Donor Unknown (1995) (TV)

Director:

John Harrison

Writers (WGA):

William H. Mooney (novel)
John Harrison (teleplay)

Release Date:

1 November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Type A insurance fraud investigator Nick Stillman has his life extended by a heart transplant, only to be dismayed to discover that his donor was murdered so Nick could live. |

Plot Keywords:

Insurance Agent | California | Doctor | Emergency Room | Evil Doctor

Cast

Clancy Brown	...	Nash Creed
Rene Carrasco	...	Bartender
T.J. Castronovo	...	Eddie
Laurie Ciarametaro	...	Pretty Woman's Nurse
Steven Culp	...	Joel
John Doman	...	Dr. Bochman
Leo Garcia	...	Father Raul Arias
Mitchell Thomas Gibney	...	Maitre D'
Rebecca Herbst	...	Danielle Stillman
Dian Kobayashi	...	University President
Alice Krige	...	Alice Stillman
Philip Lenkowsky	...	Roy Haskel
Irene Olga López	...	Carmen (as Irene Olga Lopez)
Lisa Lord	...	Servant
Robert Madrid	...	Coyote
Joe Marinelli	...	Paolo
Dan Martin	...	Frank Donnelly
Peter Onorati	...	Nick Stillman
Richard Portnow	...	Hal Cooney
Emilio Rivera	...	Emilio
Sam Robards	...	Dr. David Bausch
Christina Solis	...	Gloria Mendez
Denise Maria Toledo	...	Marena
Callan White	...	Evelyn

Directed by
John Harrison

Writing credits (WGA)
William H. Mooney		(novel "Corazon")
John Harrison		(teleplay)

Produced by
David R. Ginsburg	....	executive producer
Leanne Moore	....	producer
Tom Patricia	....	supervising producer
John Sutton	....	producer (as John Sutton III)

Original Music by
David Bergeaud

Cinematography by
Zoltán David		(director of photography) (as Zoltan David)

Film Editing by
Harry B. Miller III

Casting by
Melissa Skoff

Production Design by
Sara Andrews

Set Decoration by
Kurt Meisenbach

Costume Design by
Kathleen Detoro

Makeup Department
Kathleen M. Hagan	....	assistant hair stylist
Kathleen M. Hagan	....	assistant makeup artist
Angela Nogaro	....	key makeup artist
Doreen F. Schultz	....	key hair stylist (as Doreen Schultz)

Production Management
Matthew David Hensley	....	production supervisor
Leanne Moore	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matthew J. Clark	....	first assistant director (as Matthew Clark)
Robert Lorenz	....	second second assistant director
W. Thomas Snyder	....	second assistant director (as Tom Snyder)

Art Department
John Brown	....	swing gang
Zachery A. Coiteau	....	assistant props (as Zachery Coiteau)
Tony Ervolina	....	swing gang
Alan K. Harrison	....	swing gang (as Alan Harrison)
Gregg M. Hartman	....	swing gang (as Gregg Hartman)
Jeff Hay	....	leadman
Brent David Mannon	....	property master (as Brent Mannon)
Christopher Nolan	....	swing gang
Wendy Ozols-Barnes	....	assistant property master
Rob Shepps	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Tim Drury	....	boom operator
Charles Kelly	....	sound mixer
Mac Ruth	....	boom operator
Alan Freedman	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Jeremy Hoenack	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Charles Kelly	....	location sound recordist (uncredited)
Michael Payne	....	sound supervisor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Geoffrey C. Martin	....	special effects (as Geoffrey Martin)
Kevin Pike	....	special effects supervisor
Arthur G. Schlosser	....	special effects (as Art Schlosser)

Stunts
Pete Antico	....	stunts (as Peter Antico)
Danny Epper	....	stunts
Richie Gaona	....	stunts
Gilbert Rosales	....	stunts
Lynn Salvatori	....	stunts
Dain Turner	....	stunts
Tierre Turner	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Blake	....	second assistant camera
Scott Browner	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Bill Brummond	....	steadicam operator
Ted Coakley III	....	camera loader (as Ted Coakley)
Jerry Day	....	grip
Mark Feijo	....	electrician
Jason C. Fitzgerald	....	best boy electric (as Jason Fitzgerald)
Michael Franco	....	electrician
Scott Froschauer	....	grip (as Scott Froschouer)
Chuck Gardner	....	still photographer
Craig Kvinsland	....	dolly grip
Rick Perez	....	best boy grip (as Richard Perez)
Dan Rottman	....	key grip (as Dano Rottman)
David Sammons	....	additional second assistant camera
John Scott	....	first assistant camera
Eric Smith	....	grip
Michael Weaver	....	gaffer (as Mike Weaver)
Doug Weinmann	....	electrician (as Doug Weinman)

