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against it, Kay tells Flood that she intends to leave after the heist, but insists that she is not involved with anyone else, and that Frank is loyal to him. After Flood and the others show up in San Felipe, Doll demands a cut of the robbery, prompting Flood to order Roy to kill her. Flood then explains to Harry that Doll split after he gave her some money. Flood goes over the final plans for the robbery, in which Zimmer is to create several explosions, including one at the high school as well as one at the electric power plant (thus disabling the bank vault's alarm system).
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As a means to do this, Frank buys a local gas station and garage, and he and Kay—posing as a married couple—move into a house nearby. In the following month, Flood recruits a team of specialists, including veteran safecracker Dutch
Paulmeyer. By now, Kay is enjoying her masquerade role as "homemaker"
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Confronting Zimmer, Frank is knocked unconscious and Zimmer blows up a paint factory, then heads to the high school. Meanwhile, Flood and the others have entered the store next to the bank and are breaking through the wall to the vault. Frank recovers and rushes to the school, discovering the bomb's
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On the night of the robbery, Frank and Kay attend an evening barbecue at the
Loxleys', and hear over the radio about the discovery of a young woman's body. The description makes it clear to both of them that it is Doll who has been murdered. Kay decides she wants to leave immediately and asks Frank
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Kay is called to a meeting with Flood, and at Flood's apartment, she encounters some of his other associates: Roy, Flood's gopher and a slightly perverse, self-involved fitness enthusiast; and lookout man Harry, who has brought his slatternly girl friend, Doll, with him. Although Frank warned her
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Frank eventually agrees to consider a romance with Kay, but only after the heist has been successful. In the following months, Frank and Kay establish a friendly relationship with the
Loxleys', of which husband Sam is a banker. The plan is to set off diversionary explosions at the opposite end of
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His portion of the loot from a recent heist squandered, minor-league criminal Frank Harper talks his boss, Flood, into a more lucrative project: on the weekend before a Monday payday, break into a San Felipe, California bank, which will be holding a million-dollar payroll for the Marine Base at
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Later, after Flood returns to Frank's house with cases full of cash, Frank knocks him unconscious and tells Kay to phone the police, intending to return the cash, assuring Kay that, no matter what criminal charges they may face, somehow they will find a way to be together.
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and tells Frank that she will be breaking off her relationship with Flood. Frank refuses to compromise his friendship with Flood by pursuing Kay, although he is attracted to her. Kay suggests buying a second gas station, and going straight and abandoning the criminal life.
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who had renamed themselves as Pine-Thomas-Shane following the death of co-founder
William Pine. James Poe was originally hired to do the script. Pine-Thomas-Shane announced they would make the film as part of a three-picture deal with
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The luxury hotel where Kay meets Flood, Roy, Harry and Doll is actually the
Hollywood Riviera condominium complex at 1400 North Hayworth Avenue in West Hollywood, built in 1954 and designed by prolific mid-century architect
420:. Director Robert Stevens was hired from TV. John Payne was originally announced for the male lead. It was to be the last of a five-picture contract he had with Pine Thomas. Martin Berkeley ended up doing the script.
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to join her, but when Frank learns that the
Loxleys' son is at a pageant rehearsal at the targeted high school, which was previously expected to be empty that night, he decides to try and stop Zimmer.
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town, which will occupy the police and fire departments—and likely much of the town—on the night of the planned break-in. However, Flood has hired Zimmer, an explosives expert—who is also an
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In White's novel, the arsonist Zimmer is named "Kosta," and lookout man Harry is named "Wally." The setting of the novel is the fictional town of "Indio Beach," described as between
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on
Florida's west coast; whereas the film adaptation places the action in the fictitious California coastal town of "San Felipe," portrayed onscreen as neighboring
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The top-billed stars were Rory
Calhoun, Mary Costa and James Gregory. It was the feature film debut for Costa, who was hostess of the TV show
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The script submitted was originally rejected by the
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Drama: Disney
Swinging Gates Wide for Live Action; MGM Heads in Big Deal Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 29 Feb 1956: B7.
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Drama: Esther Costello Plum Goes to British Find; Brazzi Forms Company Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times9 Aug 1956: A13.
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as "Keeler," in the film he is actually called "Falkenburg," with no character name stated in the credits. According to a
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Margaret O'Brien Will Resume as 'Glory' Star; Big Caper' Purchased Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 3 June 1955: b5.
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640:"Rent Check: Multi-Family Fickett in West Hollywood" Friday, October 9, 2009, by Adrian Glick Kudler for Curbed.com
481:"The Big Caper (1957) - Robert Stevens | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie"
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BIG CAPER, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 24, Iss. 276, (Jan 1, 1957): 126.
