Experiment in Terror (1962)

A man with an asthmatic voice telephones bank clerk Kelly Sherwood at home and coerces her into helping him steal a large sum from her bank.

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Gordon Gordon (novel) (as The Gordons), Mildred Gordon (novel) (as The Gordons)

Stars:

Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Glenn Ford	...	John 'Rip' Ripley
Lee Remick	...	Kelly Sherwood
Stefanie Powers	...	Toby Sherwood
Roy Poole	...	Brad
Ned Glass	...	Popcorn
Anita Loo	...	Lisa Soong
Patricia Huston	...	Nancy Ashton
Gilbert Green	...	Special Agent
Clifton James	...	Capt. Moreno
Al Avalon	...	Man Who Picks Up Kelly
William Bryant	...	Chuck (as Bill Bryant)
Dick Crockett	...	FBI Agent #1
James Lanphier	...	Landlord
Ross Martin	...	Garland Humphrey 'Red' Lynch

Storyline

When the bank clerk Kelly Sherwood arrives home after hours, she is intimidated by a stranger that knows her routine habit. He threatens Kelly and her sister Toby to force her to heist $100,000 from her bank; otherwise he will kill her. Kelly does not see his face but notes he is asthmatic. Kelly succeeds to lure the criminal and contacts the FBI agent John 'Rip' Ripley that advises Kelly how to behave and assigns a group of agents to keep Kelly and Toby under surveillance. But when Toby is abducted by the stranger, Kelly tries to stay calm to help the FBI to catch the criminal.

---

Plot Keywords:

bank | asthmatic | extortion | disguise | policeman | 

---

Taglines:

Terror ... Tension ... Almost More Than The Heart Can Bear !

---

Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 1962 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Der letzte Zug

Filming Locations:

Candlestick Park - 602 Jamestown Avenue, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Geoffrey-Kate Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The date on the ticket for the baseball game at Candlestick Park was August 18, 1961. The final score was Giants 2, Dodgers 1.

---

Goofs

In the baseball double play scene, the Los Angeles Dodgers' batter hitting the double play ground ball is #12, but, the runner getting thrown out at first base is #55.

---

Quotes

Garland Humphrey 'Red' Lynch: Your sister's all right.
Toby Sherwood: You said she was dying.
Garland Humphrey 'Red' Lynch: I had to find some way to get you here. Take off your clothes. You want me to take them off for you?
Toby Sherwood: [shakes her head]
Garland Humphrey 'Red' Lynch: Then take them off.

---

Crazy Credits

The end credits only list one person, the actor who played the villain, followed by "The End"

---

Connections

Referenced in Experiments in Terror (2003)

---

Soundtracks

Gwine to Rune All Night (De Camptown Races)
(uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster
Played at the Roaring Twenties nightclub

User Reviews

Exciting thriller crackles with suspense , thrills , and first rate performances.

This thrilling movie deals with two sisters threatened , a killer and a FBI agent who pursues him . Coming home late one night Kelly (Lee Remick) is attacked in her garage by an asthmatic nasty named Red Lynch (Ross Martin) who convinces her he knows of all her daily life , particularly her employment at the bank where she works as bank teller. He terrorizes her into agreeing to help him rob the office a lot of money or he says he will murder her and also the teenager sister Toby Sherwood (Stefanie Powers) who lives with her . Then Kelly agrees but out of threat calls the FBI and speaks with Agent Ripley , a stalwart G-man (Glenn Ford), but the lines goes dead when the psychopathic extortionist comes into the house and attacks Kelly again . The FBI agent is hot on the trail of sadistic murderous , fighting the clock .

This stylish picture is packed with intrigue , nail-biting suspense, thrills , chills and formidable interpretations with acting uniformly magnificent. Taut noir thriller has an asthmatic psycho killer excellently played by Ross Martin who steals the show and gives an unnerving portrait of evil . Gorgeous Lee Remick as accosted woman , an effective Glenn Ford as obstinate Inspector and a likable and very young Stefanie Powers . Classic musical score by Henry Mancini , Blake Edwards's usual . Evocative cinematography in black and white with ominous atmosphere by Philip Lathrop , reflecting splendidly the San Francisco locations. The motion picture is stunningly produced and directed by Blake Edwards . After successful drama as ¨Days of wine and roses¨ and directly following ¨Breakfast at Tiffanys¨ , Blake launched himself in a new direction with this suspenseful movie . Edwards went on filmmaking sophisticated slapstick comedies as ¨Pink Panther¨, ¨ A shot in the dark¨ and ¨The great race¨ and another thriller as ¨The Carey treatment¨ . Rating : Better than average . Worthwhile watching . The tension grabs hold of you from the start to the end and maintains you on the edge of your seat .