The Strangers in 7A

Last updated
The Strangers in 7A
The Strangers in 7A.jpg
Home video release misprinted as Strangers in 7A
Written by Eric Roth
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Starring Andy Griffith
Ida Lupino
Michael Brandon
Tim McIntire
Music by Morton Stevens
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerMark Carliner
Cinematography Robert B. Hauser
EditorBud S. Isaacs
Running time74 minutes
Production companies Palomar Pictures
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseNovember 14, 1972 (1972-11-14)

The Strangers in 7A is a 1972 American made-for-television thriller drama film directed by Paul Wendkos and starring Andy Griffith, Ida Lupino, and Michael Brandon. It is based on the 1971 novel of the same title by Fielden Farrington and originally aired on CBS on November 14, 1972.

Contents

The film was the first real dramatic role for Griffith following his eight-year run on The Andy Griffith Show , and his two unsuccessful series follow-ups ( Headmaster and The New Andy Griffith Show ). The film would lead Griffith to star in a series of TV-movies throughout the entire 1970s and most of the 1980s before he re-emerged with another successful series ( Matlock ).

Plot

Artie Sawyer (Griffith) is a World War II veteran who has been laid off from his factory job. His relationship with his wife, Iris (Lupino), is strained as a result. He takes a job as the superintendent of an apartment building in New York. [1] One night, when Iris is out of town, Artie goes to a bar. He meets a pretty girl named Claudine (Benton) who is looking for an apartment. He brings her to his apartment building intending to let her stay in Apartment 7A, but she seduces Artie. Artie falls for the girl, but her attentions are a ruse. Her sadistic boyfriend Billy (Brandon) and his Army buddies Riff and Virgil plan to use the apartment as a base from which to rob the bank next door. Not knowing about their plans, Artie is suspicious of them when they arrive, but they promise to leave as soon as possible. Artie allows them to stay temporarily, fearing they could expose his tryst with Claudine to Iris.

Artie's conscience gets the better of him, and he sneaks into 7A while the conspirators are away at the bank planting the bomb under a ruse of needing a large safety deposit box for wedding keepsakes while on their honeymoon from Minnesota. Unbelievably they say they've just been married for about three hours.

He discovers the plan to rob the bank. He is caught by Virgil, who holds him there until Billy and Claudine return. Billy orders Virgil and Riff to kidnap Iris, and Iris and Artie are tied up in 7A until after the robbery.

The robbery is foiled when the police surround the bank, and Virgil is killed in an exchange of gunfire. Billy blames Riff when the bomb they rigged to open the vault does not detonate on schedule. To escape the police, Billy forces Riff to plant another bomb in the elevator of the apartment building. Billy orders Iris to tell the police that he will detonate the bomb, killing everyone in the building, if the thieves are not allowed to escape.

Claudine's growing reluctance with the increasing violence and guilt for what she put Artie and Iris through forces her to openly resist Billy's plans. He ridicules her, but leaves her behind (her fate is left unknown.) Billy and Riff then take Artie with them as a hostage. In the elevator, Billy berates Riff again for the failure of the first bomb. When Riff rebuts that the second bomb is their salvation, Billy tells him that he is no longer entitled to the money and kills him with a shotgun. Billy decides to still detonate the bomb. In response, Artie jams the elevator. Billy, enraged, threatens Artie with the shotgun. Artie asks him where he placed the bomb, warning him that now he too will die with everyone else in the building when it goes off. They struggle over the gun, and Billy is shot in the shoulder, losing consciousness. Artie grabs Billy's two-way radio and climbs to the top of the elevator where the bomb is. The police are able to guide him in disarming the bomb, and Artie saves the building.

Artie confesses his indiscretion, and he and Iris reconcile their differences and embrace their relationship. With Iris' support, Artie begins taking engineering classes so that he can get a better job.

Cast

Home video

Synergy Entertainment released the movie on home video [2] with the incorrect title Strangers in 7A (without The) printed on the box. [3] The title card at the start of the film still reads The Strangers in 7A, though.

Related Research Articles

<i>Ticker</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by Albert Pyun

Ticker is a 2001 American action film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Tom Sizemore, Jaime Pressly, Dennis Hopper, Steven Seagal, Ice-T, Kevin Gage, and Nas.

<i>Claudine</i> (film) 1974 film by John Berry

Claudine is a 1974 American romantic comedy-drama film, directed by John Berry. Claudine was written by Lester Pine and Tina Pine, produced by Third World Cinema, and distributed by 20th Century Fox, starring James Earl Jones, Diahann Carroll, and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. The film was released on April 22, 1974, grossing about $6 million, a modest hit for the times. It was praised for showing a new dimension in black cinema during the height of blaxploitation.

Mayberry is a fictional community that was the setting for two popular American television sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Mayberry R.F.D. (1968–1971); Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reunion television film titled Return to Mayberry. The town is also frequently mentioned in the spin-off program Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and is seen when Pyle returns to visit his home town. Mayberry is said to be based on Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina. Mount Airy is also known as Mayberry and called by both names by its residents.

<i>Killers Kiss</i> 1955 film by Stanley Kubrick

Killer's Kiss is a 1955 American independently-produced crime film noir directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by Kubrick and Howard Sackler. It is the second feature film directed by Kubrick, following his 1953 debut feature Fear and Desire. The film stars Jamie Smith, Irene Kane, and Frank Silvera.

<i>Make Room! Make Room!</i> 1966 novel by Harry Harrison

Make Room! Make Room! is a 1966 science fiction novel written by Harry Harrison exploring the consequences of both unchecked population growth on society and the hoarding of resources by a wealthy minority. It was originally serialized in Impulse magazine.

