Cry Wolf (1947)

Director:

Peter Godfrey

Writers:

Catherine Turney (screenplay)
Marjorie Carleton (novel)

Release Date:

19 August 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Tagline:

The howl in the night is the voice of danger.

Plot:

Sandra Demarest arrives at the Caldwell estate, and announces to Mark Caldwell that she was secretly married to his nephew James...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Animal In Title | Based On Novel

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Mark Caldwell
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Sandra Marshall
Geraldine Brooks	...	Julie Demarest
Richard Basehart	...	James Caldwell Demarest
Jerome Cowan	...	Sen. Charles Caldwell
John Ridgely	...	Jackson Laidell
Patricia Barry	...	Angela, Maid (as Patricia White)
Rory Mallinson	...	Becket, Butler
Helen Thimig	...	Marta, Housekeeper
Paul Stanton	...	Davenport
Barry Bernard	...	Roberts (Groom)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #11746, General Audience)

Company:

Thomson Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Law & Order: Cry Wolf (#15.8)" (2004)

Two great stars in a disappointing film

Barbara Stanwyck smells something rotten in her husband's family home in "Cry Wolf," a 1947 movie starring a very famous wolf off screen, Errol Flynn, as well as Jerome Cowan, Richard Basehart, and Geraldine Brooks. Stanwyck plays Sandra, the widow of James Demarest, and arrives to consult with his uncle (Flynn) about James' estate. James believed that his uncle was trying to take his money from him. She gets a cool reception from everyone except James' sister (Brooks). Hearing noises coming from the uncle's lab, Sandra becomes convinced that James is still alive, and she is determined to gain access to the laboratory.

This is the kind of film you can't wait to see - two fabulous stars, a mystery, atmosphere - but though "Cry Wolf" screams "Cry Hit Movie" - it falls flat. If Flynn is supposed to be the Max de Winter or Mr. Rochester of the piece, he doesn't cut it. It's not his fault. The role does not play to his strengths at all. Incredibly handsome, charming, energetic, and debonair, Flynn was one of the greatest stars of the golden era. It's understandable that he became bored with the kind of roles with which he is associated, and there's no doubt he could have pulled this off, but the script and direction let him down. Instead, his performance seems one note, uninteresting, and lazy. At 38, given his lifestyle, he looked bloated in certain scenes. It would seem like a wonderful idea to cast him with Stanwyck, but there's no there there.

Stanwyck's role, on the other hand, does play to her strengths. She's tough, determined, and called upon to do some amazing physical stunts as she rides up and down in a dumbwaiter, rides horses, falls off of one, takes one over a tall fence - she's just great.

Given the lethargy of Flynn's performance and the quiet steel of Stanwyck's, Geraldine Brooks by contrast seems like she's chewing the scenery. Basehart is so young he's almost unrecognizable in a small but good role.

The film ends very abruptly with most of the plot telegraphed from the beginning of the film. However, there are some wonderfully suspenseful moments - Stanwyck hiding outside the lab as Flynn exits, the horse careening through the woods, and several others.

Enjoyable, disappointing, but well worth seeing for the stars and the atmosphere.