SUMMARY: APPROX. RUNNING TIME: 22:00 Min.
First airing on September 30, 1995, Bruce McDonald directed this episode of the Canadian syndicated TV series off series story editor Laura Phillips’ original script.
In this incarnation of Nancy Drew, Nancy and her two friends: Bess and George live downtown in a large city at the supposedly haunted Callisto Hotel. This episode doesn’t specify the girls’ careers or if they’re still college students – all one gets is that George is evidently an amateur filmmaker.
Five years have lapsed since rock star Billy Feral’s (Bissonette) enigmatic demise. A pilgrimage by Feral’s mourning fans descends upon The Callisto Hotel on the anniversary of his death. Per George’s (Tanner) video footage for a Feral documentary she is filming, Nancy Drew (Ryan) views suspicious visual evidence that Feral’s ghost is haunting The Callisto’s fan memorial. More so, Nancy and her friends find that others residing at The Callisto are keeping secrets about the musician’s tragic life.
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Tracy Ryan
George Fayne: Joy Tanner
Bess Marvin: Jhene Erwin
Billy Feral: Joel Bissonette
Amina: Kyrin Hall
Simon: Uncredited.
Pete: Matthew Smith
Seymour: Conrad Bergschneider
Clerk: Eric Kimmel
Video Store Customers: Uncredited
Other Callisto Residents: Uncredited
Feral’s Fans: Uncredited.
Notes: There are sporadic hints that the series was filmed in Canada. Reminiscent of their 1970’s incarnations, this series was produced in conjunction with a Hardy Boys TV series – as it, too, wasn’t long for this world. Both single-season series only ran for thirteen episodes and were effectively canceled the same night: December 16, 1995.
REVIEW:
To its modest credit, this episode sports an okay series lead in Tracy Ryan (frankly, co-star Joy Tanner might have made better casting) and a potentially intriguing premise. At only twenty-two minutes, the plot’s rudimentary execution, however, is really more akin to what one might expect from The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. One could also imagine that the script somewhat echoes elements of Eddie and The Cruisers.
Considering this Nancy Drew’s obvious budget limitations, “The Death and Life of Billy Feral” doesn’t strive for more than it can achieve. At most, it’s an easily forgettable ghost story tease meant for an all-ages audience. For undemanding viewers, this contrived episode is worth catching once – if at all.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars
IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE
