What's behind Father Frank's bizarre behaviour? His housemaid played by Mary Wickes keeps a distance as he whispered something inappropriate to her. Sister Stevie sees him at a sleazy bar with a floozie, dancing away very closely. She's perplexed - but there must be a reasonable explanation to this bizarre behaviour. And the simple explanation is that Father has a doppelgänger- a twin brother! What entails in this serviceable mystery is quite fun, especially the humorous aspect of the ones close to Father puzzled by his behaviour. By the way, I love Tracy Nelson's accent; it's unique and cute. Plus her character is great.
Father Dowling Mysteries (TV Series)
The Face in the Mirror Mystery (1989)
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When Father Dowling Jumped the Shark
aramis-112-80488016 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I've long been a fan of Ralph McInerny--but not his Father Dowling books. McInerny was a professor of philosophy at Notre Dame and an Aquinan scholar. His nonfiction books are excellent and his articles in magazines like CRISIS and FIRST THINGS crisply written and logical. But as with other Christian scholars like C. S. Lewis and Dorothy Sayers, his fiction never moved me and I found my interest in murder for fun sated by Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, Margery Allingham, etc.
For the television show, the character of Father Dowling is vastly changed. McInerny's thin-faced and tetchy priest is played by the ever-likable Tom Bosley and made into a sort of Father Brown (G. K. Chesterton, whose works are totally wonderful but never used in the "Father Brown" series). Even the good father's name was changed, from Roger in the books to Frank in the series. Now, that is curious.
Assisting Bosley's atypical Father Dowling is Tracy Nelson, taking what may be a modified role of another of McInerny's characters, but who is no regular feature of his "Father Dowling" series. She has modern street-smarts and at the time was young enough to do the running around Bosley, in his sixties, could not do. Though Nelson comes from something of a television-cum-entertainment dynasty, her bizarre accent makes it difficult for anyone to tell what she says.
The series started well enough, though it took its time finding its feet with a regular policeman. It also never seemed to capture the "charm" it apparently wanted and desperately needed.
Counting the pilot and a two-parter, "The Face in the Mirror" was the sixth episode aired and "Father Dowling" the series is already digging out the old trope of a look-alike committing heinous acts in his name and face.
It turns out (no big surprise, though it's a spoiler, so beware) he has a twin brother. Or . . . has he? That's his story, but it could be Father Dowling has flipped his lid.
These days, the way religious people are portrayed by a non-sympathetic media, it would be more likely the Catholic priest is the out-and-out hypocrite they love to trot out. They would be more likely to have a seemingly devout Catholic priest actually using his collar as cover for the commission of crimes. Say, that wouldn't be a bad premise for a show, at that--except these days we rarely get any sympathetic religious characters. And even in the '80s, the media bigwigs probably felt more comfortable confining religion to professional religious people like Catholic priests, preachers as in "Seventh Heaven", and angels on their respective shows ("Highway to Heaven" & "Touched by an Angel). We certainly can't see ordinary people guided by a wholesome religious impulse in their daily lives.
But the question of whether Father Dowling is a secret monster, or having mental issues, or has an impostor trying to frame him, is fairly transparent. And from the sixth episode of the series (about a seventh of the way through) it began a long slide down to the bizarre third series.
But the downward slide started here, when apparently no original ideas were available (not even from McInerny's original stories). Overall, a stupid episode, especially the hat trick that should never have fooled a police officer.
For the television show, the character of Father Dowling is vastly changed. McInerny's thin-faced and tetchy priest is played by the ever-likable Tom Bosley and made into a sort of Father Brown (G. K. Chesterton, whose works are totally wonderful but never used in the "Father Brown" series). Even the good father's name was changed, from Roger in the books to Frank in the series. Now, that is curious.
Assisting Bosley's atypical Father Dowling is Tracy Nelson, taking what may be a modified role of another of McInerny's characters, but who is no regular feature of his "Father Dowling" series. She has modern street-smarts and at the time was young enough to do the running around Bosley, in his sixties, could not do. Though Nelson comes from something of a television-cum-entertainment dynasty, her bizarre accent makes it difficult for anyone to tell what she says.
The series started well enough, though it took its time finding its feet with a regular policeman. It also never seemed to capture the "charm" it apparently wanted and desperately needed.
Counting the pilot and a two-parter, "The Face in the Mirror" was the sixth episode aired and "Father Dowling" the series is already digging out the old trope of a look-alike committing heinous acts in his name and face.
It turns out (no big surprise, though it's a spoiler, so beware) he has a twin brother. Or . . . has he? That's his story, but it could be Father Dowling has flipped his lid.
These days, the way religious people are portrayed by a non-sympathetic media, it would be more likely the Catholic priest is the out-and-out hypocrite they love to trot out. They would be more likely to have a seemingly devout Catholic priest actually using his collar as cover for the commission of crimes. Say, that wouldn't be a bad premise for a show, at that--except these days we rarely get any sympathetic religious characters. And even in the '80s, the media bigwigs probably felt more comfortable confining religion to professional religious people like Catholic priests, preachers as in "Seventh Heaven", and angels on their respective shows ("Highway to Heaven" & "Touched by an Angel). We certainly can't see ordinary people guided by a wholesome religious impulse in their daily lives.
But the question of whether Father Dowling is a secret monster, or having mental issues, or has an impostor trying to frame him, is fairly transparent. And from the sixth episode of the series (about a seventh of the way through) it began a long slide down to the bizarre third series.
But the downward slide started here, when apparently no original ideas were available (not even from McInerny's original stories). Overall, a stupid episode, especially the hat trick that should never have fooled a police officer.
The Face in the Mirror Mystery
Prismark103 April 2024
It is only the seventh episode of the first series and it's the old identical double story.
Father Dowling has a lookalike in the family that he has never mentioned before. It is not a twin but an identical half brother.
Blane Dowling did not follow a righteous path, instead he has been causing trouble for Father Dowling and the good Father has had to pick up the tab. Blane even insulted housekeeper Marie and she is leaving not realising it was not Father Dowling.
It is all part of a cunning plan to steal a valuable diamond. Blane knows Father Dowling will interfere. When the time is right Blane plans to pick the diamond under the noses of the police.
It is really bad stuff, a load of drivel. Just imagine how bad the rejected scripts were if this was greenlit for production.
Father Dowling has a lookalike in the family that he has never mentioned before. It is not a twin but an identical half brother.
Blane Dowling did not follow a righteous path, instead he has been causing trouble for Father Dowling and the good Father has had to pick up the tab. Blane even insulted housekeeper Marie and she is leaving not realising it was not Father Dowling.
It is all part of a cunning plan to steal a valuable diamond. Blane knows Father Dowling will interfere. When the time is right Blane plans to pick the diamond under the noses of the police.
It is really bad stuff, a load of drivel. Just imagine how bad the rejected scripts were if this was greenlit for production.
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