The Spy Killer

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The Spy Killer
The Spy Killer.jpg
American VHS cover
Based onprivate i
by Jimmy Sangster
Written by Jimmy Sangster
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Starring Robert Horton
Sebastian Cabot
Jill St. John
Music by Johnny Pearson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers Jimmy Sangster
Harold D. Cohen
Cinematography Arthur Grant
EditorSpencer Reeve
Running time74 minutes
Production companies American Broadcasting Company
Halsan Productions
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseNovember 11, 1969 (1969-11-11)

The Spy Killer is a 1969 American action thriller drama spy television film originally aired on ABC and directed by Roy Ward Baker. Its teleplay, written by Jimmy Sangster, was based on his own 1967 novel private i. [1] The film starred Robert Horton, Sebastian Cabot, and Jill St. John. [2] In the following year, a sequel titled Foreign Exchange was released with the same main cast and crew. [3]

Contents

Both novels were reprinted by Brash Books in September 2019 in ebook, paperback and audio editions. [4]

Plot

Former spy turned private eye John Smith (Robert Horton) is wrongly arrested for the murder of his ex-wife's new husband. Smith then finds himself acquitted for the crime by his former intelligence boss (Sebastian Cabot), but in return for a notebook from his time as a spy. This book lists the names of Western agents operating covertly in Red China, and as Smith discovers, others are also chasing the book.

Cast

References

  1. "Jimmy Sangster's John Smith Spy Novels: private i (Triton, 1967)". Existential Ennui. October 15, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  2. "The Spy Killer (1969)". BFI. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021.
  3. "Foreign Exchange (1970)". BFI. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018.
  4. "Mystery/Thriller Book Review: The Spy Killer by Jimmy Sangster. Brash, $16.99 trade paper (180p) ISBN 978-1-941298-40-4". PublishersWeekly.com.