In continuing to review movies featuring African-Americans in chronological order for Black History Month, we're once again at 1965 with another of Sidney Poitier's releases from that year. Here, he's Alan Newell-one of his few roles in which race is not an issue, a lone operator at the crisis prevention center in Seatle, Washington. He doesn't expect much service since the initial call is some barber complaining about his job but suddenly a woman who we find out is one Inga Dyson (Anne Bancroft) is on another line and talks about ending it all. I'll stop there and just say this was quite a compelling drama with excellent performances by both of the leads and crisp direction by Sydney Pollack on his first feature film. And they're surrounded by many good supporting turns by Telly Savalas as Dr. Joe Coburn, Edward Asner as Det. Judd Ridley, and Steven Hill as Inga's husband Mark. Other faces you may be familiar with that appear in smaller roles include Jason Wingreen and Dabney Coleman without his famous mustache. Other than a couple of extras in a dance scene, the only other person of color involved here is composer Quincy Jones on his first Poitier project. He work is excellent throughout the film. So on that note, I highly recommend The Slender Thread. P.S. Jones, like me, is a Chicago native.
