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David Janssen and Carroll O'Connor starred in a 1967 crime-thriller film
We'll never see an Archie Bunker and Dr. Richard Kimble duo on All in the Family or The Fugitive, but we got Sgt. Tom Valens and Paul Jerez in Warning Shot.
Distributed by Paramount Pictures 1967
Did you ever think you'd see David Janssen and Carroll O'Connor in the same production? Well, O'Connor did appear on Janssen's series The Fugitive on a 1964 episode called "Flight from the Final Demon," but Janssen never appeared on All in the Family.
Instead, in 1967 the two starred in a crime-thriller movie called Warning Shot, and its plot is closely similar to The Fugitive. Janssen once again found himself playing a character who is out to clear his name after facing manslaughter charges.
This time he's not a doctor; he's Sgt. Tom Valens, a Los Angeles police sergeant in hot water with his department and town after killing a prominent community member in self-defense. The incident happened on a foggy night when the sky was almost non-existent.
Valens was on a stakeout near a luxury apartment complex when a figure pointed a gun at him. After protecting himself, Valens learns that the figure is Dr. James Ruston, a prominent physician loved by all, but there's one problem.
There's no gun found at the scene, so everyone thinks Valens is going insane because he was shot a year before the incident. A lot happens while Valens tries to prove he acted in self-defense, and he even discovers that Dr. Ruston was living a double life.
Carroll O'Connor played Paul Jerez, seemingly the judge listening to both sides of Valens' case. Although he's listed as one of the stars, there isn't much information about his role besides the name and a brief clip of O'Connor in the courtroom during the movie trailer.
Supposedly, the film was made for television, but due to its violence, it was released in cinemas.
Warning Shot was based on the novel 711 - Officers Need Help, released in 1965 by Whit Masterson. Filming took place between the third and fourth seasons of The Fugitive.
The movie was released on DVD in 2005.
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15 Comments
Carroll O'Connor didn't "star" in Warning Shot.
In 1967, O'Connor was a featured character actor in movies and TV; in this movie, he played a deputy police commissioner who was investigating David Janssen's shooting of that guy at the start of the movie.
O'Connor got "guest star" billing, as did about a third of the cast here, but that was a courtesy; if you watch Warning Shot, he's in and out in a few minutes - "blink and you'll miss him" (the same as most of the other "guest stars").
That's how they did stuff like this back then ...
So...why not?
I like your avatar. Yeah, that's what it much amounts to. Seeking out those overnight - TV treasures! I watch 'em the moment, but, thank heavens for a DVR too.
