The Strangers in 7A

Artie Sawyer (Andy Griffith), a NYC apartment building superintendent, decides to hit the bar after his wife Iris (Ida Lupino) goes to visit her sister. He quickly falls under the spell of a young beauty (Susanne Benton), who complains of having no place to stay. He decides to let her stay in an tenant's apartment, but just as they are about to get it on a group of three men come in and spoil Artie's party. Turns out they are three Vietnam vets and they are planning to rob the bank next door. To make matters worse, Iris has return home early. Running 74 minutes, this is a enjoyable TV movie that packs in a lot of tension. Michael Brandon (Four Flies on Grey Velvet) is the psycho leader of the vets and is great in the role. Griffith was in a strange career transition at this point. He had two series (Headmaster and The New Andy Griffith Show) with both only lasting one season after his long run on The Andy Griffith Show. So he ended up doing a lot of TV movies during this time, with some interesting results. He is surprisingly agile for his age, even doing a lot of two fights he has with Brandon. James A. Watson Jr. (Airplane II) and Tim McIntire (The Choirboys) play the other two robbers.

Many particulars may change over time, yet TV movies still tend to feel alike more than they don't. If less so than in many more recent examples, there are instances here of stylized flourishes - some music cues, camerawork, dialogue - and like other such fare, the pacing is brisk and the runtime is notably concise. It's a credit to screenwriter Eric Roth and director Paul Wendkos that despite the pace and length, 'The strangers in 7A' never feels curt or brusque in the same fashion as, say, original movies from Lifetime or SyFy. More importantly, this picture is characterized by a distinct sincerity that many of its brethren couldn't possibly claim; it's a thriller in miniature, but a true thriller nonetheless. And it's pretty good!

One can discern ways in which the story could have been expanded more - or, though I'm unfamiliar with the source material, perhaps ways in which the story was truncated in adaptation. Above all, there are themes lightly touched upon regarding Artie and Iris, relatively advanced in age, that could have been explored more: their loneliness, their need to feel needed and relevant, and so on. Consider, too, that story beat that effectively kicks off the plot; there's thematic content to parse in terms of the decisions men make. To these points, the casting is rather perfect, as 1972 found both Ida Lupino and Andy Griffith several years removed from what had been their greatest successes up to that time; in those ways that this could have been More, I can't help but think of 'Murder, she wrote,' the murder mystery series for septuagenarians. That - only, while Artie and Iris are ostensibly the protagonists, it doesn't seem they're centered in the narrative as much as they could or should be for much of the length. Maybe this is a detail which further invites analysis of themes regarding the elderly and how they are treated and regarded. Is 'Strangers' inadvertently meta?

Yet for whatever peculiarities this might boast, and any minutiae one may scrutinize, by and large it's quite solid and still holds up well 50 years on. Though some choices are a little too overt or On The Nose, for the most part I very much like Morton Stevens' score, lending significantly to the tension and suspense of the scenario. Wendkos' direction and Robert B. Hauser's cinematography are rather sharp, and I can forgive any more self-indulgent moments. The stunts and effects are really quite excellent, along with the production design, art direction, and props and weapons. I think the cast is altogether fantastic - Griffith and Lupino, yes, but no less so Michael Brandon, Susanne Benton, James A. Watson Jr., and more; the acting is charged and vibrant, carrying the same strong electricity as the music and the storytelling. And Roth's screenplay is decidedly smart, the foundation of everything else that's done so well here. The narrative is small and straightforward, but doesn't take any shortcuts or cheap and easy outs; the scene writing bristles with energy, and more action than one might suppose for a feature starring two actors around 50 years old (in the years before mega-blockbuster franchises became A Thing). If anything, the ending is a little ham-handed and abrupt, but in fairness, what TV movie has ever been truly perfect?

