- Contract on Cherry Street
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Contract on Cherry Street, a novel by Phillip Rosenberg about a New York police detective who turns vigilante against the mob when one of his partners is gunned down, was adapted for television in 1977 by Frank Sinatra's production company Artanis. Directed by William A. Goldwyn and produced by Hugh Benson, Renee Valente and Frank Sinatra, Contract on Cherry Street was trumpeted as a major event that garnered positive reviews and strong ratings when it premiered on NBC on November 19, 1977.
The role of Detective Inspector Frank Hovannas was star Frank Sinatra's first acting role in seven years and was shot on location in New York City and New Jersey over a period of three months. The book on which the film was based, was a favourite of Sinatra's mother Dolly Sinatra, who had been recently killed in an airplane crash in Las Vegas.
Main cast
- Frank Sinatra
- Martin Balsam
- Martin Gabel
- Vera Bloom
- Harry Guardino
- Marco St. John
- Henry Silva
- Joe De Santis
- Jay Black
- Addison Powell
- Michael Nouri
- Richard Ward
- Johnny Barnes
- Lenny Montana
- Robert Davi
Critical reception
Sinatra made the cover of TV Guide as press for a special that would air over two consecutive nights on NBC gathered steam. After airing, renowned critic Leonard Maltin would comment: "Sinatra's first TV movie has him well cast as a NYC police officer who takes on organized crime in his own fashion after his partner is gunned down. Aces to this fine thriller." Judith Crist, however, would question why Sinatra was starring in a "mealy-mouthed morality tale," although most reviews were positive.
Contract on Cherry Street was nominated for Best TV Feature/Miniseries at the 1978 Edgar Awards.
External links
1960s 1970s Honky (1971) · Cry for Me, Billy (1972) · Where the Lilies Bloom (1974) · Together Brothers (1974) · Trapped Beneath the Sea (1974) · The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977) · Contract on Cherry Street (1977) · Cindy (1978) · One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story (1978)1980s Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) · Harry Tracy, Desperado (1982) · Calendar Girl Murders (1984) · Street of Dreams (1988) · Billy the Kid (1989)1990s Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991) · Bed of Lies (1992) · A Friend to Die For (1994) · The Man Who Captured Eichmann (1996) · Dying to Belong (1997) · Sleeping with the Devil (1997) · The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer (1999)Categories:- 1977 films
- 1970s crime films
- Police detective films
- Crime thriller films
- English-language films
- American films
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