Birds of Prey (1973 film)

Last updated
Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey movie poster.jpg
GenreAction
Thriller
Crime
Written by Robert Boris
Directed by William A. Graham
Starring David Janssen
Ralph Meeker
Elayne Heilveil
Music by Jack Elliott and Allyn Ferguson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Roger Gimbel
Producer Alan A. Armer
Production locations Salt Lake City
Wendover Airport - 345 S. Airport Apron, Wendover, Utah
Cinematography Jordan Cronenweth
EditorJim Benson
Running time81 minutes
Production companyTomorrow Entertainment
Budget$400,000 [1]
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseJanuary 30, 1973 (1973-01-30)

Birds of Prey is a 1973 television film [2] directed by William A. Graham and starring David Janssen, Ralph Meeker, and Elayne Heilveil. The screenplay was written by Robert Boris from a story by Boris and Rupert Hitzig. [3] It is a crime action film depicting a radio station helicopter traffic reporter who, witnessing an armored car robbery, engages in a chase when the suspects flee in a vehicle and then switch to their own get-away helicopter.

Contents

Plot

While flying his helicopter, Harry Walker observes an armed robbery of an armored car at the Zion's Bank in downtown Salt Lake City in which bearded men gun down the guards and grab a canvas sack of currency, then grab a female hostage and shove her into their getaway car. Over the radio, Walker reports what he has seen to his old military commander McAndrew. Walker then pursues the car, while McAndrew informs him that fingerprints have identified two of the robbers as former Marines who served in Vietnam and they surmise that the chopper pilot is similarly experienced. Their hostage is identified as Teresa Janice "T.J." Shaw, a bank employee, who is due to get married that Friday.

Walker rescues Ms. Shaw, who reveals that she has never been far from Salt Lake City in her 22 years and that she has known her fiancé since childhood. A gentle flirtation takes place and she kisses Walker three times, becoming somewhat infatuated.

The following morning, Walker directs Shaw to go to the nearby highway and hitchhike after he lifts off.

The helicopter chase resumes; meanwhile, McAndrew and a police pilot in a Piper Arrow, alerted by the airline pilot, approach the area as well. The two helicopters fly to an abandoned airfield, where the bank employee said the robbers have a getaway plane and pilot to fly them to Mexico. The police aircraft arrives and McAndrew runs to the hangar where Walker has cornered the bandit's helicopter inside, with Walker tossing the money out to McAndrew. Walker then rams his helicopter into the bandit's aircraft to save his buddy. The police pilot runs over and McAndrew says that they are going after the pilot of the getaway plane, who has just fled in a Cessna 206 after seeing the crash.

Cast

Production

Birds of Prey was filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah, [4] with final scenes shot at the recently closed Wendover Air Force Base, where the 509th Composite Group prepared for their atomic bomb missions in World War II with their Silverplate Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. Parts of the film were also shot in Canyonlands and Sevenmile Canyon in Utah. [5] In one technically challenging scene, two helicopters flew within feet of each other inside a hangar, a feat that pilots and aeronautical engineers considered so dangerous that it had not been tried before. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Janssen</span> American actor (1931–1980)

David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive (1963–1967). Janssen also had the title roles in three other series: Richard Diamond, Private Detective; O'Hara, U.S. Treasury and Harry O.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butch Cassidy</span> American Old West outlaw (1866–1908/1937)

Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train and bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Wild Bunch" in the Old West.

Adam Blue Galli was one of a group of criminals known as the "Preppie Bandits". They operated in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1992. The other members were his brother Aaron Galli and his cousins Nathan and Christopher. He fled the state after being charged with murder and robbery, and was recaptured after being featured on America's Most Wanted. In an odd twist, patrons and employees at the restaurant where the murder occurred were watching the program, and alerted police to the presence of another person featured on the same episode, who was currently working at the same restaurant.

<i>S.W.A.T.</i> (film) 2003 film directed by Clark Johnson

S.W.A.T. is a 2003 American action crime thriller film directed by Clark Johnson and written by David Ayer and David McKenna, with the story credited to Ron Mita and Jim McClain. Produced by Neal H. Moritz, it is based on the 1975 television series of the same name and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Jeremy Renner, Brian Van Holt and Olivier Martinez. The plot follows Hondo (Jackson) and his SWAT team as they are tasked to escort an imprisoned drug kingpin/international fugitive to prison after he offers a $100 million reward to anyone who can break him out of police custody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Needham</span> American stunt performer and film director (1931–2013)

Hal Brett Needham was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast cars, such as Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Hooper (1978), The Cannonball Run (1981) and Stroker Ace (1983).

<i>Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry</i> 1974 film by John Hough

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry is a 1974 American road crime drama film based on the 1963 Richard Unekis novel titled The Chase. Directed by John Hough, the film stars Peter Fonda, Susan George, Adam Roarke, and Vic Morrow. Although Jimmie Haskell is credited with writing the music score, the soundtrack contains no incidental music apart from the theme song "Time ", sung by Marjorie McCoy, over the opening and closing titles, and a small amount of music heard over the radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hollywood shootout</span> 1997 bank robbery and subsequent shootout between bank robbers and police

The North Hollywood shootout, also known as the Battle of North Hollywood, was a confrontation between two heavily armed and armored bank robbers, Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Mătăsăreanu, and police officers in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles on February 28, 1997. Both robbers were killed, twelve police officers and eight civilians were injured, and numerous vehicles and other property were damaged or destroyed by the nearly 2,000 rounds of ammunition fired by the robbers and police.

