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The Elevator

  • TV Movie
  • 1974
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
263
YOUR RATING
The Elevator (1974)
DramaThriller

Armed robber Eddie Holcomb flees his latest job and gets trapped with stolen loot and innocent people in a high-rise building's jammed elevator while his accomplice Pete Howarth waits to kil... Read allArmed robber Eddie Holcomb flees his latest job and gets trapped with stolen loot and innocent people in a high-rise building's jammed elevator while his accomplice Pete Howarth waits to kill witnesses who pose the slightest threat.Armed robber Eddie Holcomb flees his latest job and gets trapped with stolen loot and innocent people in a high-rise building's jammed elevator while his accomplice Pete Howarth waits to kill witnesses who pose the slightest threat.

  • Director
    • Jerry Jameson
  • Writers
    • Bruce Shelly
    • David Ketchum
    • Rhoda Blecker
  • Stars
    • James Farentino
    • Roddy McDowall
    • Craig Stevens
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    263
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jerry Jameson
    • Writers
      • Bruce Shelly
      • David Ketchum
      • Rhoda Blecker
    • Stars
      • James Farentino
      • Roddy McDowall
      • Craig Stevens
    • 11User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos3

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    Top cast16

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    James Farentino
    James Farentino
    • Eddie Holcomb
    Roddy McDowall
    Roddy McDowall
    • Marvin Ellis
    Craig Stevens
    Craig Stevens
    • Dr. Stuart Reynolds
    Don Stroud
    Don Stroud
    • Pete Howarth
    Teresa Wright
    Teresa Wright
    • Edith Reynolds
    Myrna Loy
    Myrna Loy
    • Amanda Kenyon
    Carol Lynley
    Carol Lynley
    • Irene Turner
    Arlene Golonka
    Arlene Golonka
    • Wendy Thompson
    Barry Livingston
    Barry Livingston
    • Robert Peters
    Jean Allison
    Jean Allison
    • Mrs. Peters
    Bob Fisher
    • Alan Rambeau
    Paul Sorensen
    Paul Sorensen
    • Detective Lieutenant
    Ed Deemer
    • Parking Attendent
    Will J. White
    Will J. White
    • First Security Guard
    Jack Griffin
    Jack Griffin
    • Delivery Man
    Jason Wingreen
    Jason Wingreen
    • Second Security Guard
    • Director
      • Jerry Jameson
    • Writers
      • Bruce Shelly
      • David Ketchum
      • Rhoda Blecker
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    5.4263
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    Featured reviews

    7MissSimonetta

    Not as bad as some of these other reviews are making it out to be

    THE ELEVATOR is a simple made-for-TV suspense-thriller about a group of people trapped in an elevator with a claustrophobic criminal. I have to disagree with the negative reviews on here: the movie is suspenseful and does a good job ratcheting up the stakes. The criminal in the elevator is getting frantic, his accomplice trying to rescue him is willing to murder anyone who poses the slightest threat, and the elevator itself grows closer and closer to total collapse with every minute wasted. The characters, while simple, are well-played by the actors and likable enough to where you don't want to see them dead. The standout is Myrna Loy as an initially irritating but ultimately sympathetic and poignant old woman.

    The atmosphere is tense-- you can feel the heat and unstated panic brewing in that elevator-- and the storytelling is very tight. The filmmakers establish all of the characters with economy and do not waste time in getting to the good stuff. While it won't blow anyone's mind, this is an underrated little thriller fans of old-school suspense will enjoy.
    5drew-121

    The No Disaster - Disaster Movie

    This film could not be more of its era. Old movie stars, good character actors and some unknowns locked in a lift. The problem is that you just know the lift cannot fall and therefore there is no suspense. Good work as usual from Roddy McDowell. Perhaps there is a challenge here for Joel Silver or Scott Rudin, remake this film and make it exciting.
    5Uriah43

    A Solid Made-for-Television Movie

    This film begins with two men, "Eddie Holcomb" (James Farentino) and "Pete Howarth" (Don Stroud), casually entering a high-rise building and taking an elevator to one of the top floors while Eddie's girlfriend, "Irene Turner" (Carol Lynley), waits in her car in the underground basement. Once on the 39th floor, the two men quietly break into one of the office spaces; however, they are spotted by the lone occupant, who is immediately shot and killed by Pete. After quickly moving the body out of their way, they proceed to steal a briefcase full of money that had been delivered there earlier that day and, once it's in their possession, quickly head back into the hall to catch an elevator going down. To their dismay, although Eddie manages to secure a place within the crowded elevator, there isn't enough room for Pete, and so he has to catch another elevator a minute or so later. At first, although he is extremely claustrophobic, Eddie manages to control his feelings of anxiety; however, when the elevator gets stuck between floors, his anxiety turns into a full-blown panic. Meanwhile, Pete also becomes concerned when his elevator arrives before Eddie's--and Pete can get extremely violent when things go wrong. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film turned out to be an okay movie for the most part, with all of the participating actors turning in solid performances. Admittedly, the made-for-television format hindered it to some degree, but even so, it managed to pass the time well enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
    nb_23

    More interesting than you'd think

    I agree the movie is of its time - I love the fashions and the snobbery - it's not just Britain that has a class system! But I don't agree there's no suspense. The point of the movie is the claustrophobic atmosphere, it's actually a bit more subtle than you'd think from the blurb.
    searchanddestroy-1

    A pure mix up of the genres, but efficient

    Well, any movie buff will recognize here a pure tribute to Louis Malle's ASCENSEUR POUR L'ECHAFAUD, where a criminal is trapped in a jammed elevator just after he committed his murder. Even a blind man could recognize this, only by earing the dialogues !! And this TV movie made in 1974 is also in the line of the disaster movies wave, where we have some former Hollywood stars who happen to be put together in front of the "disaster" just after being separately presented. See AIRPORT, TOWERING INFERNO, POSEIDON ADVENTURE, EARTHQUAKE, THE SWARM and so on...And, it's of course a small budget feature, the perfect TV product setting, cheap and efficient. But not advised for claustrophobic people. And the character study is also interesting. Some unbelievable scenes, such as this one when Farentino's character, after threatening the people with him in the elevator with his gun, gets on the elevator roof without any problem, as if he had a ladder... It was aired in France in the late seventies.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Roddy McDowell and Carol Lynley co-starred together in The Poseidon Adventure (1972) before this.
    • Goofs
      When the suitcase falls to the floor in the elevator and the money falls out, there is far less in the suitcase than there was when it was originally inspected and closed earlier.
    • Connections
      Edited into Earthquake (1974)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 9, 1974 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Fahrstuhl des Schreckens
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Universal Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 15m(75 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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