On this day in movie (1972) and book (1970) history - The Hot Rock

The Hot Rock

directed by Peter Yates,

written by William Goldman,

based on the novel by Donald E. Westlake,

was released in the United States on January 26, 1972.

Music by Quincy Jones.

Cast:

Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Moses Gunn, Zero Mostel, William Redfield, Topo Swope, Christopher Guest, Graham Jarvis, Lynne Gordon, Charlotte Rae, Harry Bellaver.

Recommended reading:

The Hot Rock

by Donald E. Westlake.

Book # 1 in the Dortmunder series.

Published by Simon & Schuster.

First published 1970.

First Edition.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0671205412

ISBN-13: 978-0671205416

Description:

John Archibald Dortmunder is the archetypal criminal manque. Brought up in an orphanage in the Midwest, he is 37 years old, served in the "police action" in Korea, was arrested twice for robbery following his release from the service, and was briefly married to a nightclub entertainer named Honeybun Bazoom from whom he was granted an uncontested divorce. For reasons totally beyond his comprehension, Dortmunder is chosen to lead a gang of master hoodlums. Their job: to steal an emerald valued at $500,000. Their employer: Major Patrick Iko, a mustached African diplomat whose country has just lost the gem through a thoughtless political decision. The specialists Dortmunder selects for his impossible mission include: Kelp: an ex-con with a penchant for stealing cars with MD license plates. Stan Murch: a crook who lives with his mother, a cab driver, and collects stereo records of "Sounds of Indianapolis." Roger Chefwick: the railroad nut, a skinny man of late middle age, whose three H-O gauge trains constantly couple and uncouple on H-O gauge track in a waist-high plywood platform in his basement. What follows in this delightful new novel by Donald E. Westlake is an unparalleled mixture of laughter and thrills, featuring a car crash into the New York Coliseum, a free-swinging helicopter attack on a police station, and a wild breakout from an insane asylum on a Tom Thumb locomotive stolen from a nearby amusement park.

On this day in movie history - The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

The Devil’s Advocate

directed by Peter Yates,

written by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy,

based on the novel by Andrew Neiderman,

was released in the United States on October 17, 1997.

Music by James Newton Howard.

Cast:

Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones, Judith Ivey, Connie Nielsen, Craig T. Nelson, Tamara Tunie, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Debra Monk, Vyto Ruginis, Laura Harrington, Pamela Gray, George Wyner, Chris Bauer, Connie Embesi, Jonathan Cavallary, Heather Matarazzo, Murphy Guyer, Leo Burmester, Bill Moor, Neal Jones, Eddie Aldridge, Mark Deakins, Rony Clanton, George Gore II, Alan Manson, Brian Poteat, Daniel Oreskes, Kim Chan, Caprice Benedetti, Don King, Ray Garvey, Rocco Musacchia, Susan Kellermann, James Saito, Harsh Nayyar, Mohammad Ghaffari, Nicki Cochrane, Fenja Klaus, Gino Lucci, Novella Nelson, Vincent Laresca, Benny Nieves, Franci Leary, Gloria Lynne Henry, Jorge Navarro, Tomatito / Jose Fernandes Torres, Antonio Vargas Cortés, Elena Camunez Andújar, Monica Keena, Linda Atkinson, William Hill, Juan Carlos Hernández, Wei Mei Wong, E. Katherine Kerr, Liza Harris, Bill Boggs, Bo Rucker, Michael Lombard, Marc Manfro, J. Nester, John Rothman, George Sperdakos, Hollis Granville, Edward Seamon, Patrick Joseph Byrnes, Gregory Lichtenson, Socorro Santiago, Marcia DeBonis, Marie Stuart Vassallo, Tom Riis Farrell, Harold Surratt, Alfonse D'amato, Charles A. Gargano, Lou Rudin, Ernie Grunfeld, Alan Grubman, Al Cerullo, Cadillac Moon (band), Rich Campbell, Cliff Hackford, Dave Noyes, Mike Nugent, Al Santoriello, Nikita Ager, Allan Wayne Anderson, Paul Benedict, Lauren Collins, Christopher Del Gaudio, Joyce Garland, Millena Gay, Roy Jones Jr., Christopher King, Omar Koury, Adrian Lee, Frank Licari, Delroy Lindo, Anibal O. Lleras, Cindy Malika, Dennis Mallen, Doris McCarthy, Dale Resteghini, Bonnie Rose, Todd Wall, Victor Warren.

Born on this day – Peter Yates:

 

Peter Yates

Director

Producer

July 24, 1929 – January 9, 2011

On this day in movie history - The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

directed by Peter Yates,

written by Paul Monash,

based on the novel by George V. Higgins,

was released in the United States on June 27, 1973.

Music by Dave Grusin.

Cast:

Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, Alex Rocco, Joe Santos, Mitchell Ryan, Peter MacLean, Kevin O’Morrison, Marvin Lichterman, Carolyn Pickman, James Tolkan, Margaret Ladd, Matthew Cowles, Helena Carroll, Jack Kehoe, Jan Egleson, Jane House, Michael McCleery, Alan Koss, Dennis McMullen, Judith Ogden Cabot, Robert Anthony, Gustave Johnson, Sheldon Feldner, Ted Maynard, Lloyd Bremseth, Ben Lautman, Bobby Orr, Falko Schilling, Donald Warnock.