virek213 If one needed to look for the flash point of what we know in the popular media as the horrible phenomenon of mass shootings, one could plausibly use the date of August 1, 1966; the location, the University of Texas in Austin; and the shooter, Charles Joseph Whitman. That story was told with surprising directness not on the big screen but on the small screen, in the form of THE DEADLY TOWER, which aired on NBC on October 18, 1975, just a little over nine years after this infamous moment in modern American history.Kurt Russell, at that time still probably known for his roles in a number of Disney films as a child actor, but later to do solid turns in films like ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, THE THING, TOMBSTONE, BREAKDOWN, and, in 2015, Quentin Tarantino's THE HATEFUL EIGHT, is put in the role of the former U.S. marine who, despite his poor grades as a student at the University of Texas, had become an expert marksman in the Marines. Unfortunately, Whitman was also the victim of an abusive father as a teenager; and following the shooting, it was found that he had a brain tumor that could conceivably have contributed and exacerbated an already unstable mind. On August 1, 1966, he climbed to the top of the 28-story observation tower on the UT campus; and began what was at that time an unprecedented killing spree. Seventeen people were killed (the last victim succumbed to his injuries in 2001), and thirty-one others wounded during Whitman's spree that day..Although THE DEADLY TOWER is a film limited to some extent by the restrictions of what could be shown on television at that time in the mid-1970s, and by a not-exactly-big budget, it nevertheless is able to do a good enough job of getting into Whitman's mind; and this is due in no small part to Russell's superb turn as the man that horror writing legend Stephen King referred to as "America's favorite sniper." Without getting into graphic detail (and, again, being hampered by content and budgetary restrictions), veteran TV director Jerry Jameson (HURRICANE; TERROR ON THE 40TH FLOOR) does a very good job of recreating one of the most horrifyingly violent singular events to happen in America in the 1960s, and he is helped by some good supporting turns from John Forsythe (IN COLD BLOOD), Ned Beatty, Pernell Roberts, and Clifton James.Contrary to what some might believe, THE DEADLY TOWER doesn't necessarily make judgments about the right or even the justification of owning firearms, even to the extreme extent that Whitman did and to which he used them in Austin on that hot Texas day in 1966. But what it does illustrate is that dark side of America that is now, in the 21st century, an almost too frequent fact of life: the moment when firearms in the hands of a mentally unstable mind combine to produce a lethal, tragic, and bloody outcome. If Charles Whitman wasn't the first mass shooter of record, he was unfortunately far from the last.

zardoz-13 "Airport '77" director Jerry Jameson's methodical reenactment of Charles Whitman's infamous sniper spree in Austin, Texas, back in 1966, that left sixteen citizens dead and another 32 wounded provided affable Disney star Kurt Russell his first major dramatic role. You've never seen Russell like he is here, and his performance is notably taciturn. Before he climbed atop the tower at the University of Austin campus, Whitman stabbed his mother as well as his wife to death. As usual for a Hollywood made-for-television feature, scenarist William Douglas Lansford and writer Antonio Calderón have played fast and loose with the facts. Hispanic Austin Policeman, Ramiro Martinez (Richard Yniguez of "Cancel My Reservation"), was one of the cops who ultimately stormed the tower and killed Whitman. Actually, none of Martinez's bullets killed Whitman. Nevertheless, in the name of political correctness and diversity, the producers probably appropriated his ethnicity to make things compelling. Interestingly enough, by the time that Whitman started blasting away at random targets, an army of private citizens armed with their own rifles turned out in numbers to retaliate with their own hailstorm of bullets. Meantime, Whitman did not discriminate in his choice of targets, but Jameson couldn't depict this murderer in too harsh a light since "The Deadly Tower" was a made-for-television movie. For example, Whitman pulls a knife on his mother and wife, but Jameson doesn't show this psycho carving either woman up. Indeed, he doesn't lay a finger on his cute little puppy. Jameson cross-cuts between Whitman and Martinez. The day that Whitman launched his one-man massacre, Martinez had learned grudgingly that the department refused to promote him to the rank of sergeant. John Forsythe, Pernell Roberts, and Clifton James play Austin cops in supporting roles as everybody mobilizes for the situation. Jameson maintains tension, suspense, and atmosphere throughout this competently made, 92-minute, crime thriller without resorting to obligatory blood and gore. Furthermore, he doesn't let an abundance of plot hinder the action. Russell is particularly outstanding because he had never played such a homicidal hellion. In real life, Whitman wore sneakers, while the producers showed our protagonist polishing his Marine boots with fetish-like appreciation. Quite possibly, the producers added this fascination with boot leather because the sniper that Andrew Robinson played in the theatrical feature "Dirty Harry" wore paratrooper jump boots and kept them gleaming. Of course, Jameson and his writers take the opportunity to slip in some anti-gun rhetoric. As far as made-for-television movies rate, "The Deadly Tower" qualifies as one of the best despite some of its anti-gun propaganda.

