92 reviews
Most Convincing Child Performance!
Crying Wolf has never been so deadly...or as entertaining!!
While this film noir is listed as unavailable on DVD, I took a chance and purchased a "collector's" DVD copy on ebay, something I didn't condone until I realized that some of these old films will never be released and only exist as public domain property in 16mm prints. That being said, I watched "The Window" on an unlabeled DVD-R copy and was very impressed with the quality of both the audio and video. I've purchased other "legit" releases only to find the packaging far superior in quality to the program. "The Window" features a very plausible plot set in a run down urban neighborhood full of tenements and condemned buildings. A nine-year old boy with a vivid imagination and a reputation for telling tall tales, witnesses a murder by his upstairs neighbors while sleeping on the fire escape one sweltering summer night. After going to his dismissing parents, then to the police without their consent, he is sent on his way into a nightmarish experience. The suspenseful sequences are masterfully paced, and there really isn't a slow moment in the film. I would definitely buy this film if, one day, it's released in commercial packaging. Tense, taut and brilliantly done on the obviously low budget.
- wingspancd
- Nov 26, 2005
- Permalink
Like a time machine to New York of the 1940s
Part of the appeal of the film noir genre has always been its ability to freeze everyday life from the past and redisplay it faithfully to viewers many decades later. It's one of the reasons why I enjoy the genre so much, and "The Window" does its job better that most. If you want to step into a time machine and see what real life was like in New York City in the 1940s, this is the movie to see. I saw it at a local film noir film festival, and I hope it comes out on DVD.
It's a bit jarring to see Della Street as a gritty Manhattan housewife with a coarse blue-collar husband, but it's also a lot of fun and she looks terrific. Barbara Hale is still alive as I write this, amazingly, and will turn 91 in a few weeks. At the film festival, this film was introduced by someone who had telephoned Barbara Hale and asked her for her memories of making this movie. She said the movie was supposed to take place in the summer, so the actors dressed very lightly, but it was really filmed in a much colder time of year and she remembers freezing as they shot scene after scene. Could have fooled me, the movie comes across as summery and hot with lots of sweat.
Every detail fascinated me, especially of apartment life in the 1940s: tiny rooms, closet-sized bathrooms with dwarf sinks, and kitchens that looked like airplane galleys. Dark and sinister stairwells up to dingy apartments, fire escapes and alleys, cigarettes galore, and black telephones like my grandmother used to have. Every scene is richly textured, almost as if the director knew that audiences of the distant future would be watching his movie and be mesmerized by the detailed scenery, from the local police station to the pay phone at the corner drugstore.
Others have reviewed the plot and I have nothing much to add. But I will emphasize that the plot develops along paths that I would never have predicted, and the ending will rivet you to your seat. The conclusion was deeply satisfying and caused the audience to burst into whistles and applause. Hope this movie comes out on DVD quick... it's a treasure.
It's a bit jarring to see Della Street as a gritty Manhattan housewife with a coarse blue-collar husband, but it's also a lot of fun and she looks terrific. Barbara Hale is still alive as I write this, amazingly, and will turn 91 in a few weeks. At the film festival, this film was introduced by someone who had telephoned Barbara Hale and asked her for her memories of making this movie. She said the movie was supposed to take place in the summer, so the actors dressed very lightly, but it was really filmed in a much colder time of year and she remembers freezing as they shot scene after scene. Could have fooled me, the movie comes across as summery and hot with lots of sweat.
Every detail fascinated me, especially of apartment life in the 1940s: tiny rooms, closet-sized bathrooms with dwarf sinks, and kitchens that looked like airplane galleys. Dark and sinister stairwells up to dingy apartments, fire escapes and alleys, cigarettes galore, and black telephones like my grandmother used to have. Every scene is richly textured, almost as if the director knew that audiences of the distant future would be watching his movie and be mesmerized by the detailed scenery, from the local police station to the pay phone at the corner drugstore.
Others have reviewed the plot and I have nothing much to add. But I will emphasize that the plot develops along paths that I would never have predicted, and the ending will rivet you to your seat. The conclusion was deeply satisfying and caused the audience to burst into whistles and applause. Hope this movie comes out on DVD quick... it's a treasure.
