Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

Director:

Don Siegel

Writers:

J. Campbell Bruce (book)
Richard Tuggle (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 June 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz... And no one ever will!

Plot:

A dramatization of the one possibly successful escape from the notorious prison.

Plot Keywords:

Alcatraz | Prison | Escape | Convict | Island

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Frank Morris
Patrick McGoohan	...	Warden
Roberts Blossom	...	Doc
Jack Thibeau	...	Clarence Anglin
Fred Ward	...	John Anglin
Paul Benjamin	...	English
Larry Hankin	...	Charley Butts
Bruce M. Fischer	...	Wolf
Frank Ronzio	...	Litmus
Fred Stuthman	...	Johnson
David Cryer	...	Wagner
Madison Arnold	...	Zimmerman
Blair Burrows	...	Fight Guard
Bob Balhatchet	...	Medical Technical Assistant
Matthew Locricchio	...	Exam Guard (as Matthew J. Locricchio)
Don Michaelian	...	Beck
Ray K. Goman	...	Cellblock Captain
Jason Ronard	...	Bobs
Ed Vasgersian	...	Cranston
Ron Vernan	...	Stone
Regina Baff	...	Lucy (as Regie Baff)
Hank Brandt	...	Associate Warden
Candace Bowen	...	English's Daughter
Joe Miksak	...	Police Sgt. (as Joseph Miksak)
Stephen Bradley	...	Exam Guard
Garry Goodrow	...	Weston
Ross Reynolds	...	Helicopter Pilot
Al Dunlap	...	Visitors' Guard
Denis Berkfeldt	...	Guard
Jim Haynie	...	Guard
Tony Dario	...	Guard
Fritz Manes	...	Guard
Dana Derfus	...	Guard
Don Cummins	...	Guard
Gordon Handforth	...	Guard
John Scanlon	...	Guard
Don Watters	...	Guard
Dan Leegant	...	Guard
Joe Knowland	...	Guard (as Joseph Knowland)
James Collier	...	Guard
R.J. Ganzert	...	Guard
Robert Hirschfeld	...	Guard
Lloyd Nelson	...	Guard
George Orrison	...	Guard
Gary Warren	...	Guard (as Gary F. Warren)
Joseph Whipp	...	Guard (as Joe Whipp)
Terry Wills	...	Guard
John Garabedian	...	Guard
Dale Alvarez	...	Inmate
Sheldon Feldner	...	Inmate
Danny Glover	...	Inmate
Carl Lumbly	...	Inmate
Patrick Valentino	...	Inmate
Gilbert Thomas Jr.	...	Inmate
Eugene Jackson	...	Inmate (as Eugene W. Jackson)

Directed by
Don Siegel		(as Donald Siegel)

Writing credits
J. Campbell Bruce		(book)
Richard Tuggle		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert Daley	....	executive producer
Fritz Manes	....	associate producer
Don Siegel	....	producer (as Donald Siegel)

Original Music by
Jerry Fielding

Cinematography by
Bruce Surtees		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Casting by
Marion Dougherty
Wallis Nicita		(as Wally Nicita)

Production Design by
Allen E. Smith		(as Allen Smith)