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Criminals At Large: Criminals By ANTHONY BOUCHER. New York Times 24 Apr 1955: BR26.
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signed to play the second male lead and filming began in September 1956. A
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timer and disabling it. At the bank, Paulmeyer blows open the vault with
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The film was based on Lionel White's 1955 novel of the same name. The
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PEGGY LEE SIGNS 3-FILM CONTRACT New York Times 3 June 1955: 26.
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TWO FILE TITLES FOR DORIA MOVIE New York Times 2 Aug 1956: 21.
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WALD WILL FILM 'THE HARD HATS' New York Times 3 Sep 1956: 11
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16:1957 film directed by Robert Stevens
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622:Turner Classic Movies: Notes for
1485:Films directed by Robert Stevens
566:. September 19, 1956. p. 3.
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350:Florenz Ames as Dutch Paulmeyer
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1490:Films scored by Albert Glasser
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387:The Mountains Have No Shadows
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1253:Those Redheads from Seattle
560:"Mighty Reasonable Fellahs"
372:Film rights were bought by
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1429:In the Cool of the Day
1157:The Eagle and the Hawk
1101:Waterfront at Midnight
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530:White, Lionel (1955).
434:in the role of "Roy."
428:The Hollywood Reporter
1413:Never Love a Stranger
965:They Made Me a Killer
1520:1950s American films
1505:United Artists films
1480:American heist films
1475:American crime films
1349:The Price of Victory
1336:A Letter from Bataan
1045:Big Town After Dark
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218:is a 1957 American
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949:People Are Funny
925:Midnight Manhunt
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781:I Live on Danger
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626:(1957) TCM.com
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64:Lionel White
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1328:Short Films
1229:Jamaica Run
1221:Tropic Zone
1165:The Lawless
1053:Albuquerque
877:Take It Big
845:Minesweeper
447:news item,
439:Roscoe Ates
354:Roscoe Ates
333:Corey Allen
271:pyrophiliac
73:Howard Pine
70:Produced by
36:Directed by
1460:1957 films
1454:Categories
1125:Manhandled
1061:Caged Fury
981:Swamp Fire
957:Tokyo Rose
741:Power Dive
545:1596543442
534:. Berlin:
467:References
432:Vic Morrow
424:Vic Morrow
394:Palm Beach
309:Mary Costa
235:Mary Costa
223:crime film
191:85 minutes
174:1957-03-28
137:Production
94:Mary Costa
1465:Film noir
1301:Nightmare
1205:Caribbean
1197:Hong Kong
973:Hot Cargo
724:Films of
402:Oceanside
268:psychotic
264:alcoholic
220:film noir
118:Edited by
1237:Sangaree
1117:Dynamite
1109:Disaster
997:Big Town
341:as Harry
317:as Flood
204:Language
126:Music by
82:Starring
56:Based on
1173:Tripoli
1141:El Paso
805:Tornado
789:Wildcat
689:Variety
564:Variety
453:stammer
417:Climax!
329:as Doll
207:English
196:Country
172: (
139:company
1440:(1969)
1432:(1963)
1424:(1962)
1416:(1958)
1408:(1957)
1351:(1942)
1345:(1942)
1339:(1942)
1320:(1957)
1312:(1957)
1304:(1956)
1296:(1955)
1288:(1955)
1280:(1955)
1272:(1955)
1264:(1954)
1261:Jivaro
1256:(1953)
1248:(1953)
1240:(1953)
1232:(1953)
1224:(1953)
1216:(1952)
1208:(1952)
1200:(1951)
1192:(1951)
1184:(1951)
1176:(1950)
1168:(1950)
1160:(1950)
1152:(1950)
1144:(1949)
1136:(1949)
1128:(1949)
1120:(1948)
1112:(1948)
1104:(1948)
1096:(1948)
1093:Shaggy
1088:(1948)
1080:(1948)
1072:(1948)
1064:(1948)
1056:(1948)
1048:(1947)
1040:(1947)
1032:(1947)
1024:(1947)
1016:(1947)
1008:(1947)
1000:(1947)
992:(1947)
984:(1946)
976:(1946)
968:(1946)
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952:(1946)
944:(1945)
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928:(1945)
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848:(1943)
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816:(1943)
808:(1943)
800:(1942)
792:(1942)
784:(1942)
776:(1942)
768:(1941)
760:(1941)
752:(1941)
744:(1941)
542:
335:as Roy
311:as Kay
266:and a
672:TCMDB
661:IMDb
540:ISBN
404:and
396:and
385:and
297:Cast
245:Plot
237:and
687:at
670:at
659:at
62:by
1456::
562:.
463:.
455:.
408:.
289:.
241:.
233:,
1384:e
1377:t
1370:v
717:e
710:t
703:v
548:.
483:.
176:)
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