a typical late '80s made-for-TV thriller, though it really gave me the impression of an updated 1940s film noir.

Here's a nice contemporary newspaper article about Kay Lenz and her role in Murder By Night:

The following is a brief synopsis/review of Murder By Night. The reviewer doesn't think too much of the movie and even takes the opportunity to take a shot at the director and the writer. Paul Lynch had previously directed the horror classic Prom Night and Alan McElroy had written Halloween 4, which promps the reviewer to ask "what else can we expect?"

Here are some images of Kay Lenz starring in Murder By Night:

Kay Lenz and Michael Ironside

Kay Lenz and Michael Ironside again

Meg Foster on Mannix in 1972

Meg Foster appeared on a number of detective and police dramas between 1970-1977 and she perhaps never looked better than when she was the guest star on an episode of Mannix in 1972. The episode was titled 'A Game of Shadows' and it originally aired on Christmas Eve that year.

Meg Foster and Mike Connors

Meg Foster: 1970s detective show glory!

Meg Foster spent the bulk of the 1970s working on television, whether it be guest appearances on TV shows or starring in TV movies or miniseries (she only did a handful of feature films throughout the decade). A lovely young woman, with considerable charm and acting skills to match, Meg Foster made a number of appearances on various cop and detective shows throughout the decade. The following is a look at a trio of guest shots on some famous detective series: Barnaby Jones, Cannon and Baretta.

Barnaby Jones - "A Little Glory, A Little Death" (April 29, 1973)

Meg Foster actually appeared on Barnaby Jones three times, doing one episode in each of the show's first three seasons. This episode was her first guest appearance on Barnaby Jones and she has quite a substantial role. Meg Foster plays the daughter of a old actress that has died under what she feels are suspicious circumstances. She goes to private detective Barnaby Jones for help and consequently a complex web of deception unfolds. Eventually, ol' Barnaby devises a plan in which Meg Foster's character impersonates her dead mother in order to flush out the suspected murderer.

Meg Foster and Lee Meriwether

Meg Foster and Buddy Ebsen

Cannon - "Come Watch Me Die" (October 24, 1973)

Meg Foster appeared in an episode of Cannon in 1973, though her part is not all that large. She plays a supporting role wherein she is the old girlfriend of a convicted murderer who has recently escaped. It turns out that he might have been framed so he is on the loose, looking for the real killers. Eventually, he hooks back up with his former flame who just happens to still be in love with him. Meg Foster doesn't have a whole lot to do here, but she does well with the screen time she is given.

Meg Foster and William Conrad

Meg Foster and Don Stroud

Baretta - "Count the Days I'm Gone" (November 26, 1975)

Meg Foster had already appeared in a first season episode of Baretta and, like many other shows she did in the '70s, she was asked to come back for an encore performance. However, like her first Baretta episode, she again was not the focal point of the story. Instead, she provides colorful support, this time in the form of an alcoholic older sister of a girl who has gone missing.

It's interesting to note that the little girl in this episode is played by Elizabeth Cheshire, the same young actress who played Jill Hayden in the short-lived TV series Sunshine and TV movie Sunshine Christmas. Both of those projects also featured Meg Foster.

Meg Foster and Robert Blake