Warning Shot (1967)

During a stakeout, an L.A. cop kills a doctor who presumably pulled a gun but the coroner's inquest finds no gun, forcing the cop to look for it to clear his name.

Director:

Buzz Kulik

Writers:

Whit Masterson (based on the novel "711--Officer Needs Help" by), Mann Rubin (screenplay by)

Stars:

David Janssen, Ed Begley, Keenan Wynn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Janssen	...	Sgt. Tom Valens
Ed Begley	...	Capt. Roy Klodin
Keenan Wynn	...	Sgt. Ed Musso
Sam Wanamaker	...	Frank Sanderman
Lillian Gish	...	Alice Willows
Stefanie Powers	...	Liz Thayer
Eleanor Parker	...	Mrs. Doris Ruston
George Grizzard	...	Walt Cody
George Sanders	...	Calvin York
Steve Allen	...	Perry Knowland
Carroll O'Connor	...	Paul Jerez
Joan Collins	...	Joanie Valens
Walter Pidgeon	...	Orville Ames
Vito Scotti	...	Designer
David Garfield	...	Police Surgeon (as John Garfield Jr.)

Storyline

A police sergeant kills a man who pulls a gun on him during a stakeout. But the dead suspect is a respected doctor with no criminal record and the man's gun cannot be found, and the sergeant is charged with manslaughter. The sergeant works to clear his name and determine where the gun went and why the doctor was there at all.

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | year 1966 | lapd | police sergeant | fog | 

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Taglines:

Gun, Gun, Who's Got the Gun? Is It Here? Is It Here? Is It Here?

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Genres:

Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Todesschuß

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bob Banner Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Initially developed as a made-for-TV movie, it was subsequently considered too violent and the subject matter too mature for television, so it was released as a theatrical feature.

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Quotes

[Valens suddenly attacks Ed Musso and grabs his gun, pointing it at Musso]
Sgt. Ed Musso: Tom, don't!
Sgt. Tom Valens: Stow it!
Sgt. Ed Musso: Don't make it worse than it is!
Sgt. Tom Valens: I can't help it, now you turn around! Turn around!
[Valens grabs Musso's handcuffs, cuffs Musso's hands together behind his back, grabs his keys, then leads him to his closet]
Sgt. Tom Valens: Just a few more hours, Ed.
Sgt. Ed Musso: Go to hell!
[Valens locks Musso in the closet, then telephones Walt Cody]
Walt Cody: Hello?
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s (2012)

User Reviews

Depression In the Orange Groves

Warning Shot is a good, old-fashioned movie. David Janssen is the star, and acts in his usual style, like a cross between Alan Ladd and Jack Webb. The film is a murder mystery about a cop who claims to have killed a man in self-defense, only he can't find the gun he said the man was aiming at him. Buzz Kulik was a gifted director, and he handles this one well. Some people don't like this movie because it resembles a television show, as it does suggest in its visual style and art direction an episode of Mannix. This is too bad. It doesn't bother me at all, and the film is a hundred times better than Mannix ever was. Janssen was always at his best when hunted or woebegone. There was a quality to him,--I wouldn't call it sensitivity exactly--vulnerability, "hit-ability"; whatever it is, it's on full display here, and he does get badly beaten up at one point. The supporting cast is outstanding, with Ed Begley, Eleanor Parker, Keenan Wynn, Stefanie Powers and George Grizzard all first-rate. There's less for Walter Pidgeon and Steve Allen to do, though it's always nice to see them in anything. George Sanders has a small part as well, though he doesn't get a chance to shine, he seldom did in his later years.

The movie was one of several attempts to revive the forties crime film, whether of the noir or detective variety, probably inspired by the burgeoning Bogart cult of the sixties. Frank Sinatra and Lee Marvin appeared in a few like this, and Warning Shot is Janssen's crack at it. This is my favorite of the group. It's lean and fast-paced, a bit episodic, but in a good way. There's a lot of exposition, and a few false leads, but it's never tedious. I like the downbeat, depression in the orange groves, west coast Chandleresque aspect of the film, with palm and stucco everywhere, and cars that seem the size of today's SUV's only they're just Fords and Plymouths. Warning Shot's a period piece, but an entertaining one.