Cold, unhappy Diana Muldaur schemes with young lover James Stacy to leave her overbearing husband stranded in the middle of the Mojave desert with a broken leg. Who of us cannot wonder: Could this happen to me? Could I survive if it did? Arthur Hill is the perfect chap for this rigorous acting workout: he's an Everyman, a survivor, and I sure wanted him to belt that broad when he had the chance. Muldaur made a career out of playing unlikable women, and yet I always admired her skill. Intelligent, glamorous, stylish with scarves in her red hair, I was never unconvinced by a performance she gave. I long for the days when ABC-TV produced classy, intriguing dramas for their prime-time spots. Whether it was Cloris Leachman in "Dying Room Only", Amanda Blake being driven crazy in "Betrayal", or conniving Stella Stevens in "Linda", they were usually worth-watching. Bravo to "Ordeal", another fine telefilm from the 1970s.