Main Cast: Anthony Quinn, George Maharis, Michael Parks, Robert Walker, Jr., Martha Hyer
Release Year: 1967
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
Plot
Four neophyte criminals get some unexpected help from their first victim in this caper comedy. A quartet of Miami Beach bohemians -- Sureshot (Michael Parks), Taurus (George Maharis), Herby (Robert Walker Jr.), and Sandy (Faye Dunaway) -- are looking for kicks and some fast money, and they hatch a scheme that they're sure will bring them both. Roc Delmonico (Anthony Quinn) is a well-known local restaurateur believed to be connected with the Mafia; the four beach bums kidnap Roc and hold him for ransom. To the surprise of the first-time kidnappers and the great annoyance of Roc, neither his wife, Monica (Martha Hyer), nor his business partners are willing to pony up 200,000 dollars to set the former gangster free. The angry Delmonico soon joins forces with his kidnappers, and with his background in crime, he advises them on how to make a hostage situation work. Roc's advice is right on the money, and the price for his safety zooms from 200,000 dollars to three million dollars. Roc's new friends are happy about this unexpected windfall, and Delmonico likes the idea of putting the screws to the so-called "friends" who let him down, but actually getting their hands on the money turns out to be far more complicated than any of them expected. The theme song from The Happening proved to be a major hit for Diana Ross & the Supremes -- in fact, a much bigger hit than the movie itself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Albert Brenner - Art Director, Gene Coffin - Costume Designer, Jason Silverstein - Costume Designer, Elliot Silverstein - Director, Philip W. Anderson - Editor, Frank De Vol - Composer (Music Score), De Vol - Composer (Music Score), Lamont Dozier - Songwriter, Brian Holland - Songwriter, Eddie Holland - Songwriter, William Roy - Songwriter, De Vol - Songwriter, Richard Day - Production Designer, Philip H. Lathrop - Cinematographer, Sam Spiegel - Producer, Jud Kinberg - Producer, Don Ivey - Set Designer, Willis Cook - Special Effects, James David Buchanan - Screen Story, Frank Pierson - Screenwriter, Ronald Austin - Screenwriter, James David Buchanan - Screenwriter
Produced by Jud Kinberg and directed by Elliot Silverstein, it is the story of four hippies who kidnap a retired Mafia mob boss named Roc Delmonico and hold him for ransom.
When none of his friends or family members will pay the ransom, Delmonico takes charge of his own kidnapping. Attempting to blackmail his relatives and associates, he raises his ransom to three million dollars and demands that it be paid.
The movie is an anti-establishment film which questions the values of Middle America and the older generation.
Only a minor success as a film, The Happening is most notable today both as one of Faye Dunaway's earliest films and for its self-titled theme song. Recorded by The Supremes, "The Happening" became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when released as a single on the Motown label.
Another music piece, "The Fuzz," was used by several local area TV news programs in the United States and Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and is still used by Brazil's Rede Globo national newscast Jornal Nacional.