Coventry Charles Whitman was a dangerously disturbed but nevertheless deeply fascinating individual. Arguably even the most fascinating murderer in recent American history. Whitman can't really be referred to as an authentic serial killer, but due to his mariners' background and reputedly high IQ, he can't just be dismissed as an ordinary madman on a rampage, neither. The full reason why Whitman went up the Austin University tower on the 1st of August 1966 and caused a terrible bloodbath will probably never be revealed. Were it the insupportable headaches that Whitman repeatedly complained about and the brain tumor found in his head during the autopsy, or did he snap because of other personal reasons? "The Deadly Tower" is a sober but very compelling and intense re-telling of the events that occurred on that horrible day, when Whitman killed 16 people and wounded over 40 more with his shot and sniper guns. This is the second film I've seen regarding the subject, after Peter Bogdanovich's "Targets". Whereas that film was merely a statement regarding the alienation of youth and the largely uncontrolled weapon legislation, "The Deadly Tower" is a very truthful reconstruction of the facts. In an aptly stone cold manner, Kurt Russell (until then only known from silly Disney comedies like "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" and "The Barefoot Executive") depicts Whitman from the day before the massacre until the moment when Texas police officers shot him dead. Prior to going up the tower, Whitman murdered his mother and wife, went out to buy an arsenal of artillery and – knowing very well he wouldn't return – wrote a suicide note. The film is slow-paced but moody, atmospheric and very suspenseful. Given the fact it's a made-for-TV, and out of respect for the victims and their families, "The Deadly Tower" isn't a very bloody or exploitative thriller. The emphasis lies on inhumanity of the crime and solidarity/collaboration of the people downstairs – police officers as well as civilians – to stop the killer. Jerry Jameson, the director of "Airport 77", does a professional job and the supportive cast including Clifton James and Ned Beatty deliver admirable performances.

The_Void The Deadly Tower is yet another example of an excellent seventies made for TV movie. This film is the first to be based on the real life Texas Sniper Charles Joseph Whitman who killed a series of people during a tower top sniper rifle rampage in Texas in 1966. The movie is clearly a TV movie as it all looks very cheap and there's nothing particularly all that special about it; but in spite of that, director Jerry Jameson has taken a harrowing story and made a film that entertains the viewer as well as providing food for thought and ensuring that the reaction of the killer's actions come through also. The film sticks to the facts well and as such the story is very simple. We focus on Charles Joseph Whitman, a troubled young man who one day decides to kill his mother and his wife before going to the gun shop, buying "enough guns to start world war 3" and taking them to the top of a university tower in order to blow away a load of people around the campus. The is mixed in with the story of police officer Ramiro Martinez as he tries to stop the killer.In a way, it's a shame that this movie was made for TV because the sniper plot could have given the film a lot of room for plenty of gory special effects; which unfortunately don't feature due to the TV restraints. However, on the other hand; out of respect for the victims and their families, this may be a good thing. The film is notable for featuring an early performance from the great Kurt Russell. Russell doesn't deliver a performance here that is up there with his best; but the script doesn't really allow for that, and he certainly does convince as the cold and murderous lead character. The main bulk of the movie focuses on the killer and the film features some effective shots detailing the sniper's actions against the local community, but the director also includes some meatier topics. The effect of the victims' deaths features somewhat and the film also makes a point against America's liberal gun laws; although both of these could have been more defined and better focused. Even so, The Deadly Tower is certainly a very notable seventies TV and is well worth seeing if you can find it.