The Anderson Tapes

1h 38m 1971

Brief Synopsis

After ten years in prison, a thief tries to adjust to improved surveillance methods.

Cast & Crew

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Sidney Lumet

Sean Connery

[Robert "Duke"] Anderson

Dyan Cannon

Ingrid [Everleigh]

Martin Balsam

[Tommy] Haskins

Ralph Meeker

[Captain] Delaney

Alan King

Photos & Videos

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Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Did I Scare You?

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Diving For Sponges

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Credits, No Hot Water

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) You've Had The Operation?

Film Details

MPAA Rating

Genre

Crime

Adaptation

Drama

Thriller

Release Date

Jun 1971

Premiere Information

New York opening: 17 Jun 1971; Los Angeles opening: 23 Jun 1971

Production Company

Robert M. Weitman Productions

Distribution Company

Columbia Pictures

Country

United States

Location

New York City, New York, United States

Screenplay Information

Based on the novel The Anderson Tapes by Lawrence Sanders (New York, 1970).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 38m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Technicolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.35 : 1

Synopsis

Released from prison after serving a ten-year sentence for robbery, unregenerate safecracker Robert "Duke" Anderson immediately seeks out his former mistress, Ingrid Everleigh, who resides in a luxury apartment house in New York's fashionable Upper East Side. Despite the building's television security system, Anderson develops a master plan to rob all the wealthy occupants on the same day, Labor Day. Unknown to Anderson and Ingrid, monitoring agency "Peace of Mind," hired by Ingrid's jealous benefactor Werner, has bribed doorman O'Leary to allow it to install monitoring equipment in the building's basement so that it can bug Ingrid's apartment. Later on the phone, Ingrid breaks up with Werner and tells Anderson that, although he can stay with her, she does not wish to know about the heist. Anderson then attempts to secure financing through his old connections to Mafioso Pat Angelo, but does not realize that Angelo is also being monitored by the Treasury Department because of his mob connections. Later, Anderson visits his old friend, antique dealer Tommy Haskins, who is also being secretly monitored by the FBI for fencing stolen goods, to ask him to assess and mark the targeted apartments' antiques. When Anderson goes to the apartment of Spencer, a black ex-convict, to hire him as a getaway driver, he is filmed by the building's surveillance cameras, which have been monitoring Spencer to see if he is associating with Black Panthers living in the building. As scheduled, days later, Tommy enters Ingrid's building claiming to O'Leary that the management has hired him to redecorate the halls. At the same time, electronics expert The Kid, who served prison time with Anderson, poses as an electrical repairman to gain access to the alarm system. Meanwhile, Spencer arrives with a mink stole to be delivered to Ingrid. O'Leary, suspicious of Spencer because he is black, escorts him to 2B, where Ingrid goes into the bedroom to try on the coat. Anderson, who is hiding in the bedroom, asks her to detain O'Leary for another eight minutes, leaving enough time for Tommy to finish gaining access to each apartment through his ingratiating manner. Later, Angelo arranges to meet with Anderson in his limousine during a funeral procession, but an IRS agent, dressed as toll booth taker, plants a device under the car, thus recording their conversation as Anderson explains to Angelo that the heist is worth several million dollars. Angelo, now trying to appear to be a respectable businessman, is torn between his allegiance to his old friend and his current life. Claiming that he needs the approval of elderly mob boss Papa Angelo, Angelo drives to Papa's mansion, leaving Anderson in the car. Angelo then debates out loud with himself about whether to support Anderson, as Papa, who is suffering from dementia, is unable to comprehend