The Slender Thread (1965)

I hadn’t realized before beginning this that it was set in Seattle, so I really loved the 1960s aerial scan across the city at the beginning of this film. Inspired by actual events, Sidney Poitier is an inexperienced student working for the new crisis clinic hotline when he receives a call from a woman, played by Anne Bancroft, who has taken a lethal dose of pills. He must do what he can to keep her on the line, trying to gather clues to figure out where she currently is. Over the course of the call, the viewer is given the story of how she found herself in her current situation. Telly Savalas plays Poitier’s supervisor at the clinic while Ed Asner is a detective trying to find her on the outside. It’s a compelling story, told in an interesting way, using flashbacks to illustrate the woman’s plight and drawing back to the present to portray the race against the clock mystery that must be solved in order to save her life.

Oscar Nominations: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White; Best Costume Design, Black-and-White