''Experiment in Terror'' is a 1962 American

neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. It was directed by

Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio s ...

and written by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon based on their 1961 novel ''Operation Terror''. The film stars

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress ...

Stefanie Powers Stefanie Powers (born November 2, 1942) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Hart on the mystery television series '' Hart to Hart'' (1979–1984), for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...

and Ross Martin. The musical score was performed by

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

Plot

A sadistic killer, Garland "Red" Lynch, uses a campaign of terror to force

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

bank teller Kelly Sherwood to steal $100,000 from the bank for him. Despite Lynch's threat to kill Sherwood or her teenage sister Toby if she goes to the police, Sherwood contacts the

office of the FBI, where agent John Ripley takes charge of the case. Ripley interviews a woman who implies that she is involved in some way in a serious crime, but before she can give Ripley the details, Lynch murders her. Sherwood continues to be terrorized with phone calls, an

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

tic condition making the unseen Lynch's voice all the more sinister. The FBI identifies the criminal, noting that Lynch has a record of convictions for statutory rape, forgery, criminal assault, armed robbery and murder. They track down his girlfriend, Lisa Soong, whose six-year-old son has just had a hip replaced. Lynch is paying all the hospital bills. Because of this, Lisa refuses to believe that Lynch is a criminal and will not cooperate with the investigation. Ripley nevertheless manages to get some information about "Uncle Red" from the boy. Lynch finally gives Sherwood a time and date to steal the money, and just to make sure that she does, he kidnaps her sister Toby and holds her captive. The climax is a chase through

Candlestick Park Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...

after a nighttime baseball game between the rival

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

. On-field action includes several closeups of Dodger pitcher

Don Drysdale Donald Scott Drysdale (July 23, 1936 – July 3, 1993) was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator. A right-handed pitcher for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers for his entire career in Major League Baseball, D ...

. Ripley and his men ultimately surround Lynch on the infield of the stadium. As Lynch takes aim at a police helicopter, Ripley shoots him and he dies on the pitchers' mound.

Cast

as John "Rip" Ripley *

as Kelly Sherwood *

as Toby Sherwood * Ross Martin as Garland Humphrey "Red" Lynch * Roy Poole as Brad *

Ned Glass Nusyn "Ned" Glass (April 1, 1906 – June 15, 1984) was a Polish-born American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and on television more than one hundred times, frequently playing nervous, cowardly, or deceitful characters. ...

as Popcorn * Anita Loo as Lisa Soong * Patricia Huston as Nancy Ashton * Gilbert Green as Special agent *

Clifton James George Clifton James (May 29, 1920 – April 15, 2017) was an American actor known for roles as a prison floorwalker in ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), Sheriff J.W. Pepper alongside Roger Moore in the James Bond films '' Live and Let Die'' (19 ...

as Capt. Moreno * Al Avalon as Man who picks up Kelly * William Bryant as Chuck *

Dick Crockett Richard DeHart Crockett (February 27, 1915 – January 25, 1979) was an American television and film actor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, producer, and director, best known for his work with director Blake Edwards. Career The first film ...

as FBI agent #1 *

James Lanphier James Lanphier was an American actor who did a variety of work for Blake Edwards. He portrayed Saloud in the 1963 film ''The Pink Panther'', and also appeared in films such as '' Darling Lili'' (1970) and the television series '' Peter Gunn'' (195 ...

as Landlord * Warren Hsieh as Joey Soong * Sidney Miller as Drunk *

Clarence Lung Clarence Lung (1914–1993) was a film and television actor. He appeared in films such as '' Dragon Seed'', '' Song of the Sarong'', ''Experiment in Terror'', ''Prisoner Of War'', ''Operation Petticoat'', '' China'' and '' The Hundred Days of the ...

as Attorney Yung * Frederic Downs as Welk * Sherry O'Neil as Edna * Mari Lynn as Penny * Harvey Evans as Dave * William Sharon as Raymond Burkhart *

as himself

Production

Filming locations

''Experiment in Terror'' was filmed on location in

. Kelly Sherwood's house is at 100, St. Germain Avenue in the

Clarendon Heights San Francisco, in the US state of California, has both major, well-known neighborhoods and districts as well as smaller, specific subsections and developments. While there is considerable fluidity among the sources, one guidebook identifies five ...

district (now demolished). Kelly works at the Crocker-Anglo Bank (now Wells Fargo Bank) located at One Montgomery Street. The climactic chase at the end of the film was filmed at

; other nearby filming locations included Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach.

Release

The film opened in New York on 13 April 1962. The film was originally released in the UK under the title ''The Grip of Fear''.

Reception

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, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews, with an average score of 8.40/10.

Awards

Ross Martin was nominated for a 1963

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for Best Supporting Actor.

Notes

External links

* * * * used as a television "Creature Feature" theme {{DEFAULTSORT:Experiment In Terror 1962 films 1960s crime thriller films 1960s psychological thriller films American black-and-white films American crime thriller films American psychological thriller films Columbia Pictures films 1960s English-language films Films scored by Henry Mancini Films about kidnapping Films about bank robbery Films based on American novels Films directed by Blake Edwards Films set in San Francisco Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area Films shot in San Francisco American police detective films Films with screenplays by the Gordons Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation American neo-noir films 1960s American films