''Hijack!'' is a 1973 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

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 ...

directed by

Leonard Horn Leonard Horn (August 1, 1926 – May 25, 1975) was an American director of prime time television programs in the 1960s and 1970s and helped shape a number of "classic" adventure and sci-fi series, including '' Mission: Impossible'', '' Mannix'' ...

and starring

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer) (March 27, 1931February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen also ...

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...

and

Lee Purcell Lee Purcell (born Lee Jeune Williams; June 15, 1947) is an American actress who worked primarily in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Purcell was born Lee Jeune Williams at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (North Carolina), the elder daug ...

Plot

Two desperate truck drivers, Jake and Donny, accept an assignment by a man named Kleiner to transport a "super important" cargo for $6,000. The men don't know what's in the cargo, but they find out that another group of men is willing to kill for the haul. Throughout the trip, Jake and Donny are repeatedly attacked by the mercenaries, but the pair always manages to get past them, while also gradually eliminating the crooks one by one. When they finally reach their destination, the enraged Jake breaks the lock on the trailer door and they find out that the trailer is loaded with nothing but burlap sacks filled with sand. Kleiner reveals that the truck had merely been a decoy to cause the mercs to direct their attention to the wrong vehicle; the actual secret cargo had been quietly shipped the night before.

Cast

as Jake Wilkenson *

as Donny McDonald *

as Eileen Noonan *

Jeanette Nolan Jeanette Nolan (December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998) was an American actress. Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series '' The Virginian'' (1962–1971) and ''Dirty Sally'' (1974), and in films such as ''Macbeth'' ...

as Mrs. Briscoe *

William Schallert William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on ''Richard Diamond, Private ...

as Frank Kleiner *

Tom Tully Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in ''Northern Pursuit'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award for hi ...

as Mr. Noonan *

Ron Feinberg Ronald Aaron Feinberg (October 10, 1932 – January 29, 2005) was an American character and voice actor who appeared in films and on television. Career At 6' 7", the towering Feinberg played the character Fellini, opposite Don Johnson, in the ...

as Bearded Man (as Ronald Feinberg) *

William Mims William Mims (January 15, 1927 – April 9, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films such as '' The Day Mars Invaded Earth'', ''The Ballad of Cable Hogue'', and ''Hot Rods to Hell''. He also appeared in classic television seri ...

Highway Patrol Captain * John A. Lee as Man With Glasses * Dalls Mitchell as Houston Dispatcher * Morris Buchanan as L.A. Dispatcher * Jim Burk as First Cowboy * Walter Wyatt as Second Cowboy (as Walt Wyatt) * James W. Gawin as Helicopter Pilot * Robert Golden as Weigh Station Officer

Production

It was filmed in the

Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is located in northern Los Angeles County, California, and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated between the Tehachapi, Sierra Pelona, and the ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

, July 6–12, 1974, p A-57

Reception

The ''Los Angeles Times'' said "if you miss it don't worry about it. You've probably seen it before."Janssen, Wynn in 'Hijack' Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 26 Sep 1973: e20

References

External links