The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case
| The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime Drama |
| Written by | JP Miller |
| Directed by | Buzz Kulik |
| Starring |
Cliff DeYoung Anthony Hopkins Martin Balsam Joseph Cotten Sian Barbara Allen |
| Music by | Billy Goldenberg |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
David Gerber Leonard Horn Buzz Kulik |
| Location(s) | Colusa, California |
| Cinematography | Charles F. Wheeler |
| Editor(s) | Rita Roland |
| Running time | 148 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Columbia Pictures Television |
| Distributor | NBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release |
|
The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case is a 1976 American television film dramatisation of the Lindbergh kidnapping. It was directed by Buzz Kulik and stars Cliff DeYoung, Anthony Hopkins, Martin Balsam and Joseph Cotten.
The film opens with archive footage of Charles Lindbergh's pioneering transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis and the song Lindbergh (The Eagle of the U.S.A.).
Hopewell, New Jersey, March 1, 1932. After preparing a bath, Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Sian Barbara Allen) is alerted by her nurse, Betty Gow, that her baby is not in its crib. They check with Charles Lindbergh (Cliff DeYoung), reading in his study, that the baby is not with him then immediately go to the nursery and discover an envelope near the window. Lindbergh orders Betty to ask their butler to call the police. Lindbergh informs his wife not to interfere with anything in the nursery and that their baby has been stolen.
The police investigate the Lindbergh home and establish a command post in the garage. A ladder is found outside the nursery window along with a nearby footprint. Inside the house, the envelope is opened and Lindbergh reads a letter indicating his child is in good care and future communications with have a distinctive signature with three holes in the paper.
The press quickly descend on the house and the police are angered when a reporter attempts to gain a statement from Lindbergh.
In New York, the police department consider the possibilities that the child was kidnapped by organised criminals. They are advised by a criminal profiler that the kidnapper is likely to be acting on their own as they only asked for $50,000, and an individual who is jealous of Lindbergh's status.
In New York, concerned citizen Dr John Condon (Joseph Cotten) decides to write to the Bronx Home News newspaper to offer himself as an intermediary in the ransom exchange. Condon receives a reply from the kidnapper and telephones Lindbergh, giving him confirmation that the letter has the unique signature with three holes in the paper with a demand for $70,000.
...
Wikipedia