TV's 25 Scariest Episodes - #19 - "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

October 10, 5:17 PMClassic TV ExaminerDoug Krentzlin

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    Palance as Jekyll & Hyde (ABC)

There have been countless stage and film adaptations of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (usually under the shortened title Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Undoubtedly, the most famous film versions were the ones made in 1920 (starring John Barrymore), 1931 (Fredrick March in an Oscar-winning performance) and 1941 (Spencer Tracy).

Arguably, the best and most faithful version was producer Dan Curtis’ television adaptation The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (originally broadcast on Jan. 7, 1968 as an episode of The ABC Sunday Night Movie of the Week). Curtis, who, of course, was best known at the time for his groundbreaking afternoon soap opera Dark Shadows, pulled out all the stops with this production that was video-taped on lavish indoor studio sets in Canada.

Directed by Charles Jarrott and scripted by Ian McLelland Hunter, this TV-movie recounts the familiar story of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a physician and scientist in 1888 London, who seeks to release mankind from its baser instincts by inventing a formula which will separate the dual sides of personality. Using the potion on himself, he is transformed into Mr. Edward Hyde, a brutal psychopathic throwback to primitive man whose crimes include rape, assault and murder.

         Jason Robards as Hyde (ABC)

           Jack Palance as Hyde (ABC)

Jason Robards was originally cast in the title roles, but filming was delayed due to a strike, which possibly explains why it was eventually taped in Canada. Make-up artist extraordinaire Dick Smith patterned Robards’ Hyde after John Barrymore’s take on the character, but when Robards was unavailable after the strike and replaced by Jack Palance, Cutis opted for a satyr-like appearance for Hyde. (Contrary to popular belief, Palance did not wear an equal amount of make-up as Jekyll. The only change from his regular features was a prosthetic nose he wore over his natural flat, broken nose.)

Palance rose to the occasion and gave one of the finest performances of his entire career. His Jekyll is subtle and understated, while his Hyde adheres to Stevenson’s original concept of a younger, more energetic alternative to Jekyll’s middle-aged stodginess. (In his first appearance at a sleazy music hall, Palance’s Hyde seems almost dashing in an Errol Flynn manner.)

One notable departure from the original novella in most adaptations was the addition of an aristocratic fiancée for Jekyll and a lower-class Cockney showgirl who becomes Hyde’s long-suffering mistress. Hunter wisely ditched the fiancée, but expanded the role of the floozy (renamed Gwyn Thomas), making her stronger and more intelligent than previous incarnations of the character.

The incredibly sexy British actress Billie Whitelaw, who, to this day, is considered to be one of the world’s foremost interpreters of Samuel Beckett’s work, made her American television debut as Gwyn. She had two major advantages over Mariam Hopkins and Ingrid Bergman, the best-known among the actresses who previously played the part: (1) her Cockney accent was authentic, and (2), her fiery spirit in the early scenes make her eventual taming by Hyde (he whips her brutally with cords ripped from a wicker chair) much more frightening and poignant.

Hunter also retained the novella’s main narrator and hero, Jekyll’s lawyer Utterson who, for some reason, is rechristened George Devlin (Denholm Elliott). (The novella is structured as a mystery tale in which Utterson plays detective to discover the connection between the respectable Jekyll and the malevolent Hyde. It isn’t until the second to last chapter that the reader learns that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same.)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde proved to be a major triumph for Curtis. When he decided to attempt another classic Gothic horror tale six years later, he knew that the perfect casting for the role of Count Dracula would be Palance, but we’ll be covering that film later.