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The Pusher was a movie that was based
on Ed McBain's novel of the same name. Published in 1956, the book was the third installment in the popular and critically
acclaimed 87th Precinct series, a series of police procedurals that to this day are still considered by many critics to be
the best in the genre. The Pusher examined the subjects of heroin addiction and drug trafficking, topics which received
very little attention at that time.
In his first leading role in a motion picture, Bob played Det. Steve Carella,
the same character he would later play in the television series that ran on NBC in 1961-62. However, contrary to the book,
in which Steve and Teddy were already married, the movie version had Carella engaged to Laura Byrne, the daughter of Lt. Peter
Byrne, Carella's boss. It was revealed that Laura was addicted to heroin, but by the end of the movie it looked as though
she was going to beat her addiction and she and Steve were still planning to get married.
The movie was filmed in
New York City in 1958, a couple of years before the television series began production in Los Angeles. The screenplay was
written by Harold Robbins, who would later write such steamy, best-selling novels as The Carpetbaggers and The Lonely Lady.
Below is an excerpt from an interview with Bob (The TV Collector,
Vol.2, No.57) where he discusses the movie:
Oh, it's a terrible movie, they made
it out of an old gum box in New York. My hair's all a very strange black in that. That was because I was on stage with
Suddenly, Last Summer, the Tennessee Williams'
play, and for that my hair was bleached blond; Tennessee wanted this total white figure. So, every morning I was getting up
and having my hair painted black for Steve Carella. I was working my ass off, because I was going at night to the theater,
doing eight shows a week, and then running over and doing the movie.
I think it was probably the first movie I ever
made. I usually say 4D Man was the first, but I think probably this was. I think the trick to that, if I remember
correctly, was that the [actress who played the] girlfriend was the producer's girlfriend.
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