Hanging by a Thread

Director: Georg Fenady Georg Fenady

Overview

"Master of disaster" Irwin Allen was so confident of his talents in 1979 that he actually thought he could stretch out a suspense tale for a full 200 minutes. Originally telecast in two parts, Allen's Hanging by a Thread concerns a group of friends and tourists, trapped in a sightseeing tram that dangles precariously over a yawning chasm. You might start yawning as well during the film's entirely dispensable flashback sequences. The "suspense" scenes themselves aren't bad, permitting an all-star cast (Sam Groom, Patty Duke Astin, Joyce Bulifant, Donna Mills, Burt Convy et. al.) to alternate between screaming and looking terrified. Hanging by a Thread was first broadcast on May 8 and 9, 1979.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/06/2010
UPC:	0883316232620
Original Release:	1979
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	3:16:00
Sales rank:	37,759

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Patty Duke	Sue Grainger
Cameron Mitchell	Lawton
Oliver Clark	Eddie Minton
Bert Convy	Actor
Burr de Benning	Actor
Sam Groom	Actor
Donna Mills	Actor
Deanna Lund	Actor
Dick LaSalle	Composer

Technical Credits

Adrian Spies

Irwin Allen	Producer
Georg Fenady	Director
Adrian Spies	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

This two-part t.v. film is a double-helping of disaster movie schlock. As befits an Irwin Allen production, it offers a mixture of stars, melodrama and mayhem. The script is absurdly contrived and, since a t.v. budget doesn't allow for major special effects, it is crammed to the gills with cheap melodrama to distract the viewer from its lack of spectacle. However, these elements actually work in its favor, making it a t.v.-size schlock epic. Georg Fenady's direction tends toward the pedestrian, particularly during the few big setpieces, but his work is solid enough to keep things moving forward. The real attraction here is the performances. Sam Groom makes a solid leading man but it's the supporting cast that really carries the day here: Bert Convy is amusingly smarmy as the spoiled rich man's son/secret drunk, Patty Duke tears into her role as a bitter wife with relish and Cameron Mitchell blusters his way through his role as a corrupt industialist with campy flair. Hanging By A Thread is mainly of interest to schlock devotees but they'll find plenty of campy amusements to enjoy in its jumbo-size running time.

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