52 Pick-Up (1986)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Elmore Leonard (novel)
Elmore Leonard (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

7 November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Greed. Extortion. Revenge.

Plot:

A secret fling with between a man and his mistress leads to blackmail and murder.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Blackmail | Heroin | Sex Party | Pistol

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Roy Scheider	...	Harry Mitchell
Ann-Margret	...	Barbara Mitchell
Vanity	...	Doreen
John Glover	...	Alan Raimy
Robert Trebor	...	Leo Franks
Lonny Chapman	...	Jim O'Boyle
Kelly Preston	...	Cini
Doug McClure	...	Mark Arveson
Clarence Williams III	...	Bobby Shy
Alex Henteloff	...	Dan Lowenthal
Michelle Walker	...	Counter Girl
Philip Bartko	...	Test Site Worker
Tom Byron	...	Party Goer
Herschel Savage	...	Party Goer (as Harvey Cowen)
Ron Jeremy	...	Party Goer (as Ron Jeremy Hyatt)
Amber Lynn	...	Party Goer
Sharon Mitchell	...	Party Goer
Ines Ochoa	...	Party Goer
Allyson Palmeter	...	Party Goer
Katherine Poland	...	Party Goer
Debra Satell	...	Party Goer
Amy White	...	Party Goer
Charles Bowden	...	Factory Worker
Marc Castenada	...	Factory Worker
Mike Caruso	...	Factory Worker
Steven Clawson	...	Factory Worker
Christopher Cory	...	Factory Worker
Maurice Jenkins	...	Factory Worker
John Kahnen	...	Factory Worker
Bobby Ponce	...	Factory Worker
Ray Vela	...	Factory Worker
Robin Bronfman	...	Injured Driver
Debra Berger	...	O'Boyle's Wife
Laisa Carrie	...	Janet
Blackie Dammett	...	Drug Dealer
Barbara Ferris	...	Lisa
John Francis	...	Policeman
Conroy Gedeon	...	James Boyer
Bill Gratton	...	Ed Salvon
Jai M. Jefferson	...	Patron
Lenora Logan	...	Lady in Hall
Mark M. Mayuga	...	Passerby
Lorrie Lovett	...	Nude Model
Sandra Perron	...	Nude Model
Barbara Summers	...	Nude Model
William John Murphy	...	Grady (as William J. Murphy)
Anthony Palmer	...	Tom
Frank Sivero	...	Vendor
Arlin Miller	...	Celebrity Voice Impersonation
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barbara Dare	...	Party Goer (uncredited)
Jamie Gillis	...	Party Goer (uncredited)
Bill Kucera	...	Campaign Worker (uncredited)
Cara Lott	...	Party Goer (uncredited)
Randy West	...	Party Goer (uncredited)

Directed by
John Frankenheimer

Writing credits
Elmore Leonard		(novel)
Elmore Leonard		(screenplay) and
John Steppling		(screenplay)

Produced by
Yoram Globus	....	producer
Menahem Golan	....	producer
Henry T. Weinstein	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Gary Chang

Cinematography by
Jost Vacano		(photography)
Stephen Ramsey		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Robert F. Shugrue

Casting by
Louis DiGiaimo		(as Lou DiGiaimo)

Production Design by
Philip Harrison		(as Phillip Harrison)

Art Direction by
Russell Christian

Set Decoration by
Max Whitehouse

Costume Design by
Ray Summers

Makeup Department
Dale Brady	....	prosthetic lab technician
Rob Burman	....	prosthetic lab technician (as Robert T. Burman)
Norma Collins	....	hair stylist (as Norma Bass)
Hallie D'Amore	....	makeup artist
Vered Hochman	....	makeup artist
Dee Mansano	....	makeup artist
Dee Mansano	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Moni Mansano	....	chief prosthetics makeup

