The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was released on 2 October 1974.
Morton Freedgood sold the film rights to his novel (published under the name John Godey) before it was published in 1973.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) initially refused to cooperate with the production, but then agreed, insisting on a $20 million insurance policy, including "kook coverage" in case the movie inspired a real-life hijacking. "Professionals can see the absurdities of the plot right off, but kooks don't reason it out. That's why they're kooks," explained director Joseph Sargent.
Filmed in an unused part of the New York subway system, cast and crew dealt with noise (from trains running on other tracks), rats, and dirt and dust during the scenes shot on the tracks.
Mixing comedy and drama, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was a critical and commercial success, and was remade in 1988 for TV and in 2009 in a film starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta.
