...tick... tick... tick... (1970)

Director:

Ralph Nelson

Writer:

James Lee Barrett

Release Date:

9 January 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Action

Tagline:

A black sheriff on the way up. A white sheriff on the way out.

Plot:

Racial tensions threaten to explode when a black man is elected sheriff of a small, racially divided town in the Deep South.

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Black Man | Hostility | Racial Tension | Town

Cast

Jim Brown	...	Jimmy Price
George Kennedy	...	John Little
Fredric March	...	Mayor Jeff Parks
Lynn Carlin	...	Julia Little
Don Stroud	...	Bengy Springer
Janet MacLachlan	...	Mary Price
Richard Elkins	...	Bradford Wilkes
Clifton James	...	D.J. Rankin
Robert Random	...	John Braddock (as Bob Random)
Mills Watson	...	Joe Warren
Bernie Casey	...	George Harley
Anthony James	...	H.C. Tolbert
Dub Taylor	...	Junior
Ernest Anderson	...	Homer
Karl Swenson	...	Frank Braddock Sr.
Barry Cahill	...	Bob Braddock
Anne Whitfield	...	Mrs. Dawes
Bill Walker	...	John Sawyer
Dan Frazer	...	Ira Jackson
Leonard O. Smith	...	Fred Price
Renny Rooker	...	Shoeshine Boy
Roy Glenn	...	The Drunk
George Cisar	...	Joe - Barber
Paulene Myers	...	Mrs. Harley
Dino Washington	...	Randy Harley
Calvin Brown	...	Harrison Harley
Beverly Taylor	...	Sara Jean
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Almira Sessions	...	Townswoman (uncredited)

Directed by
Ralph Nelson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
James Lee Barrett

Produced by
James Lee Barrett	....	producer
William S. Gilmore	....	associate producer
Ralph Nelson	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerry Styner

Cinematography by
Loyal Griggs

Film Editing by
Alex Beaton

Casting by
Leonard Murphy

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
William Glasgow		(as Bill Glasgow)

Set Decoration by
Robert R. Benton
Don Greenwood Jr.

Makeup Department
Evelyn Coffey	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist

Production Management
William S. Gilmore	....	unit production manager
Lindsley Parsons Jr.	....	assistant production manager: MGM (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael S. Glick	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor

Stunts
Calvin Brown	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Norman Lang	....	electrician (uncredited)

Music Department
Jack Clement	....	song producer
Mike Curb	....	music supervisor
Tompall Glaser	....	song supervisor
Ed Norton	....	music editor

Other crew
Cassius Weathersby	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Warner Home Video (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1971) | Sweden:15 | USA:G | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Colusa, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

Jimmy Price:What's going on back there?
Black Deputy:Police brutality.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rich Hall's the Dirty South (2010) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Theme from ...tick...tick...tick... (Set Yourself Free)

Good Performances and Nice Drama

...tick...tick...tick... (1970)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Interesting drama about a new black sheriff (Jim Brown) who takes over duties in a Southern town where the KKK aren't too happy about his election. The Mayor (Fredric March) doesn't want any violence because he doesn't want federal men in his town but after a white man is arrested for murder, some of the good ol' boys don't like the idea of a black man arresting him. The former sheriff (George Kennedy) decides to step in and try to help but soon all sorts of racist types are coming in. I think it's fair to call this movie a wannabe IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT but the three lead performances make it worth viewing. I think the weakest thing is the screenplay, which tries too hard to be like that previous film but in the end it really can't come close to the tension in its story. I think the one thing that really does work well here is that the racial tensions against Brown are because he's black but the interesting thing is that those sides turn against him for crimes dealing with the same race. The white man is arrested for drunk driving that kills a white girl and the black man arrested is for raping a black teen girl. I think the fact that this film tries to stay away from a race riot was something rather refreshing and I liked how the film didn't solve the race issues but instead simply tried to get both sides to fight for a common cause. Brown is very good in his role and I really liked the laid back approach that he brought to the role. There's no screaming and there's no tough, macho action but instead he plays a man with morals and I thought the actor did a very good job with the part. Kennedy was born to play the good-hearted redneck and he too does nice work here. March certainly overacts a bit in his next to last film role but he's always fun to see. The supporting cast also step up with everyone fitting their roles quite nicely. ...TICK...TICK...TICK... isn't the greatest race drama out there but I think there are enough interesting aspects to make it worth viewing.