the situation. Meanwhile, the IRS has planted a pen with a concealed microphone on Papa's nurse, thus recording his description of Anderson's heist. Angelo finally agrees to give Anderson $17,000, on the condition that he take along hit man Socks Parelli and kill him during the heist. When the whole group meets later, Spencer threatens to leave because he fears the bigoted Socks, who has already threatened them, cannot be controlled. While Jimmy, whom Spencer has hired as another getaway driver, detains Socks outside, Anderson explains to Tommy, Spencer and The Kid that he must kill Socks as part of Angelo's deal. Though disturbed by the violence now involved, the three agree to go ahead. Soon after, Anderson returns to 2B to find Werner playing a recording of Anderson and Ingrid in bed. Werner insists that he have exclusive rights to Ingrid, and although Anderson offers to cancel the heist if she stays with him, Ingrid accepts Werner's arrangement for fear of losing her financial security. Werner tells Anderson that he will not interfere with the robbery, as a crushed Anderson leaves the apartment. On Labor Day, Anderson and the others steal a large moving truck and load a panel van and other equipment into it. They then pick up Tommy, Socks and William "Pop" Myer, another fellow ex-convict, whom Anderson hired out of pity for the old man, who has had trouble adjusting to civilian life after spending over thirty-five years behind bars. Arriving at the building, the thieves tie up O'Leary and put him in the basement, then station Pop, now wearing the doorman's uniform, at the front desk. Anderson and others, wearing masks, rob Dr. Rubicoff in his office, and then they rob Mrs. Hathaway, an elderly but spirited woman who is more excited about the adventure of the heist than her valuables or the well-being of her companion Miss Kaler. Soon after, Socks beats Rubicoff mercilessly, until Anderson stops him and then warns the victims that Socks will hurt them unless they do as he asks. Soon after in the Bingham apartment, Anderson discovers young Jerry Bingham, a paraplegic, behind a locked door. Assuming the child cannot move, Anderson leaves him alone, but Jerry alerts the police on his ham radio. Soon after, one of the tenants arrives with his boyfriend, prompting Anderson and The Kid to lead them at gunpoint to an apartment where the others are being held. Meanwhile, around the corner from the building, dozens of police, led by Captain Delaney, are waiting to apprehend the robbers. Wanting to flush out Anderson and the others, Delaney sends Sgt. Everson and several men to gain access from the roof. Meanwhile, when Anderson, now at the Longene apartment, the last on his list, threatens to hurt Logene's wife if he does not open his safe, the smug man refuses and then suggests to his horrified wife that she "be brave" in order to save their valuables. Desperate, Anderson calls in Socks, who easily convinces Logene that he will kill him. As they finish the job, Anderson hears Everson and his men's footsteps on the roof and races to lock the stairwell doors to prevent them from entering. Rushing to the apartment in which the victims are being held, Anderson looks outside, and seeing no pedestrians or cars on street, realizes that the police have stopped traffic and surrounded the building. Losing his nerve, Tommy decides to wait there and turn himself in. When Socks suggests they use the hostages as human shields, Anderson kills him. Alerted by the gunfire, Everson busts through the doors and, in the ensuing gunfight, wounds Anderson. The Kid, Jimmy and Spencer attempt to flee in the moving van, but the police kill them. Meanwhile, Anderson hides in the chimney in Ingrid's apartment, while Pop, tired of being in the outside world, turns himself over to Delaney in hopes of returning to prison. Hearing groans on the recording equipment in the basement, the police find Anderson in 2B and rush the badly wounded man into an ambulance. After the newspapers name Anderson in the attempted robbery, all the various agencies who monitored the people involved in the heist immediately have the tapes erased to avoid being prosecuted for obtaining evidence illegally.

