Fuzz (film)
Encyclopedia
Fuzz is a 1972
American action comedy film directed by Richard A. Colla
and starring Burt Reynolds
, Yul Brynner
, Raquel Welch
, Tom Skeritt, and Jack Weston. The screenplay was written by Evan Hunter
, based on the 1968 novel of the same name that was part of the "87th Precinct
" series he wrote under the name Ed McBain. Dave Grusin
composed the film's soundtrack score. Unlike the series, which is set in a fictional metropolis based on New York City
, Fuzz is set and was shot on location in Boston, Massachusetts.
In Miami, on October 20, 1973, 38-year old Charles Scales, a homeless person sleeping outdoors behind an abandoned building, was approached by a group of teenagers, doused with gasoline, and set on fire. Two other homeless people were also attacked in the same incident, but fortunately escaped. A homeless person that survived stated the teenagers “Were laughing and throwing gas and striking matches” at them. The film Fuzz was mentioned in the news reports about the killing, as the attack completely mimicked the movie’s plot. Both the perpetrators and victims were black, ruling out the motivation for the murder may have been racial in nature.
The incidents led to a careful review by network Standards and Practices and a general public feeling that violence on television was inspiring violence in real life. Networks had to curb their violence throughout the decade as a result.
's elevated Orange Line
(demolished three years later), as well as the MBTA's Red Line
as it emerged from its Cambridge tunnel to cross the Longfellow Bridge
en route into Boston
. Other Boston filming locations included the North End, the Boston Common
, and the Public Garden, where Burt Reynolds
runs around disguised as a nun.
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
American action comedy film directed by Richard A. Colla
Richard A. Colla
Richard A. Colla is an American film, television director and actor.On screen he played Tony Merritt #1 on the soap opera Days of our Lives...
and starring Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
, Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
, Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
, Tom Skeritt, and Jack Weston. The screenplay was written by Evan Hunter
Evan Hunter
Evan Hunter was an American author and screenwriter. Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952...
, based on the 1968 novel of the same name that was part of the "87th Precinct
87th Precinct
The 87th Precinct is a series of police procedural novels and stories written by Ed McBain. McBain's 87th Precinct works have been adapted, sometimes loosely, into movies and television on several occasions.-Setting:...
" series he wrote under the name Ed McBain. Dave Grusin
Dave Grusin
David Grusin is an American composer, arranger and pianist. Grusin has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including an Academy award and 12 Grammys...
composed the film's soundtrack score. Unlike the series, which is set in a fictional metropolis based on 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...
, Fuzz is set and was shot on location in Boston, Massachusetts.
Plot
Detectives Steve Carella (Reynolds), Meyer Meyer (Weston), Eileen McHenry (Welch), and Bert Kling (Skeritt) are part of the 87th Precinct's team investigating a murder-extortion racket run by a mysterious deaf man (Brynner). While attempting to investigate and prevent the murders of several high-ranking city officials, they also must keep track of the perpetrators of a string of robberies. Further complicating matters is a rash of arson attacks on homeless men.Controversy
In Boston, on October 2, 1973, 24-year old Evelyn Wagler, after running out of fuel, was walking back to her car with a two-gallon can of gasoline. Six teenagers dragged her into an alley and forced her to pour gasoline on herself. She complied, and was then set on fire by the teenagers. The teenagers walked away laughing. Wagler was white, and the youths were black, and this murder occurred during a racially tense period in Boston history. After the incident, the press reported that Fuzz had aired the previous weekend, and the perpetrators may have re-enacted the fictional arson attack portrayed in the movie. The case was never solved.In Miami, on October 20, 1973, 38-year old Charles Scales, a homeless person sleeping outdoors behind an abandoned building, was approached by a group of teenagers, doused with gasoline, and set on fire. Two other homeless people were also attacked in the same incident, but fortunately escaped. A homeless person that survived stated the teenagers “Were laughing and throwing gas and striking matches” at them. The film Fuzz was mentioned in the news reports about the killing, as the attack completely mimicked the movie’s plot. Both the perpetrators and victims were black, ruling out the motivation for the murder may have been racial in nature.
The incidents led to a careful review by network Standards and Practices and a general public feeling that violence on television was inspiring violence in real life. Networks had to curb their violence throughout the decade as a result.
Filming
The film's opening-credits sequence was filmed in and around Charlestown's City Square station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
's elevated Orange Line
Orange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...
(demolished three years later), as well as the MBTA's Red Line
Red Line (MBTA)
The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...
as it emerged from its Cambridge tunnel to cross the Longfellow Bridge
Longfellow Bridge
The Longfellow Bridge, also known to locals as the "Salt-and-Pepper Bridge" or the "Salt-and-Pepper-Shaker Bridge" due to the shape of its central towers, carries Route 3 and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Red Line across the Charles River to connect Boston's Beacon Hill...
en route into Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Other Boston filming locations included the North End, the Boston Common
Boston Common
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
, and the Public Garden, where Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
runs around disguised as a nun.