The Shadow on the Window (1957)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

William Asher

Writers:

David P. Harmon (writer)
John Hawkins (story)

Release Date:

6 March 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

your eyes will open wide... at the terrifying things that happen in that room!

Plot:

Three teen-agers, led by psychopathic Jess Reber (John Barrymore, Jr.), break into an isolated farmhouse...

Plot Keywords:

Cult Director

Cast

Philip Carey	...	Tony Atlas (as Phil Carey)
Betty Garrett	...	Linda Atlas
John Drew Barrymore	...	Jess Reber (as John Barrymore Jr.)
Corey Allen	...	Gil Ramsey
Gerald Sarracini	...	Joey Gomez
Jerry Mathers	...	Petey Atlas
Sam Gilman	...	Sgt. Paul Denke
Rusty Lane	...	Capt. McQuade
Ainslie Pryor	...	Dr. Hodges
Paul Picerni	...	Bigelow
William Leslie	...	Stuart
Doreen Woodbury	...	Molly
Ellie Kent	...	Girl

Runtime:

76 min | 74 min (Encore-Mystery Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Slightly above average Columbia programmer

Starring Jerry Mathers as the shell-shocked child who witnesses an assault on his mother, Shadow On the Window is a decent 'B' film with a solid cast and a decent script. Jerry's dad, a police officer, is played stoically by Phil Carey and mom is Betty Garrett, decent as a woman under constant threat from three stereotypical teen bad boys. One of the boys is played by Corey Allen, who revisited the role in the similarly themed Key Witness (1960), and the others are John Drew Barrymore--apparently channeling the spirit of an evil Dobie Gillis--and lovable lunk Gerald Sarracini. Beach Party director William Asher displayed his serious side here, and cinematographer Kit Carson got some nice set-ups during the climactic chase scene across roof tops and through subway tunnels. I'd love to know where this was filmed--perhaps somewhere in the Imperial Valley of California?