The Slender Thread
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2011) |
| The Slender Thread | |
|---|---|
 1965 Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by | Sydney Pollack |
| Written by | Shana Alexander David Rayfiel Stirling Silliphant |
| Produced by | Stephen Alexander |
| Starring | Sidney Poitier Anne Bancroft |
| Cinematography | Loyal Griggs |
| Edited by | Thomas Stanford |
| Music by | Quincy Jones |
Release date | December 23, 1965 |
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Slender Thread is a 1965 film starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. It was the first feature length film directed by Academy Award-winning director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack.
Poitier portrays Alan, a Seattle college student who is volunteering at Seattle's then-new Crisis Clinic, a crisis call center. Shortly after beginning his night shift, Alan receives a call from a woman named Inga (Bancroft) who says she has just taken a lethal dose of pills and wants to talk to someone before she dies. The story line follows the efforts of Alan, a psychiatrist (Telly Savalas) and a detective ( Ed Asner) to locate the woman and her husband (Steven Hill of Law & Order fame).
The film was inspired by a Life Magazine article by Shana Alexander about actual events and partially shot on location in Seattle, Washington.
This movie is noted for the physical tracing of the call to find Inga (Bancroft) before she dies. Throughout the movie, the call is traced by hand through several electro-mechanical telephone central office switches which leads to the hotel where Inga was staying (originally the Hyatt House) near the Seattle-Tacoma Airport.
Plot
Poitier portrays Alan, a Seattle college student who is volunteering at Seattle's then-new Crisis Clinic, a crisis call center. Shortly after beginning his night shift, Alan receives a call from a woman named Inga (Bancroft) who says she has just taken a lethal dose of pills and wants to talk to someone before she dies. The story line follows the efforts of Alan, a psychiatrist (Telly Savalas) and a detective ( Ed Asner) to locate the woman and her husband (Steven Hill of Law & Order fame).
Cast
- Sidney Poitier - Alan Newell
- Anne Bancroft - Inga Dyson
- Telly Savalas - Dr. Joe Coburn
- Steven Hill - Mark Dyson
- Edward Asner - Det. Judd Ridley
- Indus Arthur - Marian
- Paul Newlan - Sgt. Harry Ward
- Dabney Coleman - Charlie
- H. M. Wynant - Doctor Morris (as H. N. Wynant)
- Robert F. Hoy - Patrolman Steve Peters (as Robert Hoy)
- Greg Jarvis - Christopher 'Chris' Dyson
- Jason Wingreen - Medical technician
- Marjorie Nelson - Mrs. Thomas
- Steven Marlo - Arthur Foss
Awards
The film was nominated for two Oscars:[1]
- Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (Hal Pereira, Jack Poplin, Robert R. Benton, Joseph Kish)
- Best Costume Design, Black-and White (Edith Head)
References
- ^ "NY Times: The Slender Thread". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
External links
 | This 1960s drama film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |