After vacationing newlyweds squabble and the wife drives off, her husband calls the resort police and reports her missing; she turns up two days later--accompanied by the local priest!--but may be an impostor. Mystery writer Peter Stone is unable to make Robert Thomas' play "Trap for a Single Man" into a convincing, satisfying movie, much less a TV-movie. Characters enter and exit the honeymoon house with stagy flourish, while the dialogue is heightened to reach bored viewers raised on "Columbo". Jack Klugman plays the police inspector with tongue-in-cheek, but hack director Glenn Jordan has Klugman and the other players shouting and waving their arms, like stage performers desperate to rouse an audience. Stone used the pseudonym "Pierre Marton"; it's a pretty silly movie, I don't blame him for not wanting credit.

When a man calls the police to report his wife missing, nobody is overly concerned. Even when a reluctant Inspector Levine (Jack Klugman) finally drives out to get Daniel Corban's (James Franciscus) statement about how his wife drove off after an argument and hasn't returned since, Levine still maintains that Corban shouldn't worry, she'll probably reappear soon enough. And he appears to be proved right when the local priest, Father Kelleher (Joel Fabiani) visits Corban and tells him his wife wants to come back - but as soon as Elizabeth (Elizabeth Ashley) walks through the door, Corban insists that this woman is NOT his wife! And that's just the very beginning of the movie.Now Corban tries to prove to Levine and Kelleher that the woman is an impostor, while Elizabeth tries to convince them that her husband is disturbed and potentially in need of psychiatric help. It is up to Levine to find out the truth.The mystery is extremely well crafted and full of plot twists, until the viewer can no longer be sure as to who is doing what to whom and why. At the same time, it has a great sense of humor, exploring the absurdly comical side of the situation as well as the mystery. Especially Levine has a lot of funny lines, and it is hilarious to watch the couple arguing over whether she is or isn't his wife in front of a rather puzzled-looking Kelleher and Levine as spectators to the domestic drama.Adapted from a stage play, the teleplay is excellent. The casting is great, and so is the acting. A true masterpiece of television entertainment. If you get a chance, you should definitely watch it! Every once in a while you might catch it on TV. It's around on VHS, and it's also on youtube.10 out of 10

For a made-for-TV movie, this one is great! Jack Klugman is funny, caring and clever as a big-city cop transferred to a sleepy suburb. When Daniel Corban reports that a woman has showed up impersonating his wife, it's up to Klugman to solve the mystery. Watch for a quirky priest, a charity woman and deli owner who help stir the pot. You don't know who to trust until the very, very end. James Franciscus, who can be a bit wooden in some roles, is great a man who who wonders if he himself is going crazy, or if it's just everyone else. I first saw this one when it was one of the ABC "Movies of the Week" in the 1970s, and didn't see it again until the 1990s. I taped it (got started five or 10 minutes late) but it is a VHS that I cherish--whip it out whenever I need a lift.

This is a thriller made with all of the best ingredients. Just enough information is given in the beginning to pull the viewer into the plot. Critical information about the characters is withheld, however, to give viewers a chance to bond with the villain, not knowing who he is. The numerous changes in direction of the plot provide roller coaster swings and turns for the pleasantly confused viewer. As the final scenes tumble into the open, the viewer becomes torn in his loyalties to the main character and the supporting actor. At last, the truth of the matter comes into full view as the final scenes breeze by. The viewer is left holding his breath, waiting for permission to exhale! Excellent!