Director

Sidney Lumet

Cast

Sean Connery

[Robert "Duke"] Anderson

Dyan Cannon

Ingrid [Everleigh]

Martin Balsam

[Tommy] Haskins

Ralph Meeker

[Captain] Delaney

Alan King

Christopher Walken

Val Avery

[Socks] Parelli

Dick Williams

Garrett Morris

Stan Gottlieb

[William] Pop [Myer]

Paul Benjamin

Anthony Holland

Richard B. Schull

Conrad Bain

Margaret Hamilton

Judith Lowry

Max Showalter

Janet Ward

Scott Jacoby

Norman Rose

Meg Myles

John Call

Ralph Stanley

John Braden

Paula Trueman

Michael Miller

Michael Prince

Frank Macetta

Jack Doroshow

Michael Clary

Hildy Brooks

Robert Dagny

Bradford English

Reid Cruckshanks

Tom Signorelli

Carmine Caridi

Michael Fairman

Sergeant Claire

George Patelis

William Da Prato

Sam Coppola

Private detective

Philip Larson

Charles Frank

Joseph Leon

George Strus

Helen Martin

Crew

Roger G. Battie

Tech consultant

Harue Brobten

Assistant to the prod

Joanne Burke

Gene Coffin

Betty Destefano

Marion Dougherty

Jack Fitzstephens

Ian Forrest

Peter Genung

Assistant Editor

Al Gramaglia

Alan Hicks

Alan Hopkins

Assistant Director

Quincy Jones

Music Composition and Conducting

George Justin

Associate Producer

Benjamin J. Kasazkow

Production Design

William M. Keyerhoff

Charles Kolb

Janet Lauretano

Assistant Editor

Dennis Maitland

Saul Meth

Arthur J. Ornitz

Director of Photography

Frank R. Pierson

Vic Ramos

Philip Rosenberg

Bud Rosenthal

Nick Sgarro

Script Supervisor

Samuel Taylor

Robert M. Weitman

Photo Collections

Videos

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Did I Scare You? Still unaware of the manifold surveillance operations arrayed against him, Duke (Sean Connery, title character) visits his ex-con pal “The Kid” (Christopher Walken, in his first studio feature film) in a Manhattan electronics shop, enlisting help in a high-end burglary, in director Sidney Lumet’s The Anderson Tapes, 1971.

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) You've Had The Operation? Newly paroled thief "Duke" Anderson (Sean Connery) visits Tommy (Martin Balsam), an antique dealer sporting Nehru jacket and ascot, to discuss business in Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes, 1971, from Lawrence Sanders' novel.

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Open, I Feel Deeply Moved Profane opening from Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes, 1971, based on the trend-setting first novel by Lawrence Sanders, finds thief "Duke" Anderson (Sean Connery) in group therapy, about to be released from prison, Anthony Holland as the obsequious shrink.

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Diving For Sponges Just released from prison, thief "Duke" Anderson (Sean Connery) has a proposal for semi-reformed mobster Angelo (Alan King), neither knowing they're under surveillance, in this case by feds, Ralph Stanley (a.k.a. Raoul Kraushaar) the consigliere, in Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes, 1971.

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Credits, No Hot Water Quincy Jones music and Sean Connery (as "Duke" Anderson) being released from prison, in the only credit sequence ever to feature the words "and introducing Christopher Walken," from Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes, 1971, from the Lawrence Sanders novel.

Anderson Tapes, The (1971) -- (Movie Clip) I Want To Eat It! Christopher Walken (as "The Kid") in almost his first movie role, ushering fellow ex-cons Duke (Sean Connery) and "Pop" (Stan Gottleib) back into society via the Port Authority Bus Terminal in The Anderson Tapes, 1971, from Lawrence Sanders' novel.

Anderson Tapes, The - (Original Trailer) A thief (Sean Connery) plans a heist in a building full of surveillance cameras in Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes (1971).

Film Details

MPAA Rating

Genre

Crime

Adaptation

Drama

Thriller

Release Date

Jun 1971

Premiere Information

New York opening: 17 Jun 1971; Los Angeles opening: 23 Jun 1971

Production Company

Robert M. Weitman Productions

Distribution Company

Columbia Pictures

Country

United States

Location

New York City, New York, United States

Screenplay Information

Based on the novel The Anderson Tapes by Lawrence Sanders (New York, 1970).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 38m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Technicolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.35 : 1

Articles

The Anderson Tapes

April 27, 2009

After taking a break from life as James Bond and temporarily handing it over to George Lazenby for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Sean Connery found his career in decline. So he was more than happy to receive an unusual heist/tech-thriller script from friend Sidney Lumet, with whom he'd done The Hill (1965). Though his lead role as John Anderson would put him on the other side of the law from James Bond, The Anderson Tapes (1971) proved a good choice for Connery, and it would put him, at least temporarily, back on the American list of top ten stars.

Based on the book by Lawrence Sanders, The Anderson Tapes was the first film to tackle the subject of modern surveillance, a theme that would be more thoroughly explored a few years later in Coppola's The Conversation (1974). Connery plays an unrepentant thief just released from prison, who has barely changed out of his stripes before he has another caper planned-this time to steal everything in the posh apartment building of his long-time girlfriend (Dyan Cannon). The switch here is that every move he makes is caught on film and every word is recorded by a cabal of law enforcement voyeurs.

