Sydney Pollack s feature-film debut deals with a woman, played by Anne Bancroft (The Graduate), who takes an overdose of prescription pills and calls a crisis clinic for help. Sidney Poitier (In The Heat Of The Night), plays a college volunteer who tries to keep the suicidal woman on the line while asking the police to trace the call. Stirling Silliphant (The Towering Inferno) wrote the screenplay based upon an actual incident reported in Time Magazine. The Slender Thread boasts a strong supporting cast featuring Telly Savalas, Steven Hill, Ed Asner and Dabney Coleman, with a rousing score by Quincy Jones (The Getaway) and great black-and-white cinematography by Loyal Griggs (Shane).