Hanging by a Thread (1979 TV Movie)
5/10
Lots of familiar TV faces in this disaster film about a stranded tram car
3 October 2020
This saga tells the story of several people stranded in a tram car far above a canyon, with a lot of familiar television actors showing all kinds of panic. The film has just about everything: a bad, rich guy (Cameron Mitchell); a conscientious and honest whistleblower (Sam Groom); a rich drunk guy (Bert Convy); a death from falling off a horse; a love triangle; an obnoxious little kid; a corrupt developer (Oliver Clark) with a screaming blonde wife (Joyce Bulifant); a fire caused by the careless use of lighter fluid and matches; two hit men with a rifle; a bitterly feuding married couple (Patty Duke and Burr DeBenning); a federal agent (Roger Perry) who shoots a fake mailman through a door...well, that's just the start.

A tram far above a rocky canyon is struck by lightning and rendered immobile, so the occupants spend over three hours arguing with each other via a confusing series of flashbacks. It has all the hallmarks of an Irwin Allen disaster movie, so my wife and I had a great time predicting what would happen next, and we were always right. Bert Convy, Bulifant, Donna Mills, Perry, Mitchell, and Groom are really quite good in this three hour time-waster, so I guess if you have a slow evening you'll probably enjoy it if you don't think about it too much.
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed