Hear No Evil (1982 film)
| Hear No Evil | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime Drama |
| Written by | Tom Lazarus |
| Directed by | Harry Falk Jr. |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Lance Rubin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Paul Pompian |
| Cinematography | Michael P. Joyce |
| Editor | Ann E. Mills |
| Running time | 120 minutes (with commercials) |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | November 20, 1982 |
Hear No Evil is a 1982 made-for-television-film directed by Harry Falk Jr.[1][2] and written by Tom Lazarus.[2] The TV film stars Gil Gerard, Bernie Casey, Wings Hauser, Mimi Rogers, Christina Hart, Brion James, Ron Karabatsos, Mickey Jones, Raven De La Croix, and Robert Dryer.[2][3][4]
Plot
[edit]After a cop becomes deaf in a fight, he tries to break up a drug ring run by bikers.
Cast
[edit]- Gil Gerard as Dragon
- Bernie Casey as Monday
- Wings Hauser as Garrard
- Mimi Rogers as Meg
- Christina Hart as Sheila Green
- Brion James as Billy Boy Burns
- Ron Karabatsos as Lt. Lew Healy
- Mickey Jones as Blackman
- Raven De La Croix as Candy Burns
- Robert Dryer as Vinnie Holzer
- William Paterson as Minister
- John G. Scanlon as Summers
- Parker Whitman as Riles
- Jana Winters as Hooker
- Joe Bellan as Cabbie
- Denise Kerwin as Judy
- Charles Bouvier as Wilkes
- Steve Burton as Plainclothesman
Production
[edit]Hear No Evil is based on the true story of William O. "Bill" Zerby, a former Marine who, as a Solano County Sherriff's Office narcotics detective, aggressively perused members of the Hells Angels suspected of producing and distributing methamphetamine in the San Francisco Bay Area.[5] Zerby was injured, suffered severe hearing loss and was forced to retire from his law enforcement agency as a result of an explosive device detonated as he was entering his car in front of his home on January 30, 1978.[6] He was en route to court for a prehearing in the methamphetamine possession trial of Oakland Hells Angels chapter vice-president James Ezekiel "Jim-Jim" Brandes at the time.[7] Brandes, who had previously been found to be in possession of a military handbook on booby traps and an address book containing the address, phone number and the license-plate number of Zerby when he was arrested on drug charges by Zerby and another detective on November 14, 1977, stated to a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine in or around November 1978 that "Zerby drew a line and stepped over it. I don't take that from anybody in the streets, and I sure ain't gonna take that from him. I don't let nobody come around and shove me around. I don't think anyone does if he's a man."[8][9] The following year, Brandes and Kenneth Jay "K.O." Owen, a member of the Vallejo Hells Angels who had previously been arrested after a raid on his home led by Zerby uncovered narcotics and prohibited firearms on June 21, 1977, were charged with the attempted murder of Zerby as part of a racketeering case.[10] Brandes and Owen were ultimately acquitted of the attempt on Zerby's life.[11] Brandes later committed suicide by hanging himself in prison circa 1994.[12] Owen died July 4, 2016,[13] and Zerby died in 2021 at the age of seventy-nine.[14]
Producer Paul Pompian heard of the Zerby incident while filming a TV pilot in San Francisco and decided to pursue the idea of translating the events into a teleplay.[15] Paul Pompian Productions and MGM Television produced the television film which could have become a television series.[4][16]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Film critic John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote in his review: "TRAINING for a new gimmick in the old police-drama formula, Hear No Evil, tomorrow's television movie on CBS, Channel 2, at 9, comes up with a deaf cop."[17] Staff of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote: "Gil Gerard as Bill Dragon in a routine cop drama with a banal script and what only approximates acting. Even the central gimmick of permanently deafening the hero in an explosion seems to have been transferred by rubbings from ancient stones."[18]
References
[edit]- ^ American Motorcyclist 1987, p. 32.
- ^ a b c Terrace 1985, p. 188.
- ^ "Hear No Evil". Turner Classic Movies. United States: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Terrace 2011, p. 445.
- ^ "Film's not just a film". Lansing State Journal. November 14, 1982.
- ^ Organized Crime in America: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1983. p. 536.
- ^ Christie, George (2016). Exile on Front Street: My Life as a Hells Angel. Pan Macmillan. p. 80. ISBN 9780283072659.
- ^ Kohn, Howard (April 5, 1979). "Hell's Angels: Masters of Menace". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "United States v. Pasciuti, 803 F. Supp. 499 (D.N.H. 1992)". Justia Law.
- ^ "Second Hells Angels trial under way - UPI Archives". UPI. September 30, 1980.
- ^ Kerr, John (2020). Outlaw Bikers. Kerr Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 978-1875703319.
- ^ Fagan, Kevin (December 3, 1995). "When Jailbirds Sing". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Kenneth Owen obituary". East Bay Times. July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Bill's Story" (PDF). The Binnacle. March 2021. p. 5.
- ^ ""Hear No Evil" Plot For Series". The Scranton Times-Tribune. November 14, 1982.
- ^ Goldberg, Lee (2015). The Best TV Shows That Never Were (Paperback ed.). Scotts Valley, California: CreateSpace.com. ISBN 978-1511590747.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (November 19, 1982). "'Hear No Evil,' West Coast Police Story". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1982, p. 23.
Works cited
[edit]- "Motorcycles in Hollywood". American Motorcyclist. Pickerington, Ohio: American Motorcyclist Association. October 1987. p. 32. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials. Vol. 2 (1st ed.). New York City: Zoetrope Publishing. p. 188. ISBN 978-0918432612.
- Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). New York City: McFarland and Company. p. 445. ISBN 978-0786464777.
- "Saturday night line-up". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh: Block Communications. November 20, 1982. p. 23. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
External links
[edit]- Hear No Evil at IMDb