The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writers:

Harriet Frank Jr. (writer)
William Inge (play)

Release Date:

10 February 1961 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Everytime a woman turns her face away because she's tired or unwilling - there's someone waiting like me!

Plot:

In Oklahoma in the 1920s, Ruben Flood loses his job as a traveling salesman, when the company goes bankrupt...

Plot Keywords:

Salesman | 1920s | Anti Semitism | Reference To Adam And Eve | Loss Of Job

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Robert Preston	...	Rubin Flood
Dorothy McGuire	...	Cora Flood
Eve Arden	...	Lottie Lacey
Angela Lansbury	...	Mavis Pruitt, Beauty Parlor Proprietress
Shirley Knight	...	Reenie Flood
Lee Kinsolving	...	Sammy Golden
Frank Overton	...	Morris Lacey
Robert Eyer	...	Sonny Flood
Penny Parker	...	Flirt Conroy
Ken Lynch	...	Harry Ralston

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Dark at the Top of the Stairs" by William Inge opened at the Music Box Theater in New York City on December 5, 1957, ran for 468 performances and was nominated for the 1958 Tony Award for the Best Play. Frank Overton recreated his stage role as Morris Lacey in the movie version.

Quotes:

[Setting out to find a new job.]
Rubin Flood: Well, I sold everything else in my time. I guess I can sell myself.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Biography: Angela Lansbury: A Balancing Act" (1998)

Dated, But Still Powerful Americana With Great Cast

I love William Inge's work. Inge's "Picnic (1955)" and the unappreciated "Splendor in the Grass (1961)," are among my favorite movies. One thing I like about Inge is his ability to get under the skin of rural, small town America. I also think he adept at exploring the repressed passions found underneath the normal façade of small conservative towns. I do not think "Dark at the Top of the Stairs" is one of the best films based on Inge's work. Director Mann fails to hide the fact that this is a movie based on a stage play. I also found Robert Preston's performance weak and uninteresting (maybe it is just me, but his performance is a carbon copy of his role in "The Music Man"). Some of the material has dated badly too, but in my view, the great supporting cast really saves this movie. Dorothy McGuire is wonderful as the good, but misguided mother. Shirley Knight (one of the most unappreciated beauties from the 1960s) is poignant in the pivotal role of the daughter. However, I think both Eve Arden and Angela Lansbury steal the movie. Knight received the Oscar nomination, but I thought Lansbury and Arden were simply brilliant in their small but unforgettable roles. These two actresses helped me forget about the flaws in the film – what a pleasure was to see them act! Anyhow, not a great movie, but an interesting one (mainly because of Arden and Lansbury).