Ocean's 11

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Directed by Lewis Milestone
Produced by Lewis Milestone
Screenplay by Harry Brown, Charles Lederer
Story by George Clayton Johnson, Jack Golden Russell
Starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, Angie Dickinson
Music by Nelson Riddle
Cinematography William H. Daniels
Editing by Philip W. Anderson
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date August 10, 1960
Running time 127 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Ocean’s 11 is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Joey Bishop.

Centered on a series of Las Vegas casino robberies, the film’s other stars included Angie Dickinson, Cesar Romero, Richard Conte, Akim Tamiroff, Henry Silva, Ilka Chase, Norman Fell, Harry Wilson, and Buddy Lester, as well as cameo appearances by Shirley MacLaine, Red Skelton, and George Raft.
A remake, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy García and Julia Roberts (among others) was released in 2001, followed by a pair of sequels.

Plot

A gang of World War II 82nd Airborne veterans are recruited by Danny Ocean (Sinatra) and Jimmy Foster (Lawford) to rob 5 diverse Las Vegas casinos (Sahara, Riviera, Desert Inn, Sands, along with the Flamingo) on a single night.

From left to right: Lester, Bishop, Davis, Sinatra, and Martin

The gang plans the elaborate New Year’s Eve heist using the precision of a military operation. Josh Howard (Davis) requires a job driving a garbage truck whilst others function to scope out the numerous casinos. Sam Harmon (Martin) entertains in one particular with the hotel’s lounges. Demolition charges are planted on an electrical transmission tower as well as the backup electrical systems are covertly rewired in every casino.

At exactly midnight, even though everybody in every single Vegas casino is singing “Auld Lang Syne” the tower is blown up and Vegas goes dark. The backup electrical systems open the cashier cages rather than powering the emergency lights. The inside men sneak into the cashier cages and gather the money. They dump the bags of loot into hotel’s garbage bins, go back inside and mingle with all the crowds. As soon as the lights come back on, the thieves stroll out of your casinos. A garbage truck driven by Josh picks up the bags and passes via the police blockade. It appears to have gone off without having a hitch.

Their ace electrician, Tony Bergdorf (Conte), features a heart attack inside the middle of the Las Vegas Strip and drops dead. This raises the suspicions of police, who wonder if there’s any connection.

Reformed gangster Duke Santos (Romero) presents to recover the casino bosses’ funds to get a value. He learns of Ocean being in town and his connection to Foster, who’s the son of Duke’s fiancee. Santos pieces together the puzzle by the time Bergdorf’s physique arrives in the mortuary.

Santos confronts the thieves, demanding half of their take. In desperation, the money is hidden in Bergdorf’s coffin, with $10,000 set aside for the widow (Willes). The group plans to take back the rest in the cash, producing no payoff to Santos, following the coffin is shipped to San Francisco.

This plan backfires when the funeral property talks Bergdorf’s widow into obtaining the funeral in Las Vegas, exactly where the physique is cremated – as well as each of the revenue.

Production

Peter Lawford was first told on the simple story on the film by director Gilbert Kay who had heard the idea from a gas station attendant. Lawford sooner or later purchased the rights in 1958 imagining William Holden inside the lead. Sinatra became considering the idea and also a selection of distinct writers worked on the project. When Lawford initially told Sinatra from the story, Sinatra joked “Forget the movie, let’s pull the job!”

The opening animated title sequence was developed by Saul Bass. The closing shot shows the primary cast walking away from the funeral household, having a marquee behind them listing their names as headliners.

Cast

Ocean’s 11

Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean
Dean Martin as Sam Harmon
Sammy Davis, Jr. as Josh Howard
Peter Lawford as Jimmy Foster
Richard Conte as Tony Bergdorf
Joey Bishop as Mushy O’Connors
Henry Silva as Roger Corneal
Buddy Lester as Vince Massler
Richard Benedict as Curly Steffans
Norman Fell as Peter Rheimer
Clem Harvey as Louis Jackson

Others

Angie Dickinson as Beatrice Ocean
Cesar Romero as Duke Santos
Patrice Wymore as Adele Elkstrom
Akim Tamiroff as Spyros Acebos
Ilka Chase as Mrs. Restes
Jean Willes as Gracie Bergdorf
Hank Henry as Mr. Kelly
Lew Gallo as Jealous Young Man
Robert Foulk as Sheriff Wimmer

Cameos

Shirley Maclaine as Tipsy Woman
George Raft as Jack Strager (Casino Owner)
Red Skelton as Himself
Richard Boone as The Minister (Voice)

Blu-ray release

Ocean’s 11 was released on Blu-ray on November 9, 2010 in a “50′th Anniversary Edition”. Bonus features include

Special commentary by Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Angie Dickinson.
“Vegas Map” – Mini-documentaries of the five casinos involved in the movie.
Tonight Show clip of Angie Dickinson with Frank Sinatra as host from November 4, 1977.
“Tropicana Museum Vignette”

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.