Screenplay: William P. McGivern

Top movies, series, and documentaries with a screenplay by William P. McGivern. Explore the titles that showcase an exceptional writing.


The Big Heat

1953 · Movie · 90 min. · United States

Direction Fritz Lang

Cast Glenn Ford · Gloria Grahame · Lee Marvin · Jocelyn Brando

Plot Dave Bannion is an upright but unscrupulous cop on the trail of a vicious gang he suspects holds power over the police force. Bannion is tipped off after a colleague's...

8.1

11K votes

8.1

11K votes

Odds Against Tomorrow

1959 · Movie · 96 min. · United States

Direction Robert Wise

Cast Harry Belafonte · Robert Ryan · Shelley Winters · Ed Begley

Plot Ex cop Dave Burke (Ed Begley) is looking to hire two men to assist him in a bank raid: Earl Slater (Robert Ryan), a white and racist ex-convict, and Johnny...

6.8

632 votes

6.8

632 votes

Rogue Cop

1954 · Movie · 92 min. · United States

Direction Roy Rowland

Cast Robert Taylor · Janet Leigh · George Raft · Steve Forrest

Plot Detective Chris Kelvaney has a brother, Eddie, who also is a policeman. He witnessed a murderer running away from the scene of the crime. Chris has contacts with the gangster...

6.7

177 votes

6.7

177 votes

Shield for Murder

1954 · Movie · 82 min. · United States

Direction Howard W. Koch · Edmond O'Brien

Cast Edmond O'Brien · Marla English · John Agar · Emile Meyer

Plot A vicious cop kills a bookie's runner and steals $25,000 from the corpse. He then frames everyone in sight in order to keep to the money to buy a model...

6.5

73 votes

6.5

73 votes

Hell on Frisco Bay

1955 · Movie · 98 min. · United States

Direction Frank Tuttle

Cast Alan Ladd · Edward G. Robinson · Joanne Dru · William Demarest

Plot After 5 years in prison, ex-cop Steve Rollins is paroled and searches for the San Francisco mobsters who framed him for manslaughter.

6.0

129 votes

6.0

129 votes

I Saw What You Did

1965 · Movie · 82 min. · United States

Direction William Castle

Cast Joan Crawford · John Ireland · Leif Erickson · Sara Lane

Plot Teenagers, Libby and Kit, innocently spend an evening doing random prank calls. These calls lead to murderous consequences.

5.6

235 votes

5.6

235 votes

Brannigan

1975 · Movie · 107 min. · United States

Direction Douglas Hickox

Cast John Wayne · Richard Attenborough · Judy Geeson · Mel Ferrer

Plot Jim Brannigan is sent to London to bring back an American mobster who is being held for extradition but when he arrives he has been kidnapped which was set up...

5.4

600 votes

5.4

600 votes

The Wrecking Crew

1969 · Movie · 105 min. · United States

Direction Phil Karlson

Cast Dean Martin · Elke Sommer · Sharon Tate · Nancy Kwan

Plot The count has stolen enough gold to cause a financial crisis in the world markets so I.C.E. sends in ace spy Matt Helm to stop him. As Matt works alone,...

4.2

204 votes

4.2

204 votes

Banyon (TV Series)

1971 · Series · 60 min. · United States

Direction Ed Adamson · Ralph Senensky · Daniel Petrie · Marvin J. Chomsky

Cast Robert Forster · Joan Blondell · Richard Jaeckel · Julie Gregg

Plot TV Series (1971-1973) 15 Episodes. The adventures of 1930's Los Angeles private eye Miles Banyon.

Not rated

Not rated

Night of the Juggler

1980 · Movie · 101 min. · United States

Direction Robert Butler · Sidney J. Furie

Cast James Brolin · Cliff Gorman · Richard S. Castellano · Linda Miller

Plot A tough cop goes on a citywide rampage when his daughter is mistakenly kidnapped by a psycho. The psycho had originally targeted someone else's daughter, but is just as prepared...

Not rated

Not rated

Slattery's People (TV Series)

1964 · Series · 60 min. · United States

Direction Lamont Johnson · Richard C. Sarafian · Robert Gist · James E. Moser

Cast Richard Crenna · Tol Avery · Robert Stevenson · Maxine Stuart

Plot TV Series (1964–1965). 2 Seasons. 36 episodes. Jim Slattery enters the state legislature, hopeful that he can make a difference. He finds dealing with endless rules and the majority opposition...

Not rated

Not rated

The Caper of the Golden Bulls

1967 · Movie · 102 min. · United States

Direction Russell Rouse

Cast Stephen Boyd · Yvette Mimieux · Giovanna Ralli · Vito Scotti

Plot Peter Churchman stopped robbing banks a long time ago and is now living as a wealthy and respected citizen in Pamplona, Spain. But then his former companion Angela appears and...

Not rated

Not rated

Lights Out (TV Series)

1946 · Series · 30 min. · United States

Direction William Corrigan · Laurence Schwab Jr. · Kingman T. Moore · Grey Lockwood

Cast Frank Gallop · Jack La Rue · Mercer McLeod · Leslie Nielsen

Plot Lights Out was an extremely popular American old-time radio program, an early example of a network series devoted mostly to horror and the supernatural, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum. Versions...

Not rated

Not rated

O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (TV Series)

1971 · Series · 60 min. · United States

Direction James E. Moser · Jack Webb · Alan Crosland Jr. · Sam Freedle

Cast David Janssen · Paul Picerni · Stacy Harris · Larry Pennell

Plot TV Series (1971-1972). 1 season. 22 episodes. James O'Hara of the United States Treasury works in several branches to stop illegal activities such as smuggling contraband, tax evasion, and the...

Not rated

Not rated

Insight (TV Series)

1960 · Series · 30 min. · United States

Not rated

Not rated

A Choice of Killers

1967 · Movie · 100 min. · France

Direction Philippe Fourastié

Cast Bernard Noël · Duda Cavalcanti · Robert Dalban · Marcel Lupovici

Plot Since the car accident that caused the death of his wife, the comics author Stéphane Destouches sinks into alcohol and wanders the roads of Morocco.

Not rated

Not rated

San Francisco International Airport (TV Series)

1970 · Series · 60 min. · United States

Direction John Llewellyn Moxey · Daniel Petrie · Allen Reisner · Boris Sagal

Cast Clu Gulager · Lloyd Bridges · Barbara Werle · Walter Brooke

Plot TV Series (1970). 1 season. 7 episodes. About the various problems that can happen at a large metropolitan airport.

Not rated

Not rated

Madigan (TV Miniseries)

1972 · Movie · 90 min. · United States

Direction Alex March · Jack Smight · Boris Sagal

Cast Richard Widmark · George Cole · Rossano Brazzi · Peter Vaughan

Plot TV Miniserie (1972-1973). 6 episodes. A tough, dogged cop, Madigan chases down crooks in his native New York but also travels the world on assignments against crime.

Not rated

Not rated