The Red House (1947)

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writers:

George Agnew Chamberlain (novel)
Delmer Daves (written for the screen by)
(more)

Release Date:

21 July 1947 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Of this man ... and the girl who lived in The Red House ... people spoke only in whispers! (poster)

Plot:

An old man and his sister are concealing a terrible secret from their adopted teen daughter, concerning a hidden abandon farmhouse, located deep in the woods.

Plot Keywords:

Woods | Family Secret | Theremin | Murder | Based On Novel

Cast

Edward G. Robinson	...	Pete Morgan
Lon McCallister	...	Nath Storm
Judith Anderson	...	Ellen Morgan
Rory Calhoun	...	Teller
Allene Roberts	...	Meg
Julie London	...	Tibby
Ona Munson	...	Mrs. Storm
Harry Shannon	...	Dr. Jonathan Byrne
Arthur Space	...	The Sheriff
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pat Flaherty	...	Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
Walter Sande	...	Don Brent (uncredited)

Directed by
Delmer Daves

Writing credits
George Agnew Chamberlain		(novel)
Delmer Daves		(written for the screen by)
Albert Maltz		uncredited

Produced by
Sol Lesser	....	producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa		(as Miklos Rozsa)

Cinematography by
Bert Glennon		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Merrill G. White		(as Merrill White)

Art Direction by
McClure Capps

Costume Design by
Frank Beetson Jr.		(as Frank Beetson)

Makeup Department
Irving Berns	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Clem Beauchamp	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Stillman	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Frank McWhorter	....	sound technician
Joseph I. Kane	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Jack Noyes	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Warren Lynch	....	transparency projection shots (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Eddie Fitzgerald	....	second camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Samuel Hoffman	....	musician: theremin (uncredited)
William A. Wilmarth	....	music mixer (uncredited)
Eugene Zador	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Dorcy Howard	....	interiors
Bob Larson	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Sol Lesser Productions (as Thalia Productions Inc.)

Distributors

• United Artists (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Take 2 Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Timeless Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Delta Expedition (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Hollywood Classics (USA) (VHS)
• Vídeo Network (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Unrated | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Sol Lesser Productions

Quotes:

Nath Storm:Sometimes it seems the more I know about women the less I know about women.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in On the Road (2012)

Creepy, Disturbing and Off-beat Noir - Not for Kids!

Delmer Daves's The Red House is a gem! But it's not a film for the kids - the film deals with somewhat perverse adult themes in a very psychologically, if not explicitly, realistic manner. The great Edward G. Robinson plays Pete Morgan, a reclusive older gentleman living with his sister (Judith Anderson) and an adopted teenage daughter, Meg (Allene Roberts). Most of the story revolves around Meg's developing romance with Nath (Lon McAllister) - a smart and decent young man who comes to work for Pete. Nath's girlfriend - kind of an erstwhile femme fatale - is played by the lovely Julie London, and it is no surprise to find that as Nath's attention turns to Meg, her attention turns to bad boy "Teller" (Rory Calhoun).

Underneath all the typically teenage romantic dynamics lies several terrible secrets and possibly, something supernatural. All of this will culminate in revealing the secret of a long-forgotten Red House in the woods behind Pete's house.

The acting is excellent. The younger members of the cast are remarkably attractive, an the cinematographer used this to great advantage. Calhoun and London occasionally falter into formulaic acting, but McAllister and Roberts are always exactly where they need to be, and Robinson turns in a typically brilliant performance. Roberts, amazingly, was 18 years old and acting in her first film when she turned in this fantastic, mature performance.

Daves paces the film very nicely. There are relatively few wasted seconds, and the build-up to the climax, and even the epilogue, are barely even noticeable as you are swept away by the increasingly convoluted and disturbing story-line. Lighting, a trademark of Daves and noir in general, is used perfectly in this very nicely shot dark contrast-oriented film. The key to the success of this film, however, is the misdirection of audience sympathies - which is all I will say about the script - to avoid a spoiler.

NOTE: Be willing to spend a few extra dollars to get a good print of this film. Some of the less expensive versions have very poor sound quality - almost unlistenable.

Highly recommended for Robinson fans and non-graphic horror fans. Recommended for noir fans. Not recommended for kids.