''The Longest Night'' is a 1972 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 fo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written by Merwin Gerard and directed by

Jack Smight John Ronald Smight (March 9, 1925 – September 1, 2003) was an American theatre and film director. His film credits include ''Harper'' (1966), '' No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968), '' Airport 1975'' (1974), '' Midway'' (1976), and '' Fast Break ...

. This movie was originally shown as an ''

ABC Movie of the Week ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

'' on September 12, 1972. It is based on the 1968

Barbara Mackle kidnapping The 1968 kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle was the subject of an autobiographical book which was the basis of two television movies. Background Barbara Jane Mackle, aged 20 at the time of her kidnapping, was the daughter of Robert Mackle, a we ...

Gary Steven Krist Gary Steven Krist (born April 29, 1945) is an American convicted of kidnapping and the trafficking of illegal aliens. Early life He was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on April 29, 1945, and grew up in Pelican, Alaska. He lived part of his chi ...

.Schuyler Women Team in TV Film Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 21 June 1972: f1.

Plot

The plot concerns the kidnapping of Karen Chambers, daughter of wealthy Alan Chambers. The kidnapper holds her underground in a homemade coffin. He leaves her there, with a fan for air and a gallon of water, until he receives the ransom money. Her family frantically searches for her.

Cast

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 ...

as Alan Chambers *

James Farentino James Farentino (February 24, 1938 – January 24, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 100 television, film, and stage roles, among them '' The Final Countdown'', ''Jesus of Nazareth'', and '' Dynasty''. Career Born in Brooklyn, N ...

as John Danbury *

Phyllis Thaxter Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter (November 20, 1919 – August 14, 2012) was an American actress. She is best known for portraying Ellen Lawson in ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) and Martha Kent in ''Superman'' (1978). She also appeared in ''Bewi ...

as Norma Chambers * Skye Aubrey as Ellen Gunther *

Mike Farrell Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series ''M*A*S*H'' (1975–83). Farrell was a producer of ''Patch Adams'' (1998) starring Robin Willi ...

as Wills * Sallie Shockley as Karen Chambers *

Joel Fabiani Joel Fabiani (born September 28, 1936, in Watsonville, California) is an American film, television and theater actor. Known for his leading role in the British TV series '' Department S'', Fabiani has guest starred in '' The FBI'', ''Barnaby Jon ...

as Barris *

Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017) was an American film and television actor. Among his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman, the boss of Steve Austin ( Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers ( Lindsay Wagner) i ...

as Harvey Eaton *

Charles McGraw Charles McGraw (born Charles Crisp Butters; May 10, 1914 – July 29, 1980) was an American stage, film and television actor whose career spanned more than three decades. Early life McGraw was born to Beatrice (née Crisp) and Francis P. B ...

as Father Chase * John Kerr as Agent Jones * Robert Cornthwaite as Frank Cavanaugh *

Ross Elliott Ross Elliott (born Elliott Blum, June 18, 1917 – August 12, 1999) was an American television and film character actor. He began his acting career in the Mercury Theatre, where he performed in ''The War of the Worlds (radio), The War of t ...

as Dr. Steven Clay * Tom Hallick as Officer Clark *

Antony Carbone Antony Deago Carbone (July 15, 1925 – October 7, 2020) was an American film and television actor. Biography Carbone was born as Antonio Giuseppe Carmelo Carbone in Calabria, Italy on July 15, 1925. His family moved to Syracuse, New York when ...

as Officer Jackson *

Joe Conley Joe Conley (March 3, 1928 – July 7, 2013) was an American actor who played many small roles on television and is most remembered for his role as the storekeeper Ike Godsey in ''The Waltons''. Personal life and career Joe Conley was born in Bu ...

as Salesman

Production

Filming started June 1972 at Universal studios.

Legacy

The film inspired a story

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

created for ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'', which the show's house writers scripted into an episode he directed in 2005 titled ''

Grave Danger "Grave Danger" is the fifth season finale of the American crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', which is set in Las Vegas, Nevada. This two-parter was directed by Quentin Tarantino and was aired on May 19, 2005 on CBS. The episode fea ...

'', a two-hour season finale in which the Las Vegas crime team had to rescue a colleague who has been buried alive.Tarantino is a 'CSI' kind of guy ; Director has fun with finale: INAL EditionKeveney, Bill. USA TODAY; 19 May 2005: D.6.

References

External links

* * * 1972 television films 1972 films 1972 drama films American drama films ABC Movie of the Week Drama films based on actual events Films about kidnapping Films directed by Jack Smight 1970s American films {{US-tv-film-stub