The Seven-Ups
Encyclopedia
The Seven-Ups is a 1973
American
film
released by 20th Century Fox
. It stars Roy Scheider
as a renegade policeman who is the leader of The Seven-Ups, a police team who uses dirty, unorthodox tactics to snare their quarry on charges leading to prison sentences of seven years or more upon prosecution, hence the name of the team. The film was produced by Philip D'Antoni
, who also took on his sole-directing credit as director of this film: in addition, he was responsible for producing other gritty cop films as Bullitt
and The French Connection
. Several people who worked on The French Connection were also involved in this film, such as Scheider, screenwriter and police technical advisor
Sonny Grosso
, and composer
Don Ellis
.
, a character who also used dirty tactics to capture his enemies, and who was also based on Sonny Grosso) has been getting flak from the higher-ups in the New York City
police force he works for because his team of renegade policemen, known as The Seven-Ups (the name comes from the fact that most convictions done by the team heralds jail sentences to criminals from Seven years and Up) has been using unorthodox methods to capture criminals; this is illustrated as the team ransacks an antiques store that is a front for the running of counterfeit money
. Also, lately, there has been a rash of kidnappings; the twist is that it seems that only upper echelon criminals (Mafioso and white collar types) are the ones being kidnapped, illustrated when Max Kalish is kidnapped and a ransom is paid at a car wash. This leads to many plot twists in which Manucci tries to figure out the puzzle, with help supplied to him by an informant (Tony Lo Bianco
), who turns out to be untrustworthy, leading to the death of one of the Seven-Up officers. Manucci figures out the puzzle, but not before The Seven-Ups splinter from the fallout of the film's events, and Manucci's life is in jeopardy.
. Buddy makes his rounds on and around Arthur Avenue and the Arthur Avenue Retail Market in The Bronx
. The funeral home sequence where Ansel is abducted was filmed one block over, at the side entrance to Lucia Brothers Funeral Home on the corner of E 184th Street and Hoffman Street. Buddy and partner are
doing a stake-out from an upstairs apartment across the street . In the background you can see
the dismantled IRT Third Avenue Line
of the New York City Subway
. Aside from the Third Avenue Line and the fact that the one-way vehicle traffic on Hoffman Street and Arthur Avenue has since been reversed, the locations remain today for the most part as they did in the movie. The funeral procession then rides on Pelham Parkway. Vito pays-off Moon at the New York Botanical Garden
, Bronx; Buddy and Vito
meet at the track field between Dewitt Clinton High School and Bronx High School of Science
, and object to the new Tracey Towers housing project looming in the background. Max Kalish's house is at W 246th Street and Fieldston Road,
Riverdale, Bronx
.
and The French Connection
, Philip D'Antoni
again utilized the work of stunt driver Bill Hickman
(who also has a small role in the film) to create the chase sequence for this film. Filmed in and around Upper Manhattan, New York City, the sequence was edited by Jerry Greenberg who also has a producer credit here and who won an Academy Award for his editing work on The French Connection
.
The chase sequence is located near the middle of the film. Hickman car being chased by Roy Scheider. The chase itself lends heavily to the Bullitt chase, with the two cars bouncing down the gradients of uptown New York (like the cars on San Francisco's steep hills in the earlier film) with Hickman's 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
sedan pursued by Scheider's 1973 Pontiac Ventura
Sprint coupe. While Scheider did some of his own driving, most of it was done by Hollywood stunt man Jerry Summers.
Location shooting was done in upper Manhattan on the George Washington Bridge
, and on New Jersey's Palisades Interstate Parkway
and New York's Taconic State Parkway
.
In the accompanying behind-the-scenes featurette of the 2006 DVD release of the film, Hickman can be seen co-ordinating the chase from the street where we see a stuntman in a parked car opens his door as Hickman's vehicle takes it off its hinges. The end of the chase was Bill's 'homage' to the death of Jayne Mansfield
, where Scheider's car (driven by Summers) smashes into the back of a parked tractor-trailer, peeling off the car's roof.
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
released by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. It stars Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
as a renegade policeman who is the leader of The Seven-Ups, a police team who uses dirty, unorthodox tactics to snare their quarry on charges leading to prison sentences of seven years or more upon prosecution, hence the name of the team. The film was produced by Philip D'Antoni
Philip D'Antoni
-Work:D'Antoni won an Academy Award in 1971 for the Best Picture, for The French Connection. He also won a Golden Globe award in 1972 for the Best Motion Picture Drama for The French Connection. He began his career on TV with the glamorous productions, "Sophia Loren in Rome," "Elizabeth Taylor in...
, who also took on his sole-directing credit as director of this film: in addition, he was responsible for producing other gritty cop films as Bullitt
Bullitt
Bullitt is a 1968 American police procedural film starring Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L....
and The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
. Several people who worked on The French Connection were also involved in this film, such as Scheider, screenwriter and police technical advisor
Technical advisor
A technical advisor is an individual who is expert in a particular field of knowledge, hired to provide detailed information and advice to people working in that field...
Sonny Grosso
Sonny Grosso
Salvatore "Sonny" Grosso is a movie and television producer and former New York City Police Department detective, noted for his role in the case immortalized in the book and movie versions of the French Connection...
, and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Don Ellis
Don Ellis
Don Ellis was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of unusual time signatures...
.