Production Management
Jeffrey Silver	....	production manager
Michael R. Sloan	....	post-production supervisor
Rony Yacov	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bea Ellen Cameron	....	assistant director intern
Scott Cameron	....	second assistant director
Jodi Ehrlich	....	second assistant director
Bradley M. Gross	....	first assistant director
Roger La Page	....	first assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Michael Paul Clausen	....	leadman (as Michael Clausen)
Edward Eyth	....	production artist
Joseph C. Fama	....	carpenter
David L. Glazer	....	property master (as David Glazer)
Dwayne Grady	....	set dresser
Mark 'Digger' Green	....	assistant property master (as Mark Green)
Bill Hall	....	scenic artist
Hal Martin	....	set dresser
Sarah Burdick Stone	....	assistant set decorator (as Sarah Burdick)
Peter A. Tullo	....	second assistant props

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dwayne Avery	....	sound editor
Duncan Burns	....	sound editor
Michael C. Casper	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Michael Casper)
Terry Chambers	....	sound editor
Paul B. Clay	....	supervising sound editor (as Paul Clay)
Rick Crampton	....	sound editor
Thomas Paul Croce	....	foley artist
Alfred T. Ferrante	....	sound recordist
Robert Fitzgerald	....	sound editor (as Bob Fitzgerald)
Stanley B. Gill	....	sound recordist
Mark Goodermote	....	boom operator
Tommy Goodwin	....	adr mixer
Tommy Goodwin	....	foley mixer
Nils C. Jensen	....	sound editor (as Nils Jensen)
Jack Keath	....	adr supervisor
Andy MacDonald	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ed Novick	....	sound mixer
Tally Paulos	....	adr supervisor
Kevin Rockey	....	foley artist
Greg Stacy	....	sound editor
Marty Stein	....	sound editor
Bruce Stubblefield	....	sound editor
Casey Troutman	....	foley artist
Clancy T. Troutman	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Eric Allard	....	special effects coordinator
Philip Bartko	....	special effects crew
Thomas Mertz	....	special effects crew (as Tom Mertz)
Gary Zink	....	special effects

Stunts
Phil Adams	....	stunts
Simone Boisseree	....	stunts
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunts
Richard E. Butler	....	stunts (as Richard Butler)
Erik Cord	....	stunts
Janeen Davis	....	stunts
Scott Dockstader	....	stunts
Ted Grossman	....	stunt coordinator
Ted Grossman	....	stunts
Bob Harris	....	stunts
Bob Herron	....	stunts (as Robert Herron)
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts
Hubie Kerns	....	stunts
Alan Oliney	....	stunts
Ron Oliney	....	stunts (as Ronald Oliney)
Ross Reynolds	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Brian W. Armstrong	....	second assistant camera (as Brian Armstrong)
Alan Caso	....	camera operator
Jim Crandell	....	additional electrician
Stuart E. Cropley	....	electrician (as Stuart Cropley)
Mark Davison	....	first assistant camera
David Dubois	....	best boy electrician
John Farr	....	electrical rigger
Steven Flood	....	best boy electric
Eyal Geva	....	second assistant camera
Nathaniel Goodman	....	camera loader
Anette Haellmigk	....	first assistant camera
Frank M. Holgate	....	camera operator: helicopter camera (as Frank Holgate)
Ian Kincaid	....	gaffer
Richard Kuhn	....	best boy grip
Jesse Mather	....	electrician
Brian H. Reynolds	....	grip (as Brian Reynolds)
Philip Sloan	....	key grip
Suzanne Tenner	....	still photographer
Ronald Woodward	....	grip (as Ronald Woodard)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Frances Harrison Hays	....	costume supervisor (as Frances Hays)
Philip Miglino	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Ulla Hoeller	....	first assistant editor (as Ulla Höller)
Omneya 'Nini' Mazen	....	post-production coordinator
Angelo Russo	....	color timer
Jordan Smith	....	second assistant editor
Anne-Marie Vitello	....	negative cutter
Ron Vitello	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Pete Anthony	....	music arranger
Sarah Nean Bruce	....	spherical sound 3D audio recording assistant (as Sarah N. Bruce)
Ken Caillat	....	music engineer
Paula Erickson	....	music supervisor
Mike Pfiefer	....	music mixer

