Firehouse [Slim Case]

Low budget, barely passable acting, great footage, great story, must have been written by a firefighter
I was enormously skeptical about this movie, but the 12 year old kid across the street bought it at Wal-Mart for $3.99 and wanted to watch it with me because I'm a professional firefighter.

At first I really thought it was going to be a Blaxploitation flick that got dipped into the world of fire, replete with Richard Roundtree as a righteous black man in a racist all-white firehouse in the inner city. But it was a rather morally complex story where both sides have to learn to see one another for what they truly are, and have to learn to integrate into the team they must be to survive the early 70s in ghetto New York (called by FFs of the era, "the War Years" because of previously unheard of rates of arson and targeting of FFs for violence).

The white FFs have just lost a loved fellow FF to an arson-for-kicks fire in a heavily black neighborhood, they have their firehouse burgled on regular basis while out fighting fires, they have trash and bricks and insults...

ONE OF ABC'S BETTER "MOVIE OF THE WEEK" ENTRIES
I remember the ABC TUESDAY (and WEDNESDAY) MOVIE OF THE WEEK very fondly. This 1973 entry was one of the better efforts, along with THE ROOKIES (1972), MAYBE I'LL COME HOME IN THE SPRING (1971) and of course, BRIAN'S SONG (1972). You have good performances across the board, with Richard Roundtree in his prime (post SHAFT) and standard TV vets as Vince Edwards, Andrew Duggan, Richard Jaeckel and Val Avery. FIREHOUSE on DVD. Now bring on THE ROOKIES.

WHEN THE FIRE'S OUT... THE HEAT IS ON
Richard Roundtree gives an emotional performance as a dedicated black firefighter, who is a fish out of water, in a n all-white firehouse. Somehow throught sheer hard work and courage, he is able to overcome racial prejudice and hatred, and earn the respect and friendship of the other men.

Click to Editorial Reviews