Neo-Realism Meets Noir
A little boy learns the value of truth-telling in white-knuckle, claustrophobic fashion— a memorably done movie in all departments. No need to dwell here on the consensus strong points.
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.
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
- Permalink
Neglected noir...
First saw this nail-biter when I was a kid. It still holds up. Based on a Cornell Woolrich story (as was REAR WINDOW), this one boasts some of the most stunning cinematography I've ever seen. Director Tetzlaff, himself a cinematographer of considerable skill (he shot Alfred Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS), milks this one for all it's worth. Bobby Driscoll (the kid underground comix artist Robert Crumb reveals his brother fell in love with in the documentary CRUMB) never once wavers under the camera's close scrutiny: his must be one of the greatest performances EVER by a kid in a feature film. In fact, it's his performance that carries the film. Paul Stewart is as creepy as they come; his performance, as good as it is, perfectly compliments the low-key desperation of young Driscoll. Absolutely must-see moviemaking.
The Boy Who Cried "Murder!"
- theowinthrop
- Jul 19, 2006
- Permalink
Children's Noir
Many know the sad tale of the life of Bobby Driscoll who was Walt Disney's first live action child star paving the way for dozens more right down to today's Disney Channel. As Disney at the time The Window was made released their product through RKO Studios, RKO apparently had call on Driscoll's services and they got him to star in this sleeper of a noir film which I call children's noir.
Bobby is the son of Arthur Kennedy and Barbara Hale and he's got a big imagination forever telling tall tales. That's the problem, when he sees a real murder take place in an upstairs neighbor's apartment no one will believe him, not the cops, especially not his parents.
But murder was done in that apartment as drunk and free spending sailor Richard Benedict was done in by Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman. The body was disposed of in a condemned building next door.
In Disney products we've seen all kinds of kids put in harm's way of many a villain. But because it is a Disney film we all know nothing will happen. Not so here. Driscoll is in the mean streets of a big city and a really bad man is chasing him. You feel his fear.
The Window got an Oscar nomination in the film editing. Almost 70 years later it's still a thrilling film to watch and the cross cut editing has a lot to do with it. Don't miss this one if broadcast.
Bobby is the son of Arthur Kennedy and Barbara Hale and he's got a big imagination forever telling tall tales. That's the problem, when he sees a real murder take place in an upstairs neighbor's apartment no one will believe him, not the cops, especially not his parents.
But murder was done in that apartment as drunk and free spending sailor Richard Benedict was done in by Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman. The body was disposed of in a condemned building next door.
In Disney products we've seen all kinds of kids put in harm's way of many a villain. But because it is a Disney film we all know nothing will happen. Not so here. Driscoll is in the mean streets of a big city and a really bad man is chasing him. You feel his fear.
The Window got an Oscar nomination in the film editing. Almost 70 years later it's still a thrilling film to watch and the cross cut editing has a lot to do with it. Don't miss this one if broadcast.
- bkoganbing
- Mar 28, 2017
- Permalink
Like the boy who cried wolf.
A belter of a B noir out of RKO. Story plays as a variant to the boy who cried wolf legend and finds young Bobby Driscoll as Tommy, a boy prone to telling tall tales. So when one night he spies upstairs neighbours murdering a man, nobody believes him...
The build up to the crime is considered, we are privy to Tommy's home life in a cramped New York tenement, his parents loyal and hard working and they have plenty of love for their fanciful son.
Once the crime is committed, a shocking incident compounded by the fact it's perpetrated by a normal looking male and female couple, a destitute pairing prepared to do the unthinkable just for cash, then things get real tense and the thrills begin to roll.
Tommy is now under threat from the killers and he needs to be silenced, so as the cramp confines of the hot and sweaty tenement area are vividly brought to life via noir visuals, Ted Tetzlaff (director) and his cinematographers (Robert De Grasse & William O. Steiner) excelling, the paranoia and tension builds to the point that the gripping finale acts as a merciful release.
