The Escape Artist (1982)

The young and self-confident Danny blufs at the local police-station that he will escape out of prison within one hour. What follows is a flashback about his childhood with his uncle and ... See full summary »

Director:

Caleb Deschanel

Writers:

David Wagoner (based on the novel by), Melissa Mathison (screenplay),

Stars:

Raul Julia, Griffin O'Neal, Desi Arnaz

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raul Julia	...	Stu Quiñones
Griffin O'Neal	...	Danny Masters
Desi Arnaz	...	Mayor Leon Quiñones (as Desiderio Arnaz)
Teri Garr	...	Arlene
Joan Hackett	...	Aunt Sibyl
Gabriel Dell	...	Uncle Burke
John P. Ryan	...	Vernon
Elizabeth Daily	...	Sandra
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Fritz
Jackie Coogan	...	Magic Shop Owner
Hal Williams	...	Cop at Mayor's Office
Helen Page Camp	...	Neighbor
David Clennon	...	Newspaper Editor
Harry Caesar	...	Sax Player
Huntz Hall	...	Turnkey

Storyline

The young and self-confident Danny blufs at the local police-station that he will escape out of prison within one hour. What follows is a flashback about his childhood with his uncle and aunt, which are 'vaudeville'-artists themselves. We also follow the problems of Danny with the corrupt son of the mayor.

---

Plot Keywords:

escape artist | independent film | based on book

---

Taglines:

He can get away with anything, that's why they call him The Escape Artist

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

60 minuti per Danny Masters

Filming Locations:

American Zoetrope Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zoetrope Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film role of Gabriel Dell, who portrayed Uncle Burke.

---

Quotes

Danny Masters: You wanna know what you need? You need an education.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Dream Studio (2004)

User Reviews

Utterly Charming

This is a truly wonderful movie experience. The magical score adds to the atmosphere perfectly. It is beautifully photographed by Stephen H Burum and perfectly directed by Caleb Deschanel. The central performance by Griffin O'Neil is very watchable as is a great support cast which includes Elizabeth Daly and the late great Raul Julia. This is THE movie that made me want to make movies. The haunting final shot combined with the beautiful music has stayed with me for years.