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

Police Sergeant Tom Valens (David Janssen) 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:

What's a little bullet between friends?

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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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

Final theatrical movie of Donald Curtis (Dr. James B. Rustin).

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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

Goldsmith Score And Superb Cast Make For Strikingly Effective Crime Drama

During a 1966 break from filming The Fugitive TV series, David Janssen joined with producer-director Seymour "Buzz" Kulik and screenwriter Mann Rubin to film Warning Shot. The film finds Janssen in familiar territory as a man wrongly accused and having literally no recourse but to defend himself, and his performance as LAPD Sgt. Tom Valens can be seen as another alter-ego of Richard Kimble. The presence of Fugitive alum such as Carroll O'Conner and Ed Begley Sr. adds to the familiarity for Fugitive fans.

Jerry Goldsmith composes a strikingly strong score for the film, from the mildly bombastic opening theme through its more mournful renditions throughout the movie.

Janssen's performance as Richard Kimble made The Fugitive a television clasic, and here he imbues Sgt. Tom Valens with identical sympathy. Valens, on a stakeout for a prowler, encounters a doctor, James Rustin, who pulls a gun on Valens and is shot. The gun flies out of Rustin's hand, and is lost.

Because the gun cannot be found, Valens is suspended, and faces even greater trouble because Dr. Rustin has earned a striking popularity with neighbors of his for his medical efforts, both in LA and in his frequent flights to Baja. When Valens digs into Rustin's past, he finds some discrepencies with the doctor's image, but it all blows up in Valens' face in the death of a model Rustin was having an affair with.

Nonetheless, despite persistent pleas from his friends to admit to guilt, Valens pushes his investigation of Dr. Rustin, and he hits paydirt when he finds a curious truth about one of Rustin's elderly neighbors (and her dog), and when someone tries to kill him and then Dr. Rustin's nurse is found dead, leading to a confrontation between Valens and his ex-partner.

Janssen shines in this film, but gets superb help from his supporting cast, including George Grizzard as a playboy pilot who is always missing out on the action - or so he says.