<i>Robbery</i> (1967 film) 1967 British film

Robbery is a 1967 British crime film directed by Peter Yates and starring Stanley Baker, Joanna Pettet and James Booth. The story is a heavily fictionalised version of the 1963 Great Train Robbery. The film was produced by Stanley Baker and Michael Deeley, for Baker's company Oakhurst Productions.

<i>Fast Getaway</i> 1991 American film

Fast Getaway is a 1991 action comedy film, starring Corey Haim, Cynthia Rothrock and Leo Rossi. A sequel Fast Getaway II was released in 1994.

For the real-life aircraft known as a Vertibird, see Tiltrotor

<i>44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out</i> 2003 American action thriller film

44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out is a 2003 American crime action mockumentary television film directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Tim Metcalfe. The film stars Michael Madsen, Ron Livingston, Mario Van Peebles, Andrew Bryniarski, and Oleg Taktarov. It is a semi-fictional dramatization of the 1997 North Hollywood shootout, and follows the perspectives of bank robbers Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. and Emil Mătăsăreanu, as well as various Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers involved in the shootout.

The Norco shootout was an armed confrontation between five heavily armed bank robbers and deputies of the Riverside County and San Bernardino County sheriffs' departments in Norco, California, United States, on May 9, 1980. Two of the five perpetrators and a sheriff's deputy were killed; eight other law enforcement officers, a civilian, and two other perpetrators were wounded; and massive amounts of gunfire damaged at least 30 police cars, a police helicopter, and numerous nearby homes and businesses.

<i>Girl in the Cadillac</i> 1995 American film

Girl in the Cadillac is a crime drama film released in 1995. The film stars Erika Eleniak and William McNamara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Västberga helicopter robbery</span> Swedish robbery

The Västberga helicopter robbery occurred on 23 September 2009 at 05:15 CET when a G4S cash service depot was robbed in Västberga in southern Stockholm, Sweden. The robbers used a stolen Bell 206 Jet Ranger as transport and landed on the rooftop of the G4S building.

Fast Track: No Limits is a 2008 independent film directed by Axel Sand and written and produced by Lee Goldberg. It was a co-production between Action Concept and the German television network ProSiebenSat.1 The film stars Erin Cahill and Andrew Walker.

<i>Edge of Eternity</i> (film) 1959 film directed by Don Siegel

Edge of Eternity is a 1959 American crime film starring Cornel Wilde, Victoria Shaw, and Mickey Shaughnessy. Directed by Don Siegel, it was shot in CinemaScope on location in the Grand Canyon.

<i>Getaway</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Getaway is a 2013 American action thriller film starring Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, James Maslow and Jon Voight. Directed by Courtney Solomon and written by Gregg Maxwell Parker and Sean Finegan, the film is distributed by Warner Bros., Though originally reported to be a remake of the 1972 film The Getaway, the film is actually an original story. This is the first film directed by Solomon in eight years, with his last being 2005's An American Haunting. The film was a critical and commercial failure, grossing $11 million against its $18 million budget.

<i>Nick Carter, Master Detective</i> (film) 1940 film by Jacques Tourneur

Nick Carter, Master Detective is a 1939 film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Walter Pidgeon. It is based original stories created for the screen featuring the Nick Carter character from the long-running literary series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Hutchinson</span> American bank robber (1963–1988)

Phillip La Force Hutchinson was an American bank robber and escaped convict, known for his 1988 rampage in Denver, Colorado, in which he robbed a bank, murdered a police officer, and held a man hostage. He was pursued by police and a news helicopter that filmed his getaway in one of the first recorded police chases. Hutchinson was eventually stopped when the pilot of the news helicopter blocked his vehicle; Hutchinson was then shot dead by police when they surrounded him. A 1991 television film, The Chase, was based on his crime spree.

<i>Taxi 5</i> 2018 French action comedy film

Taxi 5 is a 2018 French action comedy film directed by Franck Gastambide. A sequel to Taxi 4, it is the fifth installment of the Taxi film series and features different characters.

References

  1. The Taming of Hatter Fox Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 12 Oct 1977: g18.
  2. Haber, Joyce (October 6, 1972). "Chopper Chase, Dogfight Highlight 'Birds of Prey'". Sarasota Journal . p. 5-B via Google Books.
  3. Thomas, Kevin (30 January 1973). "Yesterday's Hero Has His Innings". Los Angeles Times. p. IV-16 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Actor, flier busy in 2 films". The Deseret News . January 5, 1977. p. 14 A via Google Books.
  5. D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN   9781423605874.
  6. "Filming the Impossible". The Courier-News. Bridgewater, New Jersey. 30 January 1973. p. A-12 via Newspapers.com.