The Slender Thread

film by Pollack [1965]

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July 22, 2026

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"The Slender Thread" is a 1965 film directed by Sydney Pollack. The movie stars Sidney Poitier as a crisis-line volunteer who attempts to save a woman, played by Anne Bancroft, who has overdosed on sleeping pills. The volunteer must keep the woman talking on the phone while authorities try to trace the call and locate her.1

This film marked Sydney Pollack's directorial debut in feature films. While it was a modest effort, it paved the way for his later successful career directing acclaimed movies such as "Tootsie" and "Out of Africa". Sidney Poitier, who starred in "The Slender Thread," had a prolific acting career, appearing in numerous films throughout his life.12

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Sydney Pollack
Film directing
…as a film director was The Slender Thread (1965), in which a crisis-line volunteer (played by Sidney Poitier) keeps a sleeping-pill-overdose victim (Anne Bancroft) talking on the phone as police try to trace the call and save her. That modest effort was followed by Pollack’s first prestige production, This Property…
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…as a film director was The Slender Thread (1965), in which a crisis-line volunteer (played by Sidney Poitier) keeps a sleeping-pill-overdose victim (Anne Bancroft) talking on the phone as police try to trace the call and save her. That modest effort was followed by Pollack’s first prestige production, This Property…
Read More