Hector Elizondo on "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"

Interview with actor Hector Elizondo on his contribution in "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1974) directed by Joseph Sargent.

[@duskopopov77]

" Why don't you go grab a goddamn airplane like everybody else?.. Because we're afraid of flying" his character was outstanding, and made pelham one of thee best thrillers EVER!

[@joejordan1259]

He's a very good actor and that movie was one of my favorite movies of all time. What a cast.

[@dukek3524]

One of the best, if not the best, heist films of all time.

[@JuanReyes-vv9tp]

Agreed!! I grew up in NYC. Born in the mid 60's. This movie brilliantly catches the whole era. David Shire captures the hardcore NY feel with his amazing score. I thought I knew everything there was to know about this classic but I totally missed the no graffiti train. Great inside trivia that Mr. Elizondo tells at the 6:13 mark.

[@kendallrivers1119]

Hector was great in the role. Played such a psycho, unpredictable asshole and yet still made him funny as hell. Great cast overall, but Hector added a lot to the film.

[@devilsadvocacy]

The casting of Hector as "Joe Welcome" was perfect, as were pretty much all the casting

[@RWSCOTT]

great stuff. Such an authentic, detail-driven film & packed w/real New York working class accents.

[@Billyboy939]

He looks and sounds amazing for 85

[@nuyoricanbrooklyn4231]

I have the DVD, and watch it every now and then just to listen to the sound track. They made another one in 1998 but I never watched it, then again why would I.

[@SparkyMarkyMark23]

Forget 1998 version. The Original & The 2009 Rulez✊🏻!

[@koreainsincere]

Loved him in Pelham and also loved him in Columbo, he was extraordinary.

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

Good on the Rockford Files and American Gigolo.

[@susanb2015]

And Kojack.

[@luishumbertovega3900]

"A Case Of Immunity", with Sal Mineo, one of the two actors who were murdered in a Columbo episode and also later in real life. The other one: Barbara Colby, from "Murder By The Book", directed by Steven Spielberg, with Jack Cassidy as the killer.

[@wonglee2424]

Great interview with Hector. One guy that did great work in the film too was the late Jerry Stiller who famed in another New York setting Seinfeld

[@mrjoepad1]

And the Tim Allen/ Earl Hindman connection to Home Improvement and Hector on Last Man Standing.

[@Americanmettle]

It would be a great honor to meet this wonderful man, a fantastic actor who never lost who he was as a person. Thank you Hector!!!!

[@pressureworks]

One of the most surprising film endings. Very Columboesque.

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

Wonderful share, thank you! I've always loved Pelham One Two Three, everyone is a memorable character in it, and that includes the city too. Hector's got great electricity in it, you're not sure exactly what his character's going to do; he's like a subway train with flickering lights headed towards an unknown dark destination, but he's got this dark humour in it that makes him a pleasure to watch. Great, great film.

[@PetersonZF]

I've loved Héctor Elizondo as an actor since seeing him in American Gigolo, but I only saw Pelham 123 for the first time quite recently and thought it was absolutely fantastic. It's one of my favourite crime thrillers now.

[@jammygitt]

One of my favorite movies. Hector brought so much to this role. From the salacious flirting with the female passenger with his tongue to the mimicry of "Mr. B-B-B- Brown" to the "Blow It out Your Ass, Colonel".

[@MrAitraining]

Hector was a great bad ass in this with awesome lines and delivery. "I'm not your mister buh buh brown" "I guess I got us on the scoreboard right?"

[@ColonelFredPuntridge]

"She's a twenty-dollar hooker! I could do this job and hump that broad at the same time!"

[@alanmacvean2053]

Everything Mr. Elizondo has been in has been awesome , he is a wonderful actor !

[@johnodonohoe7602]

Great Movie stuck with me all these years seen it multiple times !

[@Pure-Minty]

Hector was the ultimate bad guy in this. Still one of my favs today.

[@user-dl7me4uh6g]

one of the all-time classics ... it's in my top 10

[@gregggillott8551]

I'm 64 and just watched it.. great comedy

[@gabekarp3008]

One of the best movie scores ever.

[@anthonylilly6862]

Great actor, equally great human

[@Violet-fj8yd]

Great actor and seems like a nice guy. Love that film, just bought the dvd.

[@pasqualeperillo]

very best role authentic hector is great actor

[@LtColumbohh]

Hector Elizondo is the best. I loved him too as Barney in Pretty Woman.

[@johngallagher4280]

Good music 🎶 !! I remember the little subplot of Walter Mathau giving a tour to the visiting Japanese subway people. Funny.

[@Bottycheeks]

Amazing soundtrack to go with the great acting

[@MrPloxDa3rd]

Homeboy went from being the first hijacker to die to being the only one left to tell the tale.....

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

Great actor and story teller.

[@paulmatulavich7321]

Outstanding presentation! Hector is a true American icon.

[@TerryCloth]

Love the movie. Great mix of comedy and drama. Love the editing and score. I have it on DVD and just watched it the other day. The gum chewing really adds to the character.

[@saskiecanada]

That was great. The material, the editing of the Hector Elizondo interview talking about Martin Balsam, Robert Shaw, Walter Matthau, with clips from the movie and the music. Thanks!

[@BaronEvola123]

The actors and the score are brilliant. The editing and directing are as well. There are some very famous, seasoned actors in this. They're so good and well-cast that although Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw are the stars, you, as the viewer don't really see them as stars.

[@johncordero9452]

Awesome actor, great movie, fantastic interview. Thanks for sharing!

