Nowhere to Run (1978)

Harry's married to Marian and things are not going all that well, so he wants out but somehow feels that a divorce is not the answer. After developing a winning blackjack system, he hatches... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Lang

Writers:

Charles Einstein (novel), Jim Byrnes (written for television by)

Stars:

David Janssen, Allen Garfield, Linda Evans

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Janssen	...	Harry Adams
Allen Garfield	...	Herbie Stoltz
Linda Evans	...	Amy Kessler
John Randolph	...	Marian's Father
Neva Patterson	...	Marian's Mother
Anthony Eisley	...	Joe Anasto
Stefanie Powers	...	Marian Adams
James Keach	...	McEnerney
Charles Siebert	...	Spence
Ahna Capri	...	Charleen (as Anna Capri)
Lance LeGault	...	Kaufman
Kenneth Tobey	...	Mohr (as Ken Tobey)
John Finnegan	...	O'Neil (as John P. Finnegan)
Lionel Decker	...	Christos
Antony Alda	...	Neft

Storyline

Harry's married to Marian and things are not going all that well, so he wants out but somehow feels that a divorce is not the answer. After developing a winning blackjack system, he hatches a plan that takes years of preparation: to fake his death, assume a new identity and win $500,000 at blackjack. When his wife notices his peculiar behavior, she is urged by her parents to hire a private investigator to find out what he is doing. In an unusual twist of events, Harry discovers the private investigator and not only hires him to keep tabs on his wife (whom he suspects is having an affair) but they become confidants. Harry carries out his fake suicide successfully and heads for Reno to complete the rest of his plan, but he doesn't count on meeting lovely Amy and falling in love. To further complicate matters, Amy is planning to leave for Israel and Harry decides to go with her, but en route the plane is hijacked and Harry must find a way to conceal both his $500,000 blackjack winnings ...

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Plot Keywords:

secret | private detective | husband wife relationship | based on novel

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Winner Take All

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

MTM Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The screenplay was adapted from Charles Einstein's novel The Blackjack Hijack, published in 1976.

User Reviews

hard to find but well worth watching

This was a television movie from late in Janssen's career. His character, Harry, is an unhappy man stuck in a loveless marriage. His wife is cheating on him and he is rather indifferent towards her. He does not hate her--he just wants out but she doesn't want to let him go too easily. So, Harry slowly creates a complicated plan by which he will fake his death and go to Vegas for a big score (as he's created a nearly foolproof technique that should pay off big).

Along the way, he meets and falls for Stephanie Powers and befriends the hapless Herbie Stoltz (played by Alan Garfield)--Herbie BEFORE he arranged his fake death and Stephanie AFTER. In fact, Herbie is broken up by Harry's apparent death and is sure Harry's wife did it--until he accidentally stumbles on Harry in his new life! What happens next and the tense build up until the "big score" make this an unexpectedly good film.