Very well performed by a cast that also includes Paul Stewart, Ruth Roman, Arthur Kennedy and Barabara Hale, this late 1940s noir is highly recommended. 8/10
The build up to the crime is considered, we are privy to Tommy's home life in a cramped New York tenement, his parents loyal and hard working and they have plenty of love for their fanciful son.
Once the crime is committed, a shocking incident compounded by the fact it's perpetrated by a normal looking male and female couple, a destitute pairing prepared to do the unthinkable just for cash, then things get real tense and the thrills begin to roll.
Tommy is now under threat from the killers and he needs to be silenced, so as the cramp confines of the hot and sweaty tenement area are vividly brought to life via noir visuals, Ted Tetzlaff (director) and his cinematographers (Robert De Grasse & William O. Steiner) excelling, the paranoia and tension builds to the point that the gripping finale acts as a merciful release.
Very well performed by a cast that also includes Paul Stewart, Ruth Roman, Arthur Kennedy and Barabara Hale, this late 1940s noir is highly recommended. 8/10
- hitchcockthelegend
- May 10, 2015
- Permalink
Murder! He Said, but nobody believed him!
- mark.waltz
- Apr 21, 2014
- Permalink
Ultraviolence. 1940's style.
Late-night tv sometimes throws up some high quality gems. The Window is one of them. And before you go saying ''aww! but this movie is old and in b&w, i bet it's awful!" STOP. Take a step back. This movie is excellent.
9 year old Tommy Woodry (Bobby Driscoll) is a lying little git. Always telling lies and making up stories. It's gotten to the point where no-one believes a word he says anymore, not even his own parents.
Tommy's world is about to come crashing down around him after he is witness to a murder in the apartment above his one night. The problem is, Tommy knows the truth, no-one believe's him and to make matters worse the Kellerton family upstairs (the murderer's) find out that Tommy knows what happened and want him silenced.
I swear to god, this movie was so harsh. Harsh in the sense that for a movie thats well over 50 years old now - taken in it's original form without modern day conception - this is one violent movie. One guy gets beaten to near death then is finished off getting stabbed to death with a pair of scissors in front of a kid. The Kellerton's kidnap Tommy and in one scene Joe Kellerton (Paul Stewart) punches the little boy in the face about three times then drugs him with chlorophyl!! Another point to add, this movie is actually banned in Finland! This movie must have genuinely shocked it's original audience when it was first shown back in 1949.
This is a dark movie; very eerie and some scenes mount incredible depths of tension. The acting is superb and the camerawork doubly so.
If your a true movie fan and are happy to watch any movie no matter the age, you'll love this. It's a real treat and i'm glad i caught this one on tv. Special mention goes out to fellow IMDB user Bob The Moo, who supplied me with a VHS edition! Now to track down the DVD...
9 year old Tommy Woodry (Bobby Driscoll) is a lying little git. Always telling lies and making up stories. It's gotten to the point where no-one believes a word he says anymore, not even his own parents.
Tommy's world is about to come crashing down around him after he is witness to a murder in the apartment above his one night. The problem is, Tommy knows the truth, no-one believe's him and to make matters worse the Kellerton family upstairs (the murderer's) find out that Tommy knows what happened and want him silenced.
I swear to god, this movie was so harsh. Harsh in the sense that for a movie thats well over 50 years old now - taken in it's original form without modern day conception - this is one violent movie. One guy gets beaten to near death then is finished off getting stabbed to death with a pair of scissors in front of a kid. The Kellerton's kidnap Tommy and in one scene Joe Kellerton (Paul Stewart) punches the little boy in the face about three times then drugs him with chlorophyl!! Another point to add, this movie is actually banned in Finland! This movie must have genuinely shocked it's original audience when it was first shown back in 1949.
This is a dark movie; very eerie and some scenes mount incredible depths of tension. The acting is superb and the camerawork doubly so.
If your a true movie fan and are happy to watch any movie no matter the age, you'll love this. It's a real treat and i'm glad i caught this one on tv. Special mention goes out to fellow IMDB user Bob The Moo, who supplied me with a VHS edition! Now to track down the DVD...
Irresponsible parents in the '40's, even though unintentionally so.