The Anderson Tapes was shot on location in New York on a tight budget and completed in six hurried weeks. Perceptions of its success vary from "moderate" to "resounding", but the movie and Connery's performance were generally well received.

In Sean Connery: A Biography, author Bob McCabe observes, "Sean's character managers to steal the money, just as Sean stole the picture....Yet he had a degree of competition from Martin Balsam as a homosexual antique dealer and from Dyan Cannon as Sean's girlfriend. There were also enough television screens, tape recorders and video controls to make Q salivate (Sean was later to say it was an extraordinarily prophetic picture, since it came out just before Watergate)." The film was released on June 17, 1971-one year, to the day, before the arrests that broke the scandal open.

The Anderson Tapes is rife with interesting appearances, including Christopher Walken as "The Kid" in his first big role. Stand-up comic Alan King makes a completely believable Mafia don, Garrett Morris appears in a suitably comic role as the cop who leads the storming of the building, and Margaret Hamilton (Elmira Gulch/the wicked witches in The Wizard of Oz 1939) makes her last big-screen appearance. Her last official theatrical film was Journey Back to Oz (1974) in which she only provided voice-over talent.

Columbia wasn't happy with the ending of The Anderson Tapes, which had Connery escape from the building and head over the state line in a van pursued by police helicopters. Knowing that the film would be released to television, the distributors insisted that the thieves be either captured or killed to fulfill the stricter moral codes of the small screen.

Arthur Sarkissian, producer of the Rush Hour film series, reportedly has plans to remake The Anderson Tapes and relocate the story to Miami. The latest target date is 2010.

Producer: Robert M. Weitman
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenplay: Frank R. Pierson; Lawrence Sanders (novel "The Anderson Tapes")
Cinematography: Arthur J. Ornitz
Art Direction: Philip Rosenberg
Music: Quincy Jones
Film Editing: Joanne Burke
Cast: Sean Connery (Anderson), Dyan Cannon (Ingrid), Martin Balsam (Haskins), Ralph Meeker (Delaney), Alan King (Angelo), Christopher Walken (The Kid), Val Avery (Parelli), Dick Williams (Spencer), Garrett Morris (Everson), Stan Gottlieb (Pop), Paul Benjamin (Jimmy), Anthony Holland (Psychologist), Richard B. Schull (Werner), Conrad Bain (Dr. Rubicoff), Margaret Hamilton (Miss Kaler), Judith Lowry (Mrs. Hathaway).
C-99m.