The medium has a specific reputation, thanks in large part to those networks I've mentioned above. One way or another "made for TV" films can certainly be worthwhile and enjoyable in their own right, but I think it's safe to say that more than not over the years they've often been considered the proverbial red-headed stepchild next to their Silver Screen cousins. It's deeply pleasing, then, to every once in a while come across an instance that well exceeds those assumptions, and 'The strangers in &A' is one such instance. Any idiosyncrasies or subjective weaknesses are minor and far outweighed by the strength illustrated in every component part, the writing and acting not least of all. I dare say that if one is looking for a thriller, this is just a deserving as any Big Screen title one might find - maybe not a total must-see, but highly entertaining and satisfying all the same. This is worth checking out if you have the chance!

The Strangers In 7A are a group who plan to use this apartment as a headquarters while they plan a night time bank robbery. Susanne Benton rents the apartment and her male callers include Michael Brandon, James A. Watson, Jr., and Tim McIntire. All of them are Vietnam veterans and one of them, Watson is trained in demolition.

When building superintendent Andy Griffith gets curious he and wife Ida Lupino get taken hostage. A lot of the film is taken up with their time as hostages. All of the robbers are social misfits, but Michael Brandon is truly psychotic.

It's for you to watch this made for TV film to see how it all turns out. But let's say things don't quite go as planned. Brandon stands out in this film, a truly warped and hateful human being.

Sadly the war in Vietnam being as unpopular as it became led to a lot of films of varying qualities casting Vietnam vets in all kind of psychotic roles. Terribly unfair I thought, then as now.

Still The Strangers In 7A is still a tense action packed thriller that will leave you on the edge of your living room sofa seeing it on Amazon as I did.

It's a hard-fought task to find out those early picture watched in my teenager years, firstly because I just had a name in Portuguese language, that often weren't translate from original, yesterday I found it on Youtube a good print, however no subtitles, in that time I haven't no idea who was Ida Lupino in Hollywood whatsoever, now the charming lady appeared in this small movie side by side the veteran icon Andy Griffith, both enlighten the production.

The storyline delves in a mid-age childless couple, Artie Sawyer (Andy Griffith) a frustrated superintendent of an old building which spend the mostly of time fixing broken things of the complainers tenants, his forbearing wife Iris Sawyer (Ida Lupino) tries living for a modest but decent life, suddenly reaches a mailing stating that Artie at last got his so awaited certificate of Engineer by correspondence course after long ten years, among feelings of gladness Artie figures out that was too late for him, meanwhile Iris had planned to get a quick visit for her Illness sister for few days only.

Bothered Artie goes into a nearby bar, there he meets a young sexy girl Claudine (Susanne Hildur), at once the gorgeous girl tries by any means lures the naïve Artie whom is hooked by the eye-candy who suggests him spending a night at some empty apartment with him, even faltering his sex desire overcame the reason, sadly it's a frame aiming for a gang of thieves make a bank robbery next door leading by Claudine's boyfriend, to worse Iris goes back in same night, both become a hostages meanwhile the gang goes into the action, the heist ends up ill-fated, thus back at apartment the violent leader-gang threads blow up the whole building if his requests weren't achieved.

Pretty decent picture that invites us to wondering how meaning the life anyway? It will be answered in the small acting, smallest things coming over the menacing plight, Andy Griffith and Ida Lupino delivering all they can with haughtiness as always did.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1985 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.

Being a super in a apartment complex isn't all fun and games, until a group of strangers decided to shake things up a bit. You got a super(Andy Griffith) who wants to be a better person by going back to school for a better life. When his wife temporarily leaves him, he has a encounter with a young woman. She is part of a gang of bank robbers, who uses a apartment to be a lookout while her boyfriend and cohorts go rob a bank next door. When the super's wife comes back, both she and him are hostages when they commit the crime. But things go awry when they are double-crossing each other after the failed attempts. That's where the super become a hero following his military experience.

It is a good movie. Andy Griffith does a spectacular job there.

2 out of 5 stars.