Fanfare for a Death Scene (TV 1964)

An American secret agent, on the trail of a vanished scientist, must recover the scientist's revolutionary secret formula before the enemy catches up with his quarry first.

Director:

Leslie Stevens

Writers:

Leslie Stevens (creator), Marion Hargrove

Stars:

Richard Egan, Viveca Lindfors, Al Hirt

Cast

Credited cast:
Richard Egan	...	Stryker
Viveca Lindfors
Al Hirt
Tina Louise
Burgess Meredith	...	Bannerman
Telly Savalas
Edward Asner
Khigh Dhiegh
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
J.D. Cannon
Dee Hartford	...	Jessica
Sandra Warner

Storyline

An American secret agent, on the trail of a vanished scientist, must recover the scientist's revolutionary secret formula before the enemy catches up with his quarry first.

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | secret agent | secret formula | trumpeter | bondage | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Filming Locations:

Bel-Air Sands Hotel, Bel-Air, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$256,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daystar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was one of a handful of TV dramas originally presented on NBC's Kraft Suspense Theatre, then re-edited for European theatrical release. After being shown in the US on national network television, it was marketed to local TV stations as part of Universal's syndicated movie package.

User Reviews

Surreal Thriller

I can't remember too much of the plot of this movie except to say that it is, at least on the surface, a slick thriller, but stylistically it's so original and bizarre at times as to be riveting just for its visual flair, the compositions, the very sixties mood, which suggests that everyone is or could be unbalanced. Richard Egan makes a less than exciting hero but is in some ways good casting, as a more eccentric or individualistic actor might have tipped the movie into the realm of the totally bizarre, from which it might not have been able to escape. The eclectic cast includes Tina Louise, Ed Asner and Telly Savalas. Burgess Meredith is excellent as a very important character in the film, and while he's not on screen much he does get to play the trumpet and overall nicely suggests a man who has quite plainly and simply lost his marbles. Most of the credit for this offbeat and entertaining picture belongs to its director, Leslie Stevens, a gifted and sadly too often overlooked and underrated film-maker. He was probably slumming a bit when he made this one, but he gave it his best shot, which is very good indeed. The film is listed as having been made for television, though I wonder if it was first shown on the small screen due to its offbeat qualities, which might have made it difficult to sell in theaters. It's definitely worth watching if one likes movies made in an original and unconventional style.