Who Killed Teddy Bear? – Cinématographe (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1965
Director: Joseph Cates
Writers: Leon Tokatyan, Arnold Drake
Cast: Sal Mineo, Juliet Prowse, Jan Murray, Elaine Stritch, Margot Bennett, Daniel J. Travanti, Diane Moore, Frank Campanella, Bruce Glover

Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Approximate running times: 94 Minutes 22 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (UHD)/Region A (Blu-Ray)
Retail Price: $59.98

"Norah Drain (Juliet Prowse, G.I. Blues), a Manhattan disco hostess, finds herself the victim of a stalker and obscene phone caller. NYPD Lieutenant Dave Madden (Jan Murray, Fear City) overhears her complaints at the precinct and takes a personal interest in Drain’s case, finding himself drawn not only to Drain but the sordid desires of the Times Square sex district. As Drain begins to question the intentions of Madden, a sullen busboy at her workplace (Sal Mineo, Rebel Without a Cause) reveals himself as her stalker, putting her in a fight for her life on the streets of New York City." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly restored in 4K from original 35mm negative materials."

Who Killed Teddy Bear? comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 58.7 GB

Feature: 58.5 GB

The source looks excellent; it is easily the best this film has ever looked on home media. Image clarity and compression are solid, contrast and black levels are strong, and the image always looks organic. This release is the full uncut version of Who Killed Teddy Bear, restoring a few minutes of content missing from Network’s Blu-ray release.

Who Killed Teddy Bear? comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.7 GB

Feature: 25.6 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and, range-wise, ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with film historians Elizabeth Purchell and KJ Shepherd.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 15 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a gallery of archival press clippings (13 images), a featurette titled The Locations of Teddy Bear (12 minutes 6 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with distributor Mike Thomas titled From left Field (12 minutes 6 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles),  a video essay by Chris O'Neill titled The Murder of Innocence (13 minutes 2 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Elizabeth Purchell and KJ Shepherd.

Other extras include a J-card MediaBook slipcase and a 40-page booklet (limited to 5,000 units) with an essay titled Another Toy to Love Breaking with Gender Norms in the Underworld written by Kyle Turner, and an essay titled Who Killed Teddy Bear? and the Slow Death of the Production Code written by John Charles.

Summary:

Who Killed Teddy Bear? is one of only three theatrical films directed by Joseph Cates, a filmmaker who primarily worked in television.

A woman who dismissed obscene phone calls quickly realizes the danger she’s in when her stalker acts on their impulses.

The opening moments of Who Killed Teddy Bear? hold the key to the events that unfold. Rooted in a traumatic event from the past, the stalker blames themselves for the accident that left their sister with brain damage. The stalker also suffers from trauma; when he meets a woman named Norah, they are no longer able to restrain their sexual impulses. Though there are many elements in Who Killed Teddy Bear? that fit neatly into exploitation cinema, it is actually a film in which psychology plays a significant role.

The most surprising aspect of Who Killed Teddy Bear? is its characters and the amount of depth given to them. Besides the stalker character, there are two other well-fleshed-out characters: Norah, the woman being stalked, and a police lieutenant who takes personal interest in her case. The police lieutenant takes on a protector role; he was unable to save someone from his past, which now drives him in his quest to remove scum from the streets. Norah is a strong-willed character who is reluctant to let anyone get close to her.

When it comes to the performances, the entire cast is great, especially Sal Mineo's (Rebel Without a Cause) portrayal of Larry, a young man burdened by trauma from his past. He delivers a phenomenal performance in which the character comes off as equally harmless and menacing. Another area where his performance excels is physical presence. That said, he delivers what is arguably his best performance.

Juliet Prowse (G.I. Blues), in the role of Norah, is another exemplary performance. She has a wholesome quality about her that perfectly offsets the deviant characters. Another performance of note is Elaine Stritch’s (Kiss Her Goodbye) portrayal of Marian, Norah’s lesbian boss who makes unwanted advances towards her. Character actor Bruce Glover (Chinatown) portrays a detective.

Though there are a few striking moments visually, for the most part the visuals are fairly standard. Standout moments are the use of the soft-focus cinematography during the trauma flashback and when the stalker lays in their underwear while making obscene phone calls. Who Killed Teddy Bear? also serves as a time capsule of New York City, more specifically Times Square. Famed cinematographer Michael Chapman (Taxi Driver), most known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, made his film debut as assistant cameraman.

Content-wise, Who Killed Teddy Bear? is a film that was ahead of its time in regards to taboo subject matter. The narrative is well-executed; it does a superb job creating and building tension. Despite there being some hints as to who the stalker is, when it comes to their reveal, it's a perfectly timed moment. Ultimately, Who Killed Teddy Bear? is a film that has not lost any of its potency; it takes you by surprise and stays with you long after its final image has faded away.

Who Killed Teddy Bear? gets a definitive release from Cinématographe, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer