The Deadly Tower: Difference between revisions
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| director = [[Jerry Jameson]] |
| director = [[Jerry Jameson]] |
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| writer = William Douglas Lansford |
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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The film was produced by Antonino Calderon, who was head of Image, an organization dedicated to providing more positive screen depictions of Mexican Americans. He met with Robert Howard, president of NBC TV and asked if he could make a film about an actual Chicano hero. Howard agreed. Calderon pitched several stories and Howard agreed to finance ''The Deadly Tower'' as it was about a Chicano police officer, Martinez. MGM were commissioned to make the movie with Calderon as producer, Richard Caffey as executive producer and David Goldsmith as production executive.<ref name="los"/> |
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==Reception== |
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The ''Los Angeles Times'' called the film "highly effective" but wondered "no matter how well done is there any reason to relive that bloody moment of history."<ref name="los">'Deadly Tower' at Texas U.: CECIL SMITH Death Tower on a Campus |
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Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 17 Oct 1975: h1. </ref> |
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==Lawsuits== |
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In 1990, Houston McCoy, one of two policemen who took part in killing Whitman, sued Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. for $14 million for emotional distress and damage to his reputation, claiming the film caused him to become an alcoholic and lose self-respect by depicting him as a coward. Martinez, the other police officer, said he sued the producers of the movie in 1975 ″because there was so much in the movie that was untruthful.″ That lawsuit was settled out of court<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/ab2e6f7f567c675ac8e04ac2ac367e49|website=AP News|title=Former Police Officer Sues Over Tower Sniper Movie|date=November 30, 1990}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{IMDb title}} |
* {{IMDb title}} |
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*[https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a5ee527 The Deadly Tower] at BFI |
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*[https://letterboxd.com/film/the-deadly-tower/ The Deadly Tower] at Letterbox DVD |
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{{Jerry Jameson}} |
{{Jerry Jameson}} |
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Revision as of 14:29, 25 March 2020
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (July 2018) |
| The Deadly Tower | |
|---|---|
 Home video cover | |
| Genre | |
| Written by | William Douglas Lansford |
| Directed by | Jerry Jameson |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Don Ellis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Richard Caffey |
| Producer | Antonio Calderón |
| Production locations | |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Editor | Tom Stevens |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Production company | MGM Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 18, 1975 |
The Deadly Tower, also known as Sniper, is a 1975 television film directed by Jerry Jameson. It stars Kurt Russell and Richard Yniguez[1] and is based on the University of Texas tower shooting.
Plot
The film is based on the true story of Charles Joseph Whitman, an engineering student and former Marine who murdered his own wife and mother and then killed 14 more people and wounded 31 others in a shooting rampage at the University of Texas at Austin on the afternoon of August 1, 1966.
Cast
- Kurt Russell as Charles Whitman
- Richard Yniguez as Ramiro Martinez
- Ned Beatty as Alan Crum
- Pernell Roberts as Lieutenant Lee
- Clifton James as Captain Fred Ambrose
- John Forsythe as Lt. Elwood Forbes
- Gilbert Roland as Narrator (voice)
- Paul Carr as C.T. Foss
- Alan Vint as Tim Davis
- Maria Elena Cordero as Vinni Martinez (as Maria-Elena Cordero)
- Pepe Serna as Mano
Production
The film was produced by Antonino Calderon, who was head of Image, an organization dedicated to providing more positive screen depictions of Mexican Americans. He met with Robert Howard, president of NBC TV and asked if he could make a film about an actual Chicano hero. Howard agreed. Calderon pitched several stories and Howard agreed to finance The Deadly Tower as it was about a Chicano police officer, Martinez. MGM were commissioned to make the movie with Calderon as producer, Richard Caffey as executive producer and David Goldsmith as production executive.[2]
The Deadly Tower was filmed at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana because the University of Texas refused to allow filming there.[2]
Reception
The Los Angeles Times called the film "highly effective" but wondered "no matter how well done is there any reason to relive that bloody moment of history."[2]
Lawsuits
In 1990, Houston McCoy, one of two policemen who took part in killing Whitman, sued Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. for $14 million for emotional distress and damage to his reputation, claiming the film caused him to become an alcoholic and lose self-respect by depicting him as a coward. Martinez, the other police officer, said he sued the producers of the movie in 1975 ″because there was so much in the movie that was untruthful.″ That lawsuit was settled out of court[3]
References
- ^ "Sniper (1975)". AllMovie.
- ^ a b c 'Deadly Tower' at Texas U.: CECIL SMITH Death Tower on a Campus Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 17 Oct 1975: h1.
- ^ "Former Police Officer Sues Over Tower Sniper Movie". AP News. November 30, 1990.
External links
- The Deadly Tower at IMDb
- The Deadly Tower at BFI
- The Deadly Tower at Letterbox DVD
 | This article related to an American TV movie is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This 1970s crime film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |