Experiment in Terror

Last updated
Experiment in Terror
Experiment In Terror poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Blake Edwards
Written by Mildred Gordon
Gordon Gordon
Produced byBlake Edwards
Starring Glenn Ford
Lee Remick
Stefanie Powers
Ross Martin
Cinematography Philip H. Lathrop
Edited byPatrick McCormack
Music by Henry Mancini
Production
company
Geoffrey-Kate Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 13, 1962 (1962-04-13)
Running time
123 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.4 million (US/Canada) [1]

Experiment in Terror is a 1962 American neo-noir thriller film released by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Blake Edwards and written by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon based on their 1961 novel Operation Terror. The film stars Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin. [2] The musical score was composed by Henry Mancini.

Contents

Plot

A sadistic killer, Garland "Red" Lynch, uses a campaign of terror to force San Francisco bank teller Kelly Sherwood to steal $100,000 from the bank for him. Despite Lynch's threat to kill Sherwood or her teenage sister Toby if she goes to the police, Sherwood contacts the San Francisco office of the FBI, where agent John Ripley takes charge of the case.

Ripley interviews another woman who implies that she is involved in some way in a serious crime, but before she can give Ripley the details, Lynch murders her. Sherwood continues to be terrorized with phone calls, an asthmatic condition making the unseen Lynch's voice all the more sinister.

The FBI identifies the criminal, noting that Lynch has a record of convictions for statutory rape, forgery, criminal assault, armed robbery and murder. They track down his girlfriend, Lisa Soong, whose six-year-old son has just had a hip replaced. Lynch is paying all the hospital bills. Because of this, Lisa refuses to believe that Lynch is a criminal and will not cooperate with the investigation. Ripley nevertheless manages to get some information about "Uncle Red" from the boy.

Lynch finally gives Sherwood a time and date to steal the money, and just to make sure that she does, he kidnaps her sister Toby and holds her captive. The climax is a chase through Candlestick Park after a nighttime baseball game between the rival San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. On-field action includes several closeups of Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale. Ripley and his men ultimately surround Lynch on the infield of the stadium. As Lynch takes aim at a police helicopter, Ripley shoots him and he dies on the pitcher's mound.

Cast

Production

Herb Stein reported on the film's five weeks of production in the Bay Area. Following the Giants-Dodgers game filming, "Later the picture gang rented Candlestick to shoot reaction In the stands, hired about 1000 extras from the unemployed here—their take running from $25 to $50 a night. Notwithstanding the fact that Candlestick Park is probably the windiest stadium in the country, the Hollywood company brought its own wind machines from the studios just in case the Giants home grounds disappointed. Also hauled were fog machines, in the event the Twin Peaks locale, famous for its fog, was clear the nights the company planned to shoot….Cost of the location runs to $50,000 a day which, over a five week stretch, adds up." [3]

Experiment in Terror was filmed on location in San Francisco. Kelly Sherwood's house is at 100 St. Germain Avenue in the Clarendon Heights district (now demolished). Kelly works at the Crocker-Anglo Bank (now Wells Fargo Bank) located at One Montgomery Street. The climactic chase at the end of the film was filmed at Candlestick Park; other nearby filming locations included Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach.

Release

The film opened in New York on April 13, 1962. [4] The film was originally released in the UK under the title The Grip of Fear. [2]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 8 reviews, with an average score of 8.40/10. [5] It has been shown on the Turner Classic Movies show 'Noir Alley' with Eddie Muller.

Awards

Ross Martin was nominated for a 1963 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. [6]

Notes

  1. "Big Rental Pictures of 1962". Variety. 9 Jan 1963. p. 13. Please note these are rentals and not gross figures
  2. 1 2 Erickson, Hal. "Experiment in Terror: Overview Allmovie". Allmovie. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  3. Stein, Herb. "Best from Hollywood." Philadelphia Inquirer, 6 September 1961, H23.
  4. TCM Overview
  5. Experiment in Terror, Rotten Tomatoes , retrieved 2022-03-19
  6. "Experiment in Terror: Awards Allmovie". Allmovie. Retrieved August 27, 2010.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Dodgers</span> Major League Baseball franchise in Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. Established in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the team joined the NL in 1890 as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and assumed several other monikers before finally settling on the name Dodgers in 1932. From the 1940s through the mid-1950s, the Dodgers developed a fierce crosstown rivalry with the New York Yankees as the two clubs faced each other in the World Series seven times, with the Dodgers losing the first five matchups before defeating them to win the franchise's first title in 1955. It was also during this period that the Dodgers made history by breaking the baseball color line in 1947 with the debut of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the Major Leagues since 1884. Another major milestone was reached in 1956 when Don Newcombe became the first player ever to win both the Cy Young Award and the NL MVP in the same season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candlestick Park</span> Former stadium in San Francisco, California

Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Hunters Point area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until 1999, after which the Giants moved into Pacific Bell Park in 2000. It was also the home field of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League from 1971 through 2013. The 49ers moved to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara for the 2014 season. The last event held at Candlestick was a concert by Paul McCartney in August 2014, and the demolition of the stadium was completed in September 2015. As of 2019, the site is planned to be redeveloped into office space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oracle Park</span> Baseball park in San Francisco, CA, US

Oracle Park is a baseball stadium in the SoMa district of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's current name was purchased by the Oracle Corporation in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Kent</span> American baseball player (born 1968)

Jeffrey Franklin Kent is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992–2008 for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vin Scully</span> American sportscaster (1927–2022)

Vincent Edward Scully was an American sportscaster, best known for his broadcast work in Major League Baseball. Scully was the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers for sixty-seven years, beginning in 1950 and ending in 2016. He is considered by many to be the greatest sports broadcaster of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seals Stadium</span> Minor league baseball stadium in San Francisco (1931–1959)

Seals Stadium was a minor league baseball stadium on the west coast of the United States, located in San Francisco, California; it later became the first home of the major league San Francisco Giants. Opened in the Mission District in 1931, Seals Stadium was the longtime home of the San Francisco Seals (1931–57) of the Pacific Coast League. The PCL's Mission Reds (1931–37) shared the ballpark with the Seals for the first seven years, then moved to Los Angeles and became the Hollywood Stars.

<i>That Darn Cat!</i> 1965 American thriller comedy film by Robert Stevenson

That Darn Cat! is a 1965 American thriller comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Hayley Mills and Dean Jones in a story about bank robbers, a kidnapping and a mischievous cat. Produced by Walt Disney Productions, the film was based on the 1963 novel Undercover Cat by Gordon and Mildred Gordon. The title song was written by the Sherman Brothers and sung by Bobby Darin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Roseboro</span> American baseball player (1933-2002)

John Junior Roseboro was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1957 until 1970, most prominently as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. A four-time All-Star player, Roseboro is considered one of the best defensive catchers of the 1960s, winning two Gold Glove Awards. He was the Dodgers' starting catcher in four World Series with the Dodgers winning three of those.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph H. Lewis</span> American film director

Joseph H. Lewis was an American B-movie film director whose stylish flourishes came to be appreciated by auteur theory-espousing film critics in the years following his retirement in 1966. In a 30-year directorial career, he directed numerous low-budget westerns, action pictures, musicals, adventures, and thrillers. Today he is remembered for mysteries and film noir stories: My Name Is Julia Ross (1945) and So Dark the Night (1946) as well as his most highly regarded features, 1950's Gun Crazy, which spotlighted a desperate young couple who embark on a deadly crime spree, and the 1955 film noir The Big Combo, with its stunning cinematography by John Alton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Long</span> American baseball player (1926-1991)

Richard Dale Long was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Browns, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Washington Senators between 1951 and 1963. Listed as 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and 205 pounds (93 kg), he batted and threw left-handed.

<i>Desperate Hours</i> 1990 film by Michael Cimino

Desperate Hours is a 1990 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Michael Cimino. It is a remake of the 1955 film of the same name and an adaptation the 1954 novel by Joseph Hayes, who also co-wrote the script with Cimino based on a treatment by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Cimino was not credited as writer on the finished product. The film stars Mickey Rourke, Anthony Hopkins, Mimi Rogers, Kelly Lynch, Lindsay Crouse, Elias Koteas and David Morse. It marks Cimino's third collaboration with Rourke, having previously worked with him on the films Heaven's Gate and Year of the Dragon.

The 1963 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 8 to October 6, 1963. The American League and National League both featured ten teams, with each team playing a 162-game schedule.

<i>The Running Man</i> (1963 film) 1963 film by Carol Reed

The Running Man is a 1963 British-American neo noir drama film directed by Carol Reed, starring Laurence Harvey as a man who fakes his own death in a glider accident, then runs into trouble when an insurance investigator starts taking a close interest. It was adapted by screenwriter John Mortimer from the 1961 novel The Ballad of the Running Man by Shelley Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guillermo Moscoso</span> Venezuelan baseball player (born 1983)

Guillermo Alejandro Moscoso is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants.

<i>Cry Terror!</i> 1958 American thriller film

Cry Terror! is a 1958 American crime thriller film starring James Mason, Inger Stevens, and Rod Steiger. The story was written and directed by Andrew L. Stone. Neville Brand, Jack Klugman and Angie Dickinson appear in support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thriller film</span> Film genre

Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. Tension is created by delaying what the audience sees as inevitable, and is built through situations that are menacing or where escape seems impossible.

The 1959 National League tie-breaker series was a best-of-three playoff series that extended Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1959 regular season to decide the winner of the National League (NL) pennant. The tiebreaker series was necessary after the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Braves finished the season with identical win–loss records of 86–68 (.558) on Sunday, September 27, three games ahead of the San Francisco Giants. It was the first tie-breaker in the majors in eight years, also in the National League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season

The 2013 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 64th in the National Football League (NFL), 68th overall and third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke. This marked the first season since 2004 that quarterback Alex Smith was not on the roster as he joined the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the 49ers' final season playing their home games at Candlestick Park before moving into Levi's Stadium for the 2014 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orel Hershiser's scoreless innings streak</span> Major League Baseball pitching record

During the 1988 Major League Baseball season, pitcher Orel Hershiser of the Los Angeles Dodgers set the MLB record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Over 59 consecutive innings, opposing hitters did not score a run against Hershiser. During the streak, he averted numerous high-risk scoring situations. The streak spanned from the sixth inning of an August 30 game against the Montreal Expos to the 10th inning of a September 28 game against the San Diego Padres. The previous record of 58+23 innings was set by former Dodger pitcher Don Drysdale in 1968; as the team's radio announcer, Drysdale called Hershiser's streak as he pursued the new record. Pundits have described the streak as among the greatest records in baseball history, with one pundit ranking it among the greatest individual feats in American sports.

<i>Criminally Insane</i> (film) 1975 American film

Criminally Insane,, is a 1975 horror film written and directed by Nick Millard. Shot on location in San Francisco, it was followed by a 1987 sequel titled Criminally Insane 2. A remake, Crazy Fat Ethel, was released in 2016.