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.

Directed by noted television and Broadway producer Joseph Cates and co-written by The Doom Patrol and Guardians of the Galaxy co-creator Arnold Drake, WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR? is a relentlessly tawdry time capsule of mid-60s Times Square, evocatively shot on location, in stark black and white, by Joseph C. Brun (Edge of the City). Peerlessly ahead of its time for 1965, WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR? was censored shortly after its original theatrical release and has since only been available on video in its edited version. Cinématographe is proud to present the world blu-ray and 4K UHD debut of Joseph Cates’s seminal New York City thriller in its completely uncensored theatrical release version, adding back several minutes of never-on-video material, newly restored from original 35mm negative materials.

For thoughts on Who Killed Teddy Bear?, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Cinématographe presents Who Killed Teddy Bear? with a fantastic 2160p/HDR transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the Original 35mm Camera Negative. This film has been very scarce on home entertainment domestically, so this leap to 4K UHD Blu-Ray is a gift. It is an even greater gift to have this one restored to its uncensored theatrical version for the first time. This is the oldest film released by the label thus far, and it is handled with the same amount of care they have proven time and time again.

The implementation of HDR10 yields amazing results for this moody black-and-white feature. The handling of the contrast is flawless with deep, inky black levels and firm highlights that avoid blooming. We did not spot any crush or other encoding issues such as swarming grain. And yes, natural film grain is intact to amazing effect. Every scene is lovely and consistently faithful without any signs of unwanted manipulation as everything resolves perfectly. There is a plethora of fine detail to delight in thanks to this stunning restoration. The texture present in the costumes and within the various interior spaces allows this film to feel more tactile than ever. All print damage and stray specks have been eradicated. The encoding appears to be free of any digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or other such eyesores. Cinématographe closes out their first year with a winning release.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with the original DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track which lives up to the quality of the video presentation. The film has a very effective soundtrack and score courtesy of Charles Calello which establishes the mood of the story. Every note flows out of the speakers with perfect fidelity. These elements play well with the dialogue which comes through clearly without being overshadowed by competing elements. This presentation is clear of any hissing, humming, or other age-related wear-and-tear. The environmental sounds seem deftly executed so that nothing ever feels unnatural. A handful of exciting moments liven up the speakers without losing clarity, as every noise is acutely delineated. Cinématographe has done proper work with this one to make it sound as strong as possible. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

The Limited Edition version of Who Killed Teddy Bear? comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer slipcase that opens up to a MediaBook that includes a bound booklet featuring new essays by film historian John Charles and film critic Kyle Turner plus select archival photo reproductions. These essays delve into the film from multiple angles and provide a great analysis in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Disc One (4K UHD)

Audio Commentary: Film historians Elizabeth Purchell and KJ Shepherd provide a great commentary track in which they discuss the somewhat overlooked nature of the film, the new uncut version of the film, where this fits into the career of these creatives, the subtext and thematic underpinnings, details about the shooting locations, the background of the performers, and much more that puts things into context.

Disc Two (Blu-Ray)

Audio Commentary: Film historians Elizabeth Purchell and KJ Shepherd

An Interview with Distributor Michael Thomas: A new 18-minute interview with the distributor who talks about his background, the impact of grindhouse theaters on his sensibilities, wandering into a showing of Who Killed Teddy Bear?, saving a print of the movie from being destroyed, his work in the exploitation space, and much more is fascinating.

The Murder of Innocence – A Video Essay by Chris O’Neill: A great 13-minute visual essay is provided in which the insightful film historian discusses the controversial nature of the film, how it fits into the pantheon of psychopaths, the performance of Sal Mineo, the themes of the feature, and more.

Who Filmed Times Square: A 12-minute modern exploration of the filming locations.

Archival Press Clippings: An interactive piece that gives you access to some classic articles.

Theatrical Trailer (2:15)

Final Thoughts

Who Killed Teddy Bear? is grimy film noir that captures the tawdry spirit of the city through the leering eyes of a heathen. While it has elements reminiscent of the classic noir genre, there is no doubt that there is a salacious quality to the story that would not have made it past the Hays Code when it was still being enforced. The performances are quite engaging with Jan Murray registering as creepy as the actual stalker in key moments and Sal Mineo making you want to take a shower simply from watching him on screen. Now that audiences can see it uncensored as originally exhibited, there will surely be a larger embrace of this one. Cinématographe has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a wonderful A/V presentation and a valuable assortment of special features. Recommended

Who Killed Teddy Bear? is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cinématographe has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.