To avoid the heat of a sweltering summer night a 9-year-old Manhattan boy decides to sleep on the fire escape and witnesses a murder, but no one will believe him.To avoid the heat of a sweltering summer night a 9-year-old Manhattan boy decides to sleep on the fire escape and witnesses a murder, but no one will believe him.To avoid the heat of a sweltering summer night a 9-year-old Manhattan boy decides to sleep on the fire escape and witnesses a murder, but no one will believe him.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 3 nominations total
- Murdered Seaman
- (uncredited)
- Cop Carrying Stretcher
- (uncredited)
- Police Officer
- (uncredited)
- Police Officer
- (uncredited)
- Police Officer
- (uncredited)
- Police Officer
- (uncredited)
- Observer at Scene
- (uncredited)
- Police Officer
- (uncredited)
- Stranger on Street
- (uncredited)
- Police Officer
- (uncredited)
- Detective Ross
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film was shot in the latter part of 1947 but shelved by RKO boss Howard Hughes and released in 1949. When Bobby Driscoll got his Juvenile Oscar in 1950, he was 13 years old.
- Goofs(at around 4 mins) While running down the top flight of stairs to play with the neighbor boys, Tommy's breath is visible. His breath is visible again (at around 25 mins) while he is running to the police station, just after he runs past the canopy of 136th. This is due to shooting in the late Fall when the movie is set in the 94 degree heat of summer.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Tommy: [Tommy and his parents are in the back of a police car on the way to the police station] And that's all the truth.
Police Officer: That was some jump, son.
Tommy: Yeah, but I know one thing. I'm never gonna be a fireman. I don't like jumpin' in those nets.
Ed Woodry: I'm proud of you, Tommy. And from now on, I promise I'll believe you.
Tommy: I'm glad, Pop. And from now on, I promise I'll never make up another story.
Mary Woodry: That'll make us all happy.
Ed Woodry: I'll bet when we get down to the station, a lot of guys are going to point at me and say, "There goes Tommy Woodry's father."
[Tommy smiles and his father chuckles over a shot of his son's beaming face]
- Crazy creditsThe role of "Tommy" played by BOBBY DRISCOLL by special arrangement with WALT DISNEY
- ConnectionsFeatured in Crumb (1994)
Seeing this taut little thriller in a small western town when I was 10 not only scared the heck out of me, but influenced my perception of urban life for years to come. Seeing the film again 60 years later, I'm impressed with producer Dore Schary's insistence on the grimness of the tenements, at least by later suburban standards. There's no attempt to glamorize or even varnish the family's dingy, cramped flat. Whether on NY location or on an RKO sound stage, the lighting remains dark and oppressive. Of course, that not only heightens the noirish atmosphere, but also lends an uncommon degree of realism to the family's working- class environment. After all, Dad works the nightshift, while Mom helps with the extended family, leaving little Tommy home alone. And that, I believe, amounts to more than just a handy plot device. And get a load of the on-location ruins where the kids play at the beginning—looks like something out of post-war Europe. No wonder MGM went after Schary in an effort to become more socially relevant in post-Andy Hardy America. There may be a lot of Hollywood in the melodrama itself, but the look and feel is definitely not Hollywood of the time. What a fine little film that's still edge-of-the-seat excitement. And, if I recall correctly, I was an especially good little boy for a long time afterward.
- dougdoepke
- Sep 15, 2009
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Boy Cried Murder
- Filming locations
- New York City, New York, USA(abandoned tenements on 105th and 116th Streets)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $210,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 13 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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