Fourteen Hours (1951)

An unhappy man threatens suicide by standing on the ledge of a high-rise building for 14 hours.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

John Paxton (screenplay), Joel Sayre (story)

Stars:

Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart, Barbara Bel Geddes

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Douglas	...	Police Ofcr. Charlie Dunnigan
Richard Basehart	...	Robert Cosick
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Virginia Foster
Debra Paget	...	Ruth
Agnes Moorehead	...	Christine Hill Cosick
Robert Keith	...	Paul E. Cosick
Howard Da Silva	...	Deputy Police Chief Moskar (as Howard da Silva)
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Danny Klempner
Martin Gabel	...	Dr. Strauss
Grace Kelly	...	Mrs. Louise Ann Fuller
Frank Faylen	...	Room Service Waiter
Jeff Corey	...	Police Sgt. Farley
James Millican	...	Police Sgt. Boyle
Donald Randolph	...	Dr. Benson

Storyline

A young man, morally destroyed by his parents not loving him and by the fear of being not capable to make his girlfriend happy, rises on the ledge of a building with the intention of committing suicide. A policeman makes every effort to argue him out of that.

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Plot Keywords:

ledge | suicide | police | reporter | policeman | 

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Taglines:

From the edge of the ledge he defied them all!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Quatorze heures

Filming Locations:

Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shelved for six months because the daughter of Fox exec Spyros Skouras leaped to her death on the very day the film was previewed. By the time of its eventual release, some Spyros-mandated compromises were made to the film's storyline.

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Goofs

The middle-aged priest climbs 15 flights of stairs, and is not the least bit out of breath.

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Quotes

Walter, room service waiter: Operator!
Hotel Switchboard Operator: Good morning.
Walter, room service waiter: This is the waiter in 1505.
Hotel Switchboard Operator: I'll connect you with room service.
Walter, room service waiter: No, no!
Walter, room service waiter: I don't want a waiter, I am a waiter!

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Episode #9.1 (2012)

User Reviews

Despite flaws, a fine little gem

Although this film traffics in some of the worst movie clichés (the good-hearted, potato-nosed Irish-American cop; the conventional--and tacked-on--Happy Ending(tm)), it manages to rise above them, thanks to fine acting, a gripping story, and excellent production values. (You feel teleported to the Manhattan of 1951.) The chemistry between Paul Douglas (as Officer Dunnegan) and an incredibly young Richard Basehart (as the suicidal young man) really drives the film. Basehart plays his part with a combination of brittleness and patrician airs that make his character believable. Douglas thankfully doesn't overplay his role; he has to be father-confessor to the young man while attempting to steer him away from thoughts of self-destruction. Some years after seeing this film, I read the non-fiction article that it is based on in an anthology (the article was originally published in The New Yorker as "The Man on the Ledge"). Let us just say that the ending of the article and the film diverge somewhat.