Set Decoration by
Edward J. McDonald

Makeup Department
Joe McKinney	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jack Terry	....	unit production manager
Lindsley Parsons Jr.	....	executive production manager: Paramount (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Luigi Alfano	....	assistant director
Richard Graves	....	second assistant director
Mark Johnson	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Larry Clark Bird	....	property master (as Larry Bird)
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator
John Chapot	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Dale Haugo	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Loren Hillman-Morgan	....	set painter (uncredited)
Tom Ivanjack	....	painter (uncredited)
Tom Ivanjack	....	set painter (uncredited)
Steven Kerlagon	....	set painter (uncredited)
Ralph Votaw	....	propmaker (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bub Asman	....	sound effects editor
Bert Hallberg	....	sound mixer
Alan Robert Murray	....	sound effects editor
John T. Reitz	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Chuck Gaspar	....	special effects
David Domeyer	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Bergdahl	....	camera operator
Larry Flynn	....	best boy
Ron Grover	....	still photographer
Charles Holmes	....	gaffer (as Chuck Holmes)
Dennis Matsuda	....	camera assistant
Patrick E. McGinness	....	camera assistant (as Pat McGinness)
Rick Neff	....	camera operator
Gordon Paschal	....	camera assistant
Charles Saldana	....	key grip
Billy Walsh	....	camera assistant
Lawrence G. Yates	....	second grip
Kirk Bales	....	dolly grip (uncredited)
Bruce D. Spellman	....	second grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Glenn Wright	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Tim Board	....	assistant editor
Joel Cox	....	assistant editor
Donald Freeman	....	final colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
June Edgerton	....	music editor
Lennie Niehaus	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
H. William Miller	....	transportation co-captain (as Bill Miller)
Ray Mullen	....	transportation co-captain
John Reade	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Eudie Charnes	....	secretary to unit production manager
Betty Endo	....	secretary to producer
Don Henry	....	auditor
Gary Kalkin	....	unit publicist
Lloyd Nelson	....	script supervisor
Iris O'Reilly	....	secretary to director
Carol Rydall	....	associate: Mr. Siegel
Carol Rydall	....	dialogue coach

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)
• Malpaso Company, The (as A Malpaso Company / Siegel Film)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical) (as Paramount A Gulf+Western Company)
• Cinema Internazional Corporation (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1979) (France) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1982) (USA) (TV)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Cine Plus Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Esselte Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Finnkino (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1988) (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• Nelonen (2002) (2008) (2010) (Finland) (TV)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (France) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1981) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1994) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Iceland:14 | UK:AA (1979) (cut) | Spain:13 | West Germany:12 (f) | New Zealand:PG | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1980) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The boat bringing Morris to Alcatraz in the very beginning of the movie (M/V Warden Johnston, named after the first warden of Alcatraz) was actually used to transport prisoners to and from Alcatraz and was not a mock-up. The boat was built by prisoners in McNeil Island in Washington for this specific purpose, and was used for much of the time Alcatraz was in service as a prison. The makers of the movie borrowed the Johnston from the Sea Scout crew who was operating her at the time (Sea Scout Ship #145, based in Redwood City, CA). Gary Warren, who is listed in the credits as a guard, was in fact the boat operator, and was also the leader of the Scout crew at the time.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Doc is painting in the prison yard, the spots of wet paint on the left-hand side of the canvas change. Doc and Frank are having a conversation - the shots showing Frank speaking do not show the canvas for the most part, while the ones that show Doc speaking do. The wet spots increase and decrease in size and number every time the canvas is shown.

Quotes:

Warden:I want painting privileges taken away from Chester Dalton.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show: Honey, I'm in the Mood for Love (#1.16)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

D Block Blues

Great movie... but go on the tour first....

I first went on the evening tour of Alcatraz Island which I'd highly recommend, the prison was cast in a dark gloom which seemed appropriate as we walked around the jail cells and listened to many interesting facts on the audio tour, walked the grounds, and heard about the escape depicted in the move. Naturally, I had to go see this movie...

Watching the movie, I was very impressed with how accurate the movie mirrored what my sense of prison life and the escape would be like based on my impressions of the prison and the island during the tour. Having had walked around the space of the prison in the dim evening light really enhanced my sense of the movie's environment.

Small details like the painting of black shadows for sharp tools that they shared in the tour were also present in the movie, very authentic. The lack of action per se perfectly captures the actual mood of the prison, where boredom reigned, and I thought the film balanced this well with an entertaining cast of characters and well-timed action. Eastwood's silently intense attitude was a good fit for the role and the drama and atmosphere of the escape scene was done perfectly.

In short, I'd highly recommend the evening tour on Alcatraz, followed by a viewing of "Escape from Alcatraz", you will not be disappointed.