Plot
Buddy Manucci (played by Scheider, a loose remake of the character of Buddy "Cloudy" Russo he played in The French ConnectionThe French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
, a character who also used dirty tactics to capture his enemies, and who was also based on Sonny Grosso) has been getting flak from the higher-ups in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
police force he works for because his team of renegade policemen, known as The Seven-Ups (the name comes from the fact that most convictions done by the team heralds jail sentences to criminals from Seven years and Up) has been using unorthodox methods to capture criminals; this is illustrated as the team ransacks an antiques store that is a front for the running of counterfeit money
Counterfeit money
Counterfeit money is currency that is produced without the legal sanction of the state or government to resemble some official form of currency closely enough that it may be confused for genuine currency. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or forgery. Counterfeiting is probably...
. Also, lately, there has been a rash of kidnappings; the twist is that it seems that only upper echelon criminals (Mafioso and white collar types) are the ones being kidnapped, illustrated when Max Kalish is kidnapped and a ransom is paid at a car wash. This leads to many plot twists in which Manucci tries to figure out the puzzle, with help supplied to him by an informant (Tony Lo Bianco
Tony Lo Bianco
Tony Lo Bianco is an American actor in films and television.Lo Bianco was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a taxi driver. He is known for his roles in the cult films The Honeymoon Killers, God Told Me To, and The French Connection...
), who turns out to be untrustworthy, leading to the death of one of the Seven-Up officers. Manucci figures out the puzzle, but not before The Seven-Ups splinter from the fallout of the film's events, and Manucci's life is in jeopardy.
Production locations
Filming locations feature uptown Manhattan and The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. Buddy makes his rounds on and around Arthur Avenue and the Arthur Avenue Retail Market in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. The funeral home sequence where Ansel is abducted was filmed one block over, at the side entrance to Lucia Brothers Funeral Home on the corner of E 184th Street and Hoffman Street. Buddy and partner are
doing a stake-out from an upstairs apartment across the street . In the background you can see
the dismantled IRT Third Avenue Line
IRT Third Avenue Line
The IRT Third Avenue Line, commonly known as the Third Avenue El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City. Originally operated by an independent railway company, it was acquired by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and eventually became part of the New York subway...
of the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
. Aside from the Third Avenue Line and the fact that the one-way vehicle traffic on Hoffman Street and Arthur Avenue has since been reversed, the locations remain today for the most part as they did in the movie. The funeral procession then rides on Pelham Parkway. Vito pays-off Moon at the New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
, Bronx; Buddy and Vito
meet at the track field between Dewitt Clinton High School and Bronx High School of Science
Bronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
, and object to the new Tracey Towers housing project looming in the background. Max Kalish's house is at W 246th Street and Fieldston Road,
Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale is an affluent residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx in New York City. Riverdale contains the northernmost point in New York City.-History:...
.
Chase scene
As in BullittBullitt
Bullitt is a 1968 American police procedural film starring Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L....
and The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
, Philip D'Antoni
Philip D'Antoni
-Work:D'Antoni won an Academy Award in 1971 for the Best Picture, for The French Connection. He also won a Golden Globe award in 1972 for the Best Motion Picture Drama for The French Connection. He began his career on TV with the glamorous productions, "Sophia Loren in Rome," "Elizabeth Taylor in...
again utilized the work of stunt driver Bill Hickman
Bill Hickman
William "Bill" Hickman was a stunt driver/actor from the 1950s through to the late 1970s. Hickman played a major role in terms of development and execution in three of the greatest movie car chase sequences of all time....
(who also has a small role in the film) to create the chase sequence for this film. Filmed in and around Upper Manhattan, New York City, the sequence was edited by Jerry Greenberg who also has a producer credit here and who won an Academy Award for his editing work on The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
.
The chase sequence is located near the middle of the film. Hickman car being chased by Roy Scheider. The chase itself lends heavily to the Bullitt chase, with the two cars bouncing down the gradients of uptown New York (like the cars on San Francisco's steep hills in the earlier film) with Hickman's 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
Pontiac Grand Ville
The Pontiac Grand Ville was the top-trim model in the division's full-sized line from 1971 to 1975. It displaced the Pontiac Bonneville which had served as Pontiac's top-trim model since 1958....
sedan pursued by Scheider's 1973 Pontiac Ventura
Pontiac Ventura
The Pontiac Ventura was an automobile produced by the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors. The word "ventura" is a derivitave of the word "bonaventure" which is Italian for "good fortune". It also shares its name with the locations of Ventura, California and Ventura, Iowa...
Sprint coupe. While Scheider did some of his own driving, most of it was done by Hollywood stunt man Jerry Summers.
Location shooting was done in upper Manhattan on the George Washington Bridge
George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey. Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 cross the river via the bridge. U.S...
, and on New Jersey's Palisades Interstate Parkway
Palisades Interstate Parkway
The Palisades Interstate Parkway is a long limited-access highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey...
and New York's Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
.
In the accompanying behind-the-scenes featurette of the 2006 DVD release of the film, Hickman can be seen co-ordinating the chase from the street where we see a stuntman in a parked car opens his door as Hickman's vehicle takes it off its hinges. The end of the chase was Bill's 'homage' to the death of Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
, where Scheider's car (driven by Summers) smashes into the back of a parked tractor-trailer, peeling off the car's roof.