[@sylviaroberts4236]

Love Hector

[@unc1589]

Can’t think of another NY movie that was more authentic! Every single reaction is what a true New Yorker would do from start to finish. Nowhere else on earth can you find a more diverse group of people. Nice? Nice is too time consuming in a place like New York. Everybody spoke their mind. Overly sensitive people don’t fare well in 70s New York. But we were kind. We’d help anybody. Racial slurs were the norm. Nobody took it personal unless you meant to offend. Then you had a fight on your hands. The truest city in the world. I could cry at how much I miss it. Because it’s over. Not a single New Yorker would ever believe how it is today. And the world for that matter.

[@kittygram51]

Absolutely true. I grew up in the Bronx 60s/70s and this movie nailed it

[@seanodonohue1326]

Cool dude. Great actor.

[@Jodyrides]

Hector was actually my favorite character in this movie.. he played a wise guy that didn’t like being told what to do, and he could back it up… I also loved hector‘s performance in Valdez is coming.. Burt told him it was for hunting rabbits..

[@rtd1409]

Just the best its a movie that inspired my career in transit.

[@LordStanleysCup]

One of the greatest crime films of all stone. Classic!!

[@melbrooks1192]

Great cast. Great lines from this movie.

[@stephenhaynes149]

Brilliant! Can you share the David Shire interview too?

[@jeralnlawrence5011]

Great Interview!

[@JustMovieclips1930]

Ahhh Mr. Hector Elizondo, always a great storyteller 🎉🎉 It's so nice to hear about his stories of wisdom through his experiences in every film 🫶💖

[@billy-v]

I think I first saw this movie as a second grader and even being that young this guy made an impression on me-I mean my jaw just dropped. He was perfect for the role. Great interview!

[@tommarks3726]

Classy guy. One of my favorite movies, classic. Thank you Mr Gray.

[@steverogers2603]

Nice interview! Thanks for sharing. Interesting to hear him describe Shaw. Shaw was a great actor, but after hearing of his dislike for Dreyfus on his next film, Jaws, it puts his seemingly challenging personality in perspective.

[@gregoryyoung8819]

Robert Shaw's next film after Pelham was the Sting. Then came Jaws.

[@gregoryyoung8819]

I"m wrong . You're right. It went, The Sting, 1973, Pelham 1974 and Jaws 1975

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Plenty of other actors never had a problem with Shaw though. Much as I like Dreyfuss, back then he was a bit of a pain in the arse during the filming of Jaws and Shaw reacted to that.

[@patgalvez4563]

I remember this movie and 'The Laughing Policeman' came to our theater back to back..

[@1986SSMONTECARLO]

Elizondo was GREAT as Mr. Grey

[@eric7922]

He’s so good in this... I’ve watched The Taking of Pelham 123, Dog Day Afternoon and The French Connection hundreds of times, and nothing, I mean nothing, interrupts them...

[@vicferrari4046]

Thank you so much for posting this interview. This was a real treat!!!!

[@manofthehour6856]

This is absolutely BRILLIANT! One of my favorite films, and he "ruins" it by pointing out the MTA agreement to cooperate stipulated no graffiti on the subway car / at the stations! What a lovely man and such great stories. Hector Elizondo needs to write his autobiography!!!!!!

[@johnstrawb3521]

Hector was superb here. Menacing, out of control... as for the line 'I'll shoot your peepee off' it hints at a casual disregard for anyone else; sociopathy and even sexual dysfunction. "Sinister" is right.

[@Iambriangregory]

Thank you Dr phillis don't forget you can be arrested for practicing psychiatry without a license stick to your day job keep it simple okay?

[@MrAitraining]

"I'm not your mister buh buh Brown"

[@pressureworks]

Very kind of you to devote your time and effort uploading these jems. ..... Now are you sure you wanna smoke that cigar ???

[@jameshoran8]

You knew during the movie that Shaw was going to kill him as he was always causing trouble. Finally not yielding his gun was the breaking point. Just as you knew Garber was going to rough up Frank to get him in line as he bitched about everything Zack was trying to do.

[@jimiwilson1029]

For the record, "Fast Eddy" is Edward Mikolic.

[@SenatorBulworth]

... and what an excellent theme song! Was all the money recovered you think?

[@blindnumber]

that man is king of comedy.

[@alanbrooks2237]

Soundtrack also helped tie the film together. (An aside about NYC in the mid-‘70s: the Bicentennial, a couple years later, helped buck up spirits a bit-just in time.)

[@Goat69-mi1ku]

I believe Hector is the only Main Character still alive.

[@JuanReyes-vv9tp]

Lt. Rico Patrone : Wait a minute. I just figured out how they're going to get away. Lt. Garber : I'm listening. Lt. Rico Patrone : They're going to fly the train to Cuba. Lt. Garber : You're a sick man, Rico.

[@warrenrosen132]

Ahchoo...

[@johnstrawb3521]

There ARE spoilers, fwiw, if you haven't seen this 50 year-old gem.

[@anakrime93]

48

[@Iambriangregory]

WHHAATTT are you talking about? What spoilers? Are you talking about the video? and if you are don't you think people already would have watched it before they got to your comment? more than likely for what it's worth it's worth nothing if you really ask duh oh brother! Your comment was not necessary delete it for your own sake so you don't get embarrassed again double duh!

[@Boypogikami132]

@@Iambriangregory I haven’t watched the movie in it’s entirety but I technically watched it?

[@devilsadvocacy]

4:58 He is right about the state of the city in the 1970s. It was a mess. The mafia ran things more effectively than city hall did, ex. catching the Son of Sam serial killer

[@johngallagher4280]

Bernie Goetz.

[@VanillaLimeCoke]

Monk’s therapist from Seasons 7 and 8

[@andyphillips9693]

Gold dust.

[@fumanpoo4725]

Ginko biloba!

[@christianblake3997]

I love that saying, still waters run deep! You never hear things like that nowadays but it’s so apt!🙂👍