- Somesweetkid
- Apr 23, 2022
- Permalink
Cry wolf at your peril
Young Bobby Driscoll (Tommy) makes up stories to his friends and to his parents. One night, he sleeps on the fire escape outside the apartment of Paul Stewart (Mr Kellerson) and Ruth Roman (Mrs Kellerson) where he witnesses them commit a murder. When he tells his parents Arthur Kennedy and Barbara Hale about it, they dismiss him. In fact, they punish him. Even the police don't believe him when he reports the murder to them. Poor kid. No-one believes him. It's not long before Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman find out that he knows something and set a plan in motion to silence him.
There are many tense scenes as Driscoll faces his nightmare all alone. The audience shares his fear as the killers have him next on their list. The acting is realistic as is the dialogue. The film also has eerie sections (eg, Ruth Roman outside Driscoll's window with a torch as he hides in his locked room) and dramatic moments (eg, when the killers kidnap Driscoll and put him in the back of a cab and they encounter a policeman). The strategy that Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman use to shut him up during the cab ride is genius. It's very funny and demonstrates perfect teamwork.
Children are usually annoying in films. Not here. A dramatic ending in a disused apartment block adds to the tension. Worth watching again. The way the movie is filmed and the location all add to the experience of a film that is actually quite scary in parts.
There are many tense scenes as Driscoll faces his nightmare all alone. The audience shares his fear as the killers have him next on their list. The acting is realistic as is the dialogue. The film also has eerie sections (eg, Ruth Roman outside Driscoll's window with a torch as he hides in his locked room) and dramatic moments (eg, when the killers kidnap Driscoll and put him in the back of a cab and they encounter a policeman). The strategy that Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman use to shut him up during the cab ride is genius. It's very funny and demonstrates perfect teamwork.
Children are usually annoying in films. Not here. A dramatic ending in a disused apartment block adds to the tension. Worth watching again. The way the movie is filmed and the location all add to the experience of a film that is actually quite scary in parts.
small, tense thriller from RKO
Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy Ruth Roman, Bobby Driscoll and Paul Stewart star in "The Window," a 1949 film.
In a takeoff of the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Tommy Woodry is an only child with a very active imagination. He is known among his friends and parents as being a teller of tall tales. One night, it's so hot in their New York apartment that Tommy goes onto the fire escape to sleep. There, looking in the next apartment, he witnesses a murder. The problem is, no one believes him. Except the killers.
Good nail-biter with lots of references to corporal punishment for kids, which was common back then. It's plenty of violence, too, as well as a dramatic ending.
Arthur Kennedy was one of the most underrated actors in show business - though this is a good film, it's a small one, and he deserved something with a higher profile. Barbara Hale, just a few years later would achieve TV immortality as Della Street, Perry Mason's secretary. At 27, Ruth Roman makes an impression as Mrs. Kellerton, who was involved in the killing. She's both beautiful and frightened.
The actor who plays the little boy, Bobby Driscoll was very good and continued to work until around 1960, when drugs and a criminal record kept him from getting work. He died at 31 of heart problems, penniless and homeless.
Good movie, worth seeing.
In a takeoff of the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Tommy Woodry is an only child with a very active imagination. He is known among his friends and parents as being a teller of tall tales. One night, it's so hot in their New York apartment that Tommy goes onto the fire escape to sleep. There, looking in the next apartment, he witnesses a murder. The problem is, no one believes him. Except the killers.
Good nail-biter with lots of references to corporal punishment for kids, which was common back then. It's plenty of violence, too, as well as a dramatic ending.
Arthur Kennedy was one of the most underrated actors in show business - though this is a good film, it's a small one, and he deserved something with a higher profile. Barbara Hale, just a few years later would achieve TV immortality as Della Street, Perry Mason's secretary. At 27, Ruth Roman makes an impression as Mrs. Kellerton, who was involved in the killing. She's both beautiful and frightened.
The actor who plays the little boy, Bobby Driscoll was very good and continued to work until around 1960, when drugs and a criminal record kept him from getting work. He died at 31 of heart problems, penniless and homeless.
Good movie, worth seeing.