by Emily Soares

The Anderson Tapes

The Anderson Tapes

After taking a break from life as James Bond and temporarily handing it over to George Lazenby for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Sean Connery found his career in decline. So he was more than happy to receive an unusual heist/tech-thriller script from friend Sidney Lumet, with whom he'd done The Hill (1965). Though his lead role as John Anderson would put him on the other side of the law from James Bond, The Anderson Tapes (1971) proved a good choice for Connery, and it would put him, at least temporarily, back on the American list of top ten stars. Based on the book by Lawrence Sanders, The Anderson Tapes was the first film to tackle the subject of modern surveillance, a theme that would be more thoroughly explored a few years later in Coppola's The Conversation (1974). Connery plays an unrepentant thief just released from prison, who has barely changed out of his stripes before he has another caper planned-this time to steal everything in the posh apartment building of his long-time girlfriend (Dyan Cannon). The switch here is that every move he makes is caught on film and every word is recorded by a cabal of law enforcement voyeurs. The Anderson Tapes was shot on location in New York on a tight budget and completed in six hurried weeks. Perceptions of its success vary from "moderate" to "resounding", but the movie and Connery's performance were generally well received. In Sean Connery: A Biography, author Bob McCabe observes, "Sean's character managers to steal the money, just as Sean stole the picture....Yet he had a degree of competition from Martin Balsam as a homosexual antique dealer and from Dyan Cannon as Sean's girlfriend. There were also enough television screens, tape recorders and video controls to make Q salivate (Sean was later to say it was an extraordinarily prophetic picture, since it came out just before Watergate)." The film was released on June 17, 1971-one year, to the day, before the arrests that broke the scandal open. The Anderson Tapes is rife with interesting appearances, including Christopher Walken as "The Kid" in his first big role. Stand-up comic Alan King makes a completely believable Mafia don, Garrett Morris appears in a suitably comic role as the cop who leads the storming of the building, and Margaret Hamilton (Elmira Gulch/the wicked witches in The Wizard of Oz 1939) makes her last big-screen appearance. Her last official theatrical film was Journey Back to Oz (1974) in which she only provided voice-over talent. Columbia wasn't happy with the ending of The Anderson Tapes, which had Connery escape from the building and head over the state line in a van pursued by police helicopters. Knowing that the film would be released to television, the distributors insisted that the thieves be either captured or killed to fulfill the stricter moral codes of the small screen. Arthur Sarkissian, producer of the Rush Hour film series, reportedly has plans to remake The Anderson Tapes and relocate the story to Miami. The latest target date is 2010. Producer: Robert M. Weitman Director: Sidney Lumet Screenplay: Frank R. Pierson; Lawrence Sanders (novel "The Anderson Tapes") Cinematography: Arthur J. Ornitz Art Direction: Philip Rosenberg Music: Quincy Jones Film Editing: Joanne Burke Cast: Sean Connery (Anderson), Dyan Cannon (Ingrid), Martin Balsam (Haskins), Ralph Meeker (Delaney), Alan King (Angelo), Christopher Walken (The Kid), Val Avery (Parelli), Dick Williams (Spencer), Garrett Morris (Everson), Stan Gottlieb (Pop), Paul Benjamin (Jimmy), Anthony Holland (Psychologist), Richard B. Schull (Werner), Conrad Bain (Dr. Rubicoff), Margaret Hamilton (Miss Kaler), Judith Lowry (Mrs. Hathaway). C-99m. by Emily Soares

Quotes

America, man! You know, it's so beautiful I wanta eat it!
- The Kid

Trivia

Notes

The closing cast credits differ in order from the opening credits. Onscreen credits note that all electronic devices are authentic and provided by The William J. Burns International Detective Agency Inc., and that video and tape recorders, cameras and related equipment were provided by Ampex Corporation. Actress Meg Myles's surname is misspelled onscreen as "Miles," and Reid Cruickshanks' surname is misspelled onscreen as "Cruckshanks."
       Preceding the opening credits, a prison psychiatrist interviews "Robert `Duke' Anderson" about his rehabilitation just hours before he is released from prison. Far from having reformed, an embittered Anderson regrets none of his past criminal activities and condemns white-collar criminals who steal without penalty. He then describes advertising as a "legalized con game," marriage as the equivalent of prostitution and the stock market as a "fixed horse race."
       Over the opening credits, fellow inmates Anderson, "William `Pop' Myer" and "The Kid" shower, dress in street clothes and are released from prison. Electronic beeping is heard throughout the film to indicate various forms of surveillance equipment. Short sections of dialogue are repeated immediately after they are uttered, to indicate that the characters have been recorded by various investigating organizations. In addition, during the heist scenes, police interviews of the victims taken after the robbery are intercut to partially describe the victim's perspective on the events.
       As noted in the Hollywood Reporter review, there are several differences between the novel and the film. Two of the the novel's characters, "Ingrid Macht" and "Agnes Everleigh," were combined into "Ingrid Everleigh" for the film. The picture also portrayed most of the characters more humorously than in the original novel, especially homosexual antique dealer "Tommy Haskins," who was played by actor Martin Balsam.
       The Anderson Tapes marked Robert M. Weitman's first film as an independent producer and the first major role for actor Christopher Walken. The film was shot on location in New York City. According to studio publicity, specific locations included Fifth Ave., the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Riker's Island Prison, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Luxor Health Club and portions of the Lower East Side. Interiors were shot at Hi Brown Studio and ABC-Pathé Studio, both in New York City. Although a September 30, 2003 Hollywood Reporter article noted that producer Lawrence Mark planned to remake The Anderson Tapes for Columbia, as of June 2006, this version had not been produced.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 1971

Released in United States 1971

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