Rather different than typical Highway Safety film fare,The Third Killer employs a nationally known actor in the main character of "Rellik".In the opening,Rellik is seen meeting with his boss over his three "accounts",discussing "sales figures".These actually turn out to be Heart disease,cancer,and traffic deaths.He suggests an all out blitz to push #3.Rellik visits a hospital and is amazed at the advances in medicine,and the work with Heart problems,and cancer.Disgruntled he decides to push #3....auto deaths.Walking along the roadway he flags down 2 teens in a 1966 GTO convertible,gives them a letter to mail and tells them to hurry....hoping they will crash to their deaths.He occupies a "Giant Saveway" store and tells a caller that they are closing shortly and they better rush over.Also,he's playing pump jockey at a filling station and tells an old lady that she has a bulge on her tire's sidewall,but tells her not to fix it...to save money.In between these scenarios,actual footage of gory car crashes and deaths are inserted (Mustang split in 2,1965 Dodge Coronet (complete with console shifter)hit by train and rolled-over,head on crashes,new station wagon driver plants his face into the rear of a flatbed trailer).The reactions and actions of the main character are priceless...the worth of a real actor portraying the character. Here's a bit of trivia.....Rellik comes across a black 20+ year old man crossing the street.He asks if he has any free samples in his briefcase,he says sorry he doesn't.Rellik isn't very smart..because this man played the part of a guy who along with his buddy were killed when their 1957 Fairlane 500 slammed the back of a Consolodated Freightways tractor trailer in "Wheels of Tragedy"(1962).This "actor" was from a local playhouse,which HSF regularly used.
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