Casting Department
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Natalie Mink	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sheryl De Paolo	....	set costumer
Jean Rosone	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
John Stuart Bick	....	second assistant editor
Michael Wertz	....	first assistant editor

Transportation Department
Joe Cosentino	....	driver
Angel Desanti	....	driver (as Angel De Santi)
Geno Hart	....	transportation coordinator
Robert Keller	....	driver
Tui Letuli	....	transportation co-captain
Steve Nickolai	....	driver
John Pellegrino	....	driver (as John Pelligrino)
Adam Pinkstaff	....	driver
Ken Plumlee	....	transportation captain
William Smallwood	....	driver
Jason Williams	....	driver
Dave Wilson	....	driver

Other crew
Nellie Adami	....	production assistant
Kirsten Anderson	....	assistant production accountant
Batou Chandler	....	key set production assistant
Brian Christopher	....	production intern
Paul Emmons	....	medic
Ted Gidlow	....	production coordinator
Dr. John E. Glassco	....	medical consultant
James Lennox	....	assistant location manager
Andy Lovis	....	production assistant
Richard Midiri	....	caterer
Kathleen Mulligan	....	script supervisor (as Kathy Mulligan)
Stacy Parker	....	assistant production coordinator
Larry Ring	....	assistant location manager
Mark Romano	....	production accountant
Suzanne St. Pierre	....	craft service
Jack Tate	....	assistant location manager
Jane Chase Wells	....	set production assistant
Boyd Wilson	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Citadel Entertainment

Distributors

• CIC Video GmbH

Special Effects

• K.N.B. Effects Group (prosthetic make-up special effects)

Other Companies

• Bill Dance Casting  extras casting
• Browning, Jacobson, & Klein  legal counsel
• Citadel Entertainment  author: Berne Convention
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color by (as Deluxe Laboratory)
• Entertainment Partners  payroll service
• International Creative Effects  titles and opticals
• Motion Picture Marine  boat and marine services
• Otto Nemenz International  Arriflex cameras (as Otto Nemenz)
• R.C. Baral & Co.  post-production accounting (as R.C. Baral & Company)
• Sound Trax Studios  post-production sound by
• SteadiSystems Inc.  film provided by (as Steadi Systems)
• Universal Negative Cutting  negative cutting

Also Known As:

Dangerous Heart

Runtime:

USA:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Matrix Surround

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (video premiere) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bradbury Building - 304 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Citadel Entertainment

Quotes:

Nash Creed: You don't know people not like me.

Has Interest Only As A Melodrama.

A burgeoning sub-classification of the Cinema Of Paranoia genre is that depicting illegal harvesting of organs for the purpose of transplantation, with this work being based upon an apparently unpublished novel, featuring Peter Onorati as Type A insurance fraud investigator Nick Stillman whose life is extended by a heart transplant, but whose native bent for delving into chicanery leads him into situations of personal danger for him and for his family. In spite of the success of his life-saving operation, Nick is dismayed to discover that his donor who had allegedly died at the wheel of a stolen car did not, according to his former fiancée, know how to drive, and Stillman's investigation brings suspicion toward the surgeon who performed his procedure, played by Sam Robards, and also upon Nick's wife (Alice Krige), as possible suspects engaged in highly illicit activity that may include murder. This movie made for television does not reflect any particular point of view, with didactic, politically correct motifs pushing against elements of a mystery, and only slick production values maintain a viewer's interest, particularly as the multi-themed affair becomes increasingly predictable as it wobbles to its close. Clancy Brown earns acting honours here for his well-defined performance as a villain, while Onorati, Krige and Robards each contributes an earnest turn, but there is too little cohesion in the scenario, although there is a good deal to like in the way the picture looks and sounds; Onorati, incidentally, is beat up and pummeled upon quite as often as were the private eyes of yore in noirish cinema.