Três Minutos de Vida (1948)

While on the telephone, an invalid woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writers:

Lucille Fletcher (radio play), Lucille Fletcher (screenplay)

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

Leona Stevenson is sick and confined to her bed. One night, whilst waiting for her husband to return home, she picks up the phone and accidentally overhears a conversation between two men planning a murder. She becomes increasingly desperate as she tries to work out who the victim is so the crime can be prevented.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | murder | police | telephone | invalid | 

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Taglines:

Heiress to millions...who bought everything she wanted...including this man!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

1948 was a good year for director Anatole Litvak with this film proving a success at the box office. His other film of that year was O Fosso das Víboras (1948), another sizeable hit, that also attracted considerable critical attention (mainly for Olivia de Havilland's performance as a mental patient) as well as seven Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Director.

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Goofs

Twice Barbara Stanwyck turns on a radio and they instantly begin to play music. Radios of the film's era would have required some time to warm up.

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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?

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Connections

Version of Sorry, Wrong Number (1958)

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Soundtracks

Isn't It Romantic
(uncredited)
Written by Richard Rodgers

User Reviews

Silly and Overheated, But Anchored by Stanwyck

It's stylish, no doubt, and the ending is a remarkably shocking nail biter for its time, but "Sorry, Wrong Number" seems like an awfully overwrought affair now. Barbara Stanwyck acts up a storm as a bed-ridden woman who inadvertently hears plans for a murder over her phone and spends the rest of the film trying to get help. It's like a melodramatic, women's picture version of "When a Stranger Calls." The film is fleshed out with a lot of back story that feels more like padding than anything else, but I guess they had to fill out the run time with something, since the basic story could have been told in 15 minutes. Stanwyck handles the film like a pro. Even when she's overacting (which is often) she keeps you thoroughly interested in this rather silly affair. She would win her last Best Actress Academy Award nomination for this film, forcing the Academy to toss her a consolation honorary award over thirty years later, one more shameful oversight in the Academy's long and unmatched history of shameful oversights.

True noir lovers take note---this is not really a film noir, not in the strictest sense of that overused