Transportation Department
Edward Flotard	....	transportation captain
Jimmy Jones	....	transportation coordinator
Joel Renfro	....	transportation coordinator
Jean Spray	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Alicia Alexander	....	location manager
Wenden K. Baldwin	....	title designer
Caroline Baron	....	production coordinator
Howard Brandy	....	unit publicist
Mady Manson Burza	....	first assistant accountant (as Madalyn Burza)
Bea Ellen Cameron	....	production assistant (as B.C. Cameron)
Tom Capps	....	production assistant
Kristi Frankenheimer	....	assistant location manager
Whitney R. Hunter	....	location scout (as Whitney Hunter)
Ron Jeremy	....	consultant
Candace Lowell	....	craft service
Nelson McCormick	....	production assistant
Don Orlando	....	production auditor
Ross Reynolds	....	helicopter pilot
Sonny Ritscher	....	production assistant
Fred Roth	....	production assistant
Renate Schneuer	....	script supervisor
Kyle Seidenbaum	....	title designer
Walter Shipley	....	location scout (as Walt Shipley)
Chuck Simon	....	production executive
Joe Straw	....	production accountant

Thanks
Ron Jeremy	....	acknowledgment: film clip courtesy of (as Ron Jeremy Hyatt)

Production Companies

• Cannon Group

Distributors

• Cannon Film Distributors (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cannon Group (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hoyts Distribution (1987) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1987) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Pan-Canadian Film Distributors (198?) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1987) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Scotia-Cannon (1987) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• América Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Esselte Video (1990) (Finland) (VHS)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MTC Video (1988) (Greece) (VHS)
• Media Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Nelonen (1998) (Finland) (TV)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• VMP (1987) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Vestron Video International (1987) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Vestron Video International (1987) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera equipment provided by
• The Keylite P.S.I. Group  production services
• Universal Studios Sound Facilities  sound post-production
• f-Stop  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1989) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1987) | Sweden:15 | New Zealand:R18 | Portugal:M/16 | Italy:VM18 | France:12 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2013)

Filming Locations:

14312 Western Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cannon Group

Trivia:

Porn stars Amber Lynn, Sharon Mitchell and Ron Jeremy appear in the film in the party sequence.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mitch is taken to a secret location to meet with the extortionists, he sits in a wooden chair against a "wall". He sees his mistress shot five times. After the bad guys leave, he jumps up when he realizes he is in the chair she was murdered in. But, when he first walks in, there is no blood on the chair or wall behind him.

Quotes:

Alan Raimy:[narrating, as Cini is shown being handcuffed and bound to a chair] Some people, you gotta tie down to convince 'em they can act.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Happy Days Are Here Again

Hard boiled thriller. Brutal and rivetting.

I must have passed this movie in my local video store a dozen times without picking it off the shelf, thinking from the packaging, the era the movie was released in, and the presence of Ann-Margret and Tiffany, that it was just another generic "action" movie like an 80s Stallone, or 'Action Jackson'. Luckily a savvy movie buff recommended '52 Pick-Up' to me, for which I will be forever indebted. Closer inspection reveals the team behind this hard boiled thriller to be underrated director John Frankenheimer ('The Manhurian Candidate', 'Seconds') and crime fiction master Elmore Leonard. (hits forehead! "WHY didn't I already KNOW this?!").

Apart from the aesthetic LOOK of this movie, and a cheesy score, it in no way resembles your standard 80s action fare. It is a lot grittier, morally ambiguous and less predictable than that, and closer to the best 70s crime movies.

Roy Scheider is solid as usual as a blackmailed businessman who decides to fight back, and Ann-Margaret surprises with a strong portrayal of betrayed wife. But the real stars here, and what makes this movie essential viewing, are the brilliantly realized bad guys - John Glover, Clarence Williams III and Robert Trebor.

Trebor is perfect as the slimy, nervous "weak link" Leo. Williams III stunning as the amoral bad ass killer Bobby. And John Glover is simply perfect as their double-crossing, deliciously evil leader Raimy. '52 Pick-Up' is brutal and rivetting viewing that shines out as a beacon of 70s cool from an ocean of 80s dumb thrillers. Don't miss this one whatever you do!!