Contract on Cherry Street (1977)

The partner--and best friend--of a tough New York detective is murdered by killers working for a local mob. Infuriated at the inability of the Police Department to bring in the murderers, ... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Graham

Writers:

Edward Anhalt (written for television by), Philip Rosenberg (novel)

Stars:

Frank Sinatra, Martin Balsam, Jay Black

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Frank Sinatra	...	Dep. Insp. Frank Hovannes
Martin Balsam	...	Capt. Ernie Weinberg
Jay Black	...	Tommy Sindardos
Verna Bloom	...	Emily Hovannes
Joe De Santis	...	Vincenzo Seruto
Martin Gabel	...	Baruch 'Bob' Waldman
Harry Guardino	...	Ron Polito
James Luisi	...	Al Palmini / Arnold Palmer
Michael Nouri	...	Lou Savage
Marco St. John	...	Eddie Manzaro
Henry Silva	...	Roberto Obregon
Richard Ward	...	Jack Kittens
Addison Powell	...	Bob Halloran
Steve Inwood	...	Fran Marks
Johnny Barnes	...	Otis Washington

Storyline

The partner--and best friend--of a tough New York detective is murdered by killers working for a local mob. Infuriated at the inability of the Police Department to bring in the murderers, he decides--with the help of a few of his fellow detectives--to operate on his own, using whatever means necessary, to destroy the gang.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | policeman | new york city | conspiracy | assassination | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stakeout on Cherry Street

Filming Locations:

Hackensack, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artanis Productions Inc., Columbia Pictures Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Sinatra takes on the mob

Talk about ego! In this movie, 5'8" 62-year old Frank Sinatra knocks around mob thugs and sends them home crying. Which for a film aiming for a realistic gritty tone, makes it hard to take seriously. Sinatra forms a special cop team to crack down on car thefts in New York City; the team is basically Michael Nouri as the idealistic kid, Henry Silva as the voice of reason (not something Silva was known for playing) and Harry Guardino as a vengeance crazed cop. Somehow, the dedicated team causes a gang war to erupt among the mob families and for a 1970's TV movie, there is a lot more violence than I would expect. The movie gets more and more out of control until Sinatra's mad dash to save the city at the end. Sinatra breaks so many rules, it is really hard to see how he would be able to stay out of jail, much less remain on the job. But hey, this is Sinatra's world and he makes the rules.