Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980) (TV)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Paul Krasny

Writers:

Clarence Carnes (story)
Don DeNevi (story)

Release Date:

5 November 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Crime

Plot:

Somewhat fact-based story of the lives and attempted 1962 escape of several inmates in the famous correctional facility...

Plot Keywords:

Inmate | Escape | Prison | Prison Life | Spanking

Cast

Charles Aidman	...	Warden Johnson
John Amos	...	Bumpy Johnson
G.W. Bailey	...	Holfeld
Michael Beck	...	Clarence Carnes
David Boyle	...	Guard
Art Carney	...	Robert Stroud
John Chappell	...	Sheriff's Deputy
Sidney Clute	...	Miller
Ronny Cox	...	Bernard Coy
Peter Coyote	...	Courtney Taylor
Robert Davi	...	Hubbard
Nick Eldredge	...	Larwin
Robert Elross
Louis Giambalvo	...	Clarence Anglin
Redmond Gleeson	...	Jackson
Roger Hampton	...	Hampton
Jim Haynie	...	Salkin
Hoke Howell	...	Store Owner
Robert F. Hoy	...	Myron Thompson
Peter Jason	...	Lt. Micklin
James Jeter	...	Guard Fairgate
Alex Karras	...	Jughead Miller
Ed Lauter	...	Frank Morris
Ken Letner	...	Armory Lieutenant
Richard Lynch	...	Sam Shockley
James MacArthur	...	Walt Stomer
Paul Mantee	...	Ordway
Jocko Marcellino	...	Prisoner
Walter Mathews	...	Corwin
Francis X. McCarthy	...	Lt. Holmby (as Frank McCarthy)
Spencer Milligan	...	Haskell
Joe Pantoliano	...	Ray Neal
Paul Picerni	...	Lt. Lagason
Stack Pierce	...	Presser
Antony Ponzini	...	John Anglin
Jack Rader	...	Weinhold
Will Sampson	...	Clarence's Father
Telly Savalas	...	Cretzer
Jim Steck	...	Guard Crayden
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Dankworth
Arthur Taxier	...	Connelly
John Waggoner	...	Alphie
Sandy Ward	...	McIntire
Johnny Weissmuller Jr.	...	Felish
W.T. Zacha	...	Baggett

Also Known As:

Alcatraz and Clarence Carnes

Runtime:

196 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16

Company:

Pierre Cossette Enterprises

Quotes:

Clarence Carnes: [Runs past Stroud's cell and sees him standing passively, when the doors to D-Block's cells are opened during the 1946 escape attempt. He runs back] Come on! You're free!
Robert Stroud: [calmly] I'm not going anywhere.
Clarence Carnes: Come on man, let's go!
Robert Stroud: Guys like them boys do things the hard way, don't they?
[sits down on his bunk and picks up the book he'd been reading before the commotion began]
Robert Stroud: They'll be dead before sundown; and a lot of other poor, ignorant fools with them. Maybe you too, son.
Clarence Carnes: But... You're in this cell for life.
[...]

Let's make heroes of rapists and killers

This movie as well as some of the well meaning comments about it have to make one wonder.

Most prison movies focus on the prisoners and more often than not make them the heroes. Of course guards are shown as being brutal. If more people knew who was being kept in prisons, they would send thank you notes weekly to correctional officers for keeping the bad guys and gals locked up and society safer.

Of course we have to forget the fact that the people in prison are there for raping kids, killing old folks, committing fraud and taking the life savings of someone, thieves who take a family's hard earned possessions, and on and on.

No, we forget that and have actors in this movie talking about escape as being part of a noble goal to shut down an inhumane prison.

I thought the acting was rather poor, the direction phony, and the piggybacking on to a real event with a totally unproven conclusion false.