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Savage (1973 TV film)

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Savage
Title card
GenreDrama
Thriller
Written byMark Rodgers
William Link
Richard Levinson
Directed bySteven Spielberg
StarringMartin Landau
Barbara Bain
Will Geer
Paul Richards
Michele Carey
Music byGil Melle
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersRichard Levinson
William Link
ProducerPaul Mason
Production locationsLos Angeles, California
Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California
CinematographyBill Butler
EditorsEdward M. Abroms
Steven Spielberg
Running time73 minutes
Production companyUniversal Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseMarch 31, 1973 (1973-03-31)

Savage is a 1973 American thriller-drama television pilot directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Martin Landau.[1] It was not picked up as a series and has been referred to as a standalone made-for-television film.

Premise

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A TV reporter investigates a compromising photograph of a nominee to the Supreme Court after the woman in the photograph mysteriously dies.

Cast

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Background

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Spielberg didn't want to direct another TV film, coming off the success of the theatrical release of Duel, and was trying to get his own projects into production. William Link and Richard Levinson were attempting to get their series The Savage Report off the ground as showrunners, and pushed Universal executive Sid Sheinberg to assign Spielberg the pilot. Link later said Spielberg didn't like the script, and that after a meeting with Sheinberg where Spielberg was pressured into taking on the project, "Steve came back almost in tears. We asked, 'What happened?' We were playing dumb because we had set this up," and went on to say "Steve had made the mistake of saying that he wasn't in the Universal business, he was in the Steven Spielberg business."[2]

Landau thought the show was "ahead of its time" and claimed it did not become a series because of its critique of TV news.

Filming locations

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References

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  1. ^ Sanello, Frank (2002-08-05). Spielberg: The Man, the Movies, the Mythology. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4616-2507-0.
  2. ^ McBride, Joseph (2011-01-04). Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-60473-837-7.
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