AllMovie

Barnard Hughes plays Father Brown, the crimesolving cleric created by G. K. Chesterson. In this made for TV movie, Father Brown tends to a parish in the heart of Manhattan--and delights in using his intellectual resources to solve baffling mysteries. He tackles the case of a frightened young actress (Kay Lenz) subjected to a seemingly unfounded campaign of terror; aiding in the investigation is Father Brown's young and somewhat straitlaced assistant (Robert Schenkkan). Though this 2-hour pilot did not graduate to a series, the "Father Brown" concept would later be reworked into a moderately successful TV weekly, Father Dowling Mysteries, starring Tom Bosley in the title role. Father Brown, Detective has been reissued to home video and TV under two alternate titles: Sanctuary of Fear and Girl in the Park.