<i>They Call Me Mister Tibbs!</i> 1970 film by Gordon Douglas

They Call Me Mister Tibbs! is a 1970 American DeLuxe Color crime drama film directed by Gordon Douglas. The second installment in a trilogy, the release was preceded by In the Heat of the Night (1967) and followed by The Organization (1971). The film's title was taken from a line in the first film.

<i>While the City Sleeps</i> (1956 film) 1956 film by Fritz Lang

While the City Sleeps is a 1956 American film noir directed by Fritz Lang and starring Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Howard Duff, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, John Drew Barrymore and Ida Lupino. Written by Casey Robinson, the newspaper drama was based on The Bloody Spur by Charles Einstein, which was inspired by the case of Chicago serial killer William Heirens. Five decades after the film's release, critic Dennis Schwartz wrote, "Fritz Lang ('M') directs his most under-appreciated great film, more a social commentary than a straight crime drama."

<i>Hot to Trot</i> 1988 film by Michael Dinner

Hot to Trot is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Michael Dinner, written by Hugo Gilbert, Stephen Neigher, Charlie Peters and Andy Breckman and stars Bobcat Goldthwait, Virginia Madsen, Jim Metzler, Dabney Coleman and the voice of John Candy. It follows an investment broker, who teams with a talking horse who helps him make smart investment tips.

<i>Case Closed: Countdown to Heaven</i> 2001 Japanese film

Case Closed: Countdown to Heaven, known as Detective Conan: Countdown to Heaven in Japan, is a 2001 Japanese animated feature film based on the Case Closed manga series, featuring detective Shinichi Kudo, also known as Conan Edogawa. It made 2.9 billion yen.

<i>Love Crazy</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Jack Conway

Love Crazy is a 1941 American screwball comedy film directed by Jack Conway and starring William Powell, Myrna Loy and Gail Patrick. Powell and Loy play a couple whose marriage is on the verge of being broken up by the husband's old girlfriend and the wife's disapproving mother. This was the eleventh of fourteen films in which they appeared together. The supporting cast includes Jack Carson and Sig Ruman.

<i>The Battle of the Sexes</i> (1914 film) 1914 film

The Battle of the Sexes is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith for the Majestic Motion Picture Company. No complete print of the film is known to exist; however, a fragment has survived. Griffith remade the film as The Battle of the Sexes in 1928 as a comedy-drama and this latter version is available on DVD.

<i>Mute Witness</i> 1995 British film

Mute Witness is a 1995 horror thriller film written, directed and produced by Anthony Waller, his feature film debut. It stars Marina Zudina, Fay Ripley and Oleg Yankovsky and features a brief cameo appearance by Alec Guinness, his final film role in a theatrically-released film. The plot follows a mute American makeup artist working on a slasher film in Moscow, who is pursued by a crime organization making and dealing snuff films after she stumbles upon one of their film sets and witnesses a murder.

<i>Mr. Muggs Steps Out</i> 1943 film by William Beaudine

Mr. Muggs Steps Out is a 1943 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The East Side Kids.

<i>30 Minutes or Less</i> 2011 film by Ruben Fleischer

30 Minutes or Less is a 2011 American action comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Michael Peña, and Fred Ward. The story follows a pizza delivery boy who is strapped with a bomb and forced to, with the help of his friend, rob a bank in exchange for disarming it. Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller, and Jeremy Kramer produced the film.

<i>Eyeborgs</i> 2009 American film

Eyeborgs is a 2009 American science fiction film. It was released direct-to-video on July 6, 2010.

<i>Elevator</i> (2011 film) 2011 American film

Elevator is a 2011 American mystery thriller film directed by Stig Svendsen. It follows the struggles and conflicts of nine strangers trapped in a Wall Street elevator 49 floors above Manhattan on the way to a company party. One of the group has a bomb. The film's events follow the group's attempts to escape, with racism, greed and revenge playing key elements as they all fight to survive.

"Marine One" is the season finale of the first season of the TV series Homeland. It originally aired on Showtime on December 18, 2011. The extended 85-minute episode sees the culmination of Abu Nazir's terrorist plot at the Vice President's summit, while Carrie Mathison's downward spiral continues.

<i>The Case of the Bloody Iris</i> 1972 Italian film

The Case of the Bloody Iris is a 1972 Italian giallo film directed by Giuliano Carnimeo, identified in the credits as Anthony Ascott. The film was referred to as "never boring" and "a competent thriller which offers enough violence and sex to satisfy the most ardent giallo fan".

<i>Dont. Get. Out!</i> 2018 film

Don't. Get. Out! is a 2018 German action thriller film written, co-produced and directed by Christian Alvart. The film stars Wotan Wilke Möhring as a man who is contacted by a mysterious man demanding him to get an amount of money or he'll explode his car with him and his children inside. Don't. Get. Out! is a remake of the Spanish thriller Retribution (2015).

<i>Apartment 7A</i> 2024 film by Natalie Erika James

Apartment 7A is a 2024 American psychological horror film directed by Natalie Erika James from a screenplay she co-wrote with Christian White and Skylar James. It serves as a prequel to Rosemary's Baby (1968). Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Jim Sturgess, and Kevin McNally star.

References

  1. ↑ David Deal, "Television Fright Films of the 1970s", 2007. Page 176
  2. ↑ "» A Made-for-TV Movie Review by Mike Tooney: THE STRANGERS IN 7A (1972)" . Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  3. ↑ Strangers In 7A: 1972, Synergy Ent, 2010-04-06, retrieved 2023-08-25
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.