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The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
10 February 1961 (Finland)
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Tagline:
Everytime a woman turns her face away because she's tired or unwilling - there's someone waiting like me! more
Plot:
In Oklahoma in the 1920s, Ruben Flood loses his job as a traveling salesman, when the company goes bankrupt...
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Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
Another 1 win
&
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
User Comments:
One of the greats
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Cast
(Complete credited 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
124 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)
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Company:
Fun Stuff
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.
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Quotes:
Rubin Flood:
[To Lottie after he overhears her prejudice comments towards Catholics] Hogwash! Malarky! Horse manure! Woman you oughta get yourself a broom and ride over the housetops! You oughta buy yourself a sheet and poke two holes in it and go around setting fires! Or better still, get yourself a big piece of tape and put it over your mouth because you're too ignorant to live! Lottie sometimes I'm ashamed to be related to you even by marriage!
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Movie Connections:
Featured in "Biography: Angela Lansbury: A Balancing Act" (1998)
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We had this movie on tape for some years, until it was inadvertently used to record another program (what a tragic mistake!). Preston's performance is superb, an exquisite blend of humor and tragedy. Though perhaps not widely known, this movie belongs at the summit of American moviedom as far as I'm concerned.