A small-time hood is murdered just as he is about to blow the whistle on an organized crime ring.A small-time hood is murdered just as he is about to blow the whistle on an organized crime ring.A small-time hood is murdered just as he is about to blow the whistle on an organized crime ring.
- Louise Trenier
- (as Kathy Lloyd)
- Ernesto De La Pina
- (as Valentine De Vargas)
- Court Clerk
- (as Jay McIntosh)
Featured reviews
This "NBC Saturday Night Movie" was the pilot for E. Jack Neuman's lawyer series "The Prosecutors".
The DVD sleeve description probably meant "small time hood" as "Incident on a Dark Street" is clearly shot in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Also, the synopsis (quoted above) is slightly inaccurate. Mr. Pine (as Paul Hamilton Jr.) is the lone rookie, handling a subplot instead of the film's major story. The main plot is handled by Mr. Canary (as Peter "Pete" Gallagher). Canary, who made strong impressions with stints on "Peyton Place" and "Bonanza", must have been a leading candidate for his own nighttime series. His twin characterizations on the daytime series "All My Children" are uncommonly strong.
The likewise hard-working Pine and an accomplished Mr. Olson ("Don't call me sir!") round out the cast. The three are fine individual actors, but don't "click" as a team. Wearing thick hair and moustache, Mr. Shatner obviously takes charge of the guest cast list. Silent film veteran Gilbert Roland (as Dominic Leopold), Richard S. Castellano (as Frank Romeo), and Murray Hamilton (Edmund "Ed" Schilling) lend their support. Director Buzz Kulik was best known for "Brian's Song".
**** Incident on a Dark Street (1/13/73) Buzz Kulik ~ David Canary, Robert Pine, James Olson, William Shatner
This YAWN law drama centers on some dude trying to beat a heroin rap and a mob hit which leads to....more boring stuff. You know this is bad when you can't even tell the characters' names and the acting is stressed to make the law terms seem more dramatic when it really bored me like lectures up at Binghamton. I only recall Leopold since it was said about 100 times and Wallace played by Ham Shatner. I gave an extra point just for the funny mustache Shat was sporting. There's also some lady dying of some disease but that's quickly forgotten and a cool mob hit featuring a giant street sweeper.
Dog turd is more exciting than this crappy Dark Street borer.
As for the content of this TV movie, there's little to say. It was a pilot for a proposed 1973 NBC series called 'The Prosecutors.' It never got past this film. Familiar cast, familiar story, plodding execution. With almost iconic types like David Doyle and Murray Hamilton popping up, along with the camp master himself Shatner, it's hard to pay much attention to the story: you spend more time thinking "I remember that actor!" Unfortunately, the star of the film is the colorless James Olson. Now, if Shatner had been put in place of Olson this might have been far more entertaining. Oh, and Susan Stafford has a small role. Very pretty, but showed far more brains and talent when she got OUT of showbiz later.
As an early1970's made-for-TV movie, it suffers from the ravages of time, yet manages to remain entertaining.
William Shatner co-stars as Deaver Wallace, a sleazy real estate developer in cahoots with the mob. Personally, I find him to be the best part of the movie. With his mammoth sideburns (more like side pelts!) and a droopy mustache resembling a fruit bat perched under his nose, Shatner plays the same role he plays in most, if not all of his movies. Namely, himself!
Also, watch for a pre-JAWS Murray Hamilton and Kathleen Lloyd...
It has a large cast but focuses on a few characters. Paul Hamilton Jr (Robert Pine) is anew recruit in the Justice department's office in Manhattan. He does not want to convict marijuana users but the big dealers and traffickers. Joe Dubbs (James Olson) is their stern but fair boss whose job is to mouth platitudes.
The main plot is ADA Peter Gallagher (David Canary) is contacted by Frank Romeo (Richard Castellano.) He works for mobster Dominic Leopold and Frank has the dirt on him. So did Frank's brother but Leopold had him killed with an ice pick. That's what you do to squealers.
Even then Frank is unsure whether to be a grass, so the DA's office play hardball to get Frank to talk. The weak link are two local government officials Deaver Wallace (William Shatner) and Edmund Schilling (Murray Hamilton) who are on the take from Leopold. They are also unwittingly in hock to Leopold having taken loans from a company he owns.
A starry cast. Castellano was in The Godfather. Robert Pine is the father of Chris Pine and here we have the original Captain Kirk.
The story is humdrum though. Castellano essentially trying to make his mind up while a hitman is stalking him. The story could had wrapped in a hour.
Did you know
- GoofsFrank Romeo refers to the theft of a 1957 Edsel. Edsels were made only between 1958 and 1960.
- Quotes
Joe Dubbs: Now you're the bad guy, the defendant's the good guy, he always is, he looks like a good guy: played ball once, clean cut, looks you right in the eye, his wife and kid are there, they look nice, great, kid's cute, wife's as pretty as your sister, she looks you right in the eye too. Everybody looks you in the eye and feels sorry for him, the judge, clerk, jury, press, every one of them, you're a bum, he's a hero, the whole thing's a mistake. But there you are, you've got the indictment right in your hand; Blue Eyes is accused of violating the law, your job is to enforce the law. That's what you swore you'd do when you accepted this appointment as Assistant United States Attorney, for $14,600 per annum. So you get up in the morning, you put you pants on, you come down here and you spend your whole day, a lot of days, and a lot of nights, also a lot of weekends. You married?
Paul Hamilton Jr: No.
Joe Dubbs: Good. Trying to put Blue Eyes in jail, you're a terrible man, awful, do you know how terrible and awful you are? You're the one who decided to prosecute, you, you made the decision, you went in front of the Grand Jury, you asked for the indictment. You're responsible for the cleanest cut, biggest blue-eyed all-American American anybody ever saw, standing there at the Bar of Justice looking everybody in the eye. You did it pal, you, so before you open your mouth, before you say one word, before you threaten that man's life, his work, his dreams, his hopes, before you try to put him behind bars, take away his freedom, separate him from those he loves, deprive him of his liberty, lock him up, you check the facts of the case, backwards, forwards, up, down, sideways, inside out, every way you can figure out. And before you stand up and say you represent the United States government, you make sure every damn word that comes out of your mouth is fact.
[points to U.S. flag]
Joe Dubbs: THAT is your client.
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 36m(96 min)
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1