A more dramatic version of Dennis the Menace
As far as a film-noir story line this film fails to deliver. The young child actor Bobby Driscoll is a natural to play the young Tommy Woodry with the wild imagination. Until one day Tommy witnesses two adults that live above his apartment floor commit a murder. To no one's surprise Tommy's parents are the first to chalk Tommy's story of a murder upstairs to just that, only another of Tommy's wild imagination story telling.
The film lacked any real suspense and the bad guys reaction and their eventual fate was predictable. Boy versus crooks? Does the boy win or do the crooks keep their secret? By the end of the film I was bored so it did not even matter who won. To find out you will have to suffer through it just like I did.
Hurrah for actor Bobby Driscoll who was excellent as the young sleuth and rat. Too bad the story line was weak and ineffectve.
I give the film a 5 out of 10 rating.
The film lacked any real suspense and the bad guys reaction and their eventual fate was predictable. Boy versus crooks? Does the boy win or do the crooks keep their secret? By the end of the film I was bored so it did not even matter who won. To find out you will have to suffer through it just like I did.
Hurrah for actor Bobby Driscoll who was excellent as the young sleuth and rat. Too bad the story line was weak and ineffectve.
I give the film a 5 out of 10 rating.
- Ed-Shullivan
- Dec 14, 2018
- Permalink
Claustrophobic thriller
The claustrophobic cinematography makes this film. You feel cramped and trapped as does our young hero. The tenements are lit just enough for you to imaging all sorts of horrors within. The ending was evidently rushed and a bit hokey; the director et al. could have fleshed it out a bit more
This is a very real film, in that we all know children who 'fabricate' as easily as they breath. Bobby Driscoll was superb. I've never seen his Disney work -- now I'll keep my eye out for his name.
I loved seeing a younger Arthur Kennedy (before he played only drunks) and a plain but always pretty Barbara Hale (pre-Perry Mason). Both were excellent and demonstrated a range I never gave them credit for.
This is a very real film, in that we all know children who 'fabricate' as easily as they breath. Bobby Driscoll was superb. I've never seen his Disney work -- now I'll keep my eye out for his name.
I loved seeing a younger Arthur Kennedy (before he played only drunks) and a plain but always pretty Barbara Hale (pre-Perry Mason). Both were excellent and demonstrated a range I never gave them credit for.
- JulieKelleher57
- Feb 29, 2000
- Permalink
No-one Believes A Liar
- seymourblack-1
- Oct 15, 2016
- Permalink
A Thrill a Minute! Film Noir at its' BEST!
I first saw this film when I was ten. The same age as the terrified young star "Tommy" of the film. I sat on the edge of my seat, glued to the screen as every second of suspense ticked away. A masterpiece to rival even the best of the great Hitchcock Thrillers! I have never seen it released on video, but would be the first to run out and buy it. If it turns up on AMC, DON'T MISS IT!
Seattle International Film Festival - David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Tommy Woodry is a young boy living in a poor tenement in NYC. He often makes up stories. His parents are frustrated with him. On one hot night, he goes out to sleep on the fire escape. While outside the upstairs apartment, he witnesses the Kellersons stabbing a man in the back with a pair of scissors. He tries to tell his parents but they don't believe him. He tells a police detective but he finds nothing. Tommy is forced to apologize by his mother to Mrs. Kellerson which only informs them of him as a witness.
There is always great tension of a kid who nobody believes. This one takes the 'The Boy who Cried Wolf' fable and turns it into a tense noir. The little boy is pretty good in terms of a child actor. There are a couple of less believable things like the taxi driver. There must have been an impenetrable partition in that cab. Despite the little flaws, this is a solid thriller.
There is always great tension of a kid who nobody believes. This one takes the 'The Boy who Cried Wolf' fable and turns it into a tense noir. The little boy is pretty good in terms of a child actor. There are a couple of less believable things like the taxi driver. There must have been an impenetrable partition in that cab. Despite the little flaws, this is a solid thriller.
- SnoopyStyle
- Dec 22, 2016
- Permalink
A near-miss, aided by young Driscoll's work...
