Pendulum
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
George Schaefer
George Peppard
Jean Seberg
Richard Kiley
Charles Mcgraw
Madeleine Sherwood
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After securing the conviction of rapist-murderer Paul Sanderson, Washington, D. C., Police Capt. Frank Matthews is awarded a medal of honor and granted a leave of absence to serve on a Senate subcommittee studying law and order. However, the Supreme Court reverses the death penalty against Sanderson when his attorney, Woodrow Wilson King, establishes the fact that Sanderson was not advised of his constitutional rights before making a voluntary confession. Adding to Matthew's bitterness over the fact that an admitted killer has been freed on a technicality is the growing suspicion that his wife, Adele, is carrying on an affair with a married man. Upon being told that he is to speak on law and order in Baltimore, Matthews tells Adele that he is going to New York and will not return until the next day. That night while Adele and her lover, Brooks Elliot, are in bed, they are shot to death. When it is discovered that Matthews returned to Washington on the night of the murder, he becomes the prime suspect and is assumed guilty even by his colleagues. Retracting his initial hostility towards King's "civil rights" legal tactics, Matthews hires the liberal lawyer as his defense attorney. Despite King's efforts, however, circumstantial evidence against Matthews mounts, and eventually he is arrested for manslaughter. Convinced that he knows who the real killer is, Matthews escapes and makes his way to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, the home of Paul Sanderson. After admitting that he shot Adele and her lover, Sanderson tries to kill Matthews but is prevented from committing still another murder by his mother. Although cleared of all charges, Matthews returns to Washington to face an uncertain future with the police force.
Director
George Schaefer
Cast
George Peppard
Jean Seberg
Richard Kiley
Charles Mcgraw
Madeleine Sherwood
Robert F. Lyons
Frank Marth
Marj Dusay
Paul Mcgrath
Stewart Moss
Isabell Sanford
Dana Elcar
Harry Lewis
Mildred Trares
Robin Raymond
Phyllis Hill
Jock Mackelvie
S. John Launer
Richard Guizon
Jack Grimes
Gene Boland
Logan Ramsey
Douglas Henderson
Crew
Mack David
Hugh S. Fowler
Morris Hoffman
Virginia Jones
Ben Lane
Lionel Lindon
Stanley Niss
Stanley Niss
Arthur Piantadosi
William Randall Jr.
Charles J. Rice
David Salven
Walter Scharf
Walter Scharf
Walter M. Simonds
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
During location filming in Washington, DC, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The resulting riots in the capital caused the shooting company to wrap early and return to Los Angeles. Visible in the rear window of the cab during Jean Seberg's ride through the city, buildings are burning and smoke is obvious.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Winter January 1969
Released in United States March 1996
Released in United States Winter January 1969
Released in United States March 1996 (Shown in New York City (Film Forum) as part of program "The Films of Jean Seberg" March 15-28, 1996.)
