Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writers:

Lucille Fletcher (radio play)
Lucille Fletcher (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 September 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

She overheard the plans for her own destruction!

Plot:

Leona Stevenson is sick and confined to her bed. One night, whilst waiting for her husband to return home...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Heir | Illness | Father Daughter Relationship | Heart Disease

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Leona Stevenson
Burt Lancaster	...	Henry Stevenson
Ann Richards	...	Sally Hunt Lord
Wendell Corey	...	Dr. Alexander
Harold Vermilyea	...	Waldo Evans
Ed Begley	...	James Cotterell
Leif Erickson	...	Fred Lord
William Conrad	...	Morano
John Bromfield	...	Joe - Detective
Jimmy Hunt	...	Peter Lord
Dorothy Neumann	...	Miss Elizabeth Jennings
Paul Fierro	...	Harpootlian

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Norway:16 (1949) | USA:Approved (PCA #12493) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Hal Wallis Productions

Trivia:

Leif Erickson and Jimmy Hunt would play father and son again, five years later, in Invaders from Mars (1953).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Whenever camera pans out Leona's window to cityscape with moving cars, city lights, etc., smoke emitting from smokestacks never moves.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Leona Stevenson: Operator! Operator! Operator!
Voice of Operator: Your call please?
Leona Stevenson: Operator, I've been ringing Murray Hill 35097 for the last half hour and the line is always busy. Will you ring it for me, please?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Hill Street Blues: Sorry Wrong Number (#7.16)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

Passacaglia

Don't hang up!

Alfred Hitchcock himself praised this movie that was for him one of Barbara Stanwyck's most extraordinary parts.Besides,he did include Lucille Fletcher's short novel in his anthology "stories not for the nervous"(sic)

The story of this woman in her bed,who has heard on the phone someone is in danger,and who little by little discovers the horrible truth,is a first-class screen play which requires the viewer's attention,,or else he may lose the vital lead.The first people who enjoyed it had no pictures,since it was originally a radio broadcast,so they had to show a lot of imagination.The movie remains talky but the numerous flashbacks give it substance.The phone,is along with Stanwyck ,the star of Litvak's work;Burt Lancaster,a great actor though,only serves as a foil to both of them.50% of the dialogue consists of phone calls,that's what makes this thriller unique.

A strong connection with Hitchcock's work is the father's part(Ed Bigley).He is some equivalent of the Mother in many movies of his.The stuffed animals in his desirable mansion are a symbol of his daughter's lifelessness.(Coincidence?There will be such hunting trophies (and more) in his "psycho" twelve years later,and the topic is present in "the man who knew too much"(2nd version))

If you are fond of suspense,this is an unqualified must!