On loan from Walt Disney, Bobby Driscoll, a child actor par excellence, lends a good deal of believability to this familiar and predictable plot concerning an imaginative youngster who can't get anyone to believe his story about being the sole witness to a murder. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" in modern dress (from a story by Cornell Woolrich!) needed a stronger, perhaps multi-layered approach; it's too straightforward and square, and the audience is always two steps ahead of the action. The adult characters are exasperating and foolish, though Driscoll's grounded presence is just what this scenario requires (he deservedly received a non-competitive Juvenile Oscar for his work). Vivid black-and-white cinematography by Robert De Grasse and William Steiner also deserves praise--though the film isn't a noir: it's a family picture on a tight budget, aimed at the mass market. Overall results decent, but not superior. One Oscar nomination: Best Editing. One BAFTA nomination: Best Film From any Source. Screenwriter Mel Dinelli was a WGA nominee for Best Written American Drama. **1/2 from ****
- moonspinner55
- May 23, 2009
- Permalink
A very good thriller.
Modern update of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" suffers from some plot contrivance
Top flight film noir
While 1949s "The Window" may not be a noir classic many have heard about I strongly recommend seeing it if you can find it. (It is occasionally on TCM, but it is not currently available on DVD or VHS.)
The film stars child protege Bobby Driscoll ("Song's of the South" "Peter Pan") as a young boy who is living the Aesopian nightmare of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." His parents are portrayed the ever capable Arthur Kennedy ("Champion" "High Sierra") and Barbara Hale ("Perry Mason.") After the boy witnesses a murder his parents and the foolish police department refuse to beleive him until it is almost too late.
The murderers are also well-played by veterans Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman (who also were in 1949s "Champion" with Arthur Kennedy and Kirk Douglas.) The husband and wife would have gotten away with murder if at not been for the young boy, . The ensuing chase and scary finale are very well done. The police in this movie were so ignorant you would wonder if they did not inspire the moron cop, Officer Barbrady on "South Park."
This fine film was actually considered to be a throwaway "B" movie. It turned out to be quite popular even though it only runs for 73 minutes. The young actor, Bobby Driscoll received a special Oscar for his work in 1949 but soon found his acting career drying up as he aged and his life ended tragically from drug related issues in 1968 at the age of 31.
The film stars child protege Bobby Driscoll ("Song's of the South" "Peter Pan") as a young boy who is living the Aesopian nightmare of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." His parents are portrayed the ever capable Arthur Kennedy ("Champion" "High Sierra") and Barbara Hale ("Perry Mason.") After the boy witnesses a murder his parents and the foolish police department refuse to beleive him until it is almost too late.
The murderers are also well-played by veterans Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman (who also were in 1949s "Champion" with Arthur Kennedy and Kirk Douglas.) The husband and wife would have gotten away with murder if at not been for the young boy, . The ensuing chase and scary finale are very well done. The police in this movie were so ignorant you would wonder if they did not inspire the moron cop, Officer Barbrady on "South Park."
This fine film was actually considered to be a throwaway "B" movie. It turned out to be quite popular even though it only runs for 73 minutes. The young actor, Bobby Driscoll received a special Oscar for his work in 1949 but soon found his acting career drying up as he aged and his life ended tragically from drug related issues in 1968 at the age of 31.
This is a disturbing film but not for the reasons we expect.
- camdentownie13
- Dec 17, 2005
- Permalink
Predictable but Worth the Time Spent
"Tommy Woodry" (Bobby Driscoll) is a young kid who has a penchant for making up incredible stories which people sometimes believe. His parents, "Ed Woodry" (Arthur Kennedy) and "Mary Woodry" (Barbara Hale) have long since gotten accustomed to his tall tales and have become quite irritated with him for spreading them. So when he comes to them and tells them that their neighbors "Joe Kellerson" (Paul Stewart) and "Jean Kellerson" (Ruth Roman) who live in the apartment upstairs have just murdered a man they send him to his room without supper. What neither of them realizes is that what Tommy is telling them is true and when the upstairs neighbors hear that Tommy may have seen something they become extremely intent on finding out every detail. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a nice little drama which managed to keep my attention throughout. Admittedly, the plot was rather predictable but it was worth the time spent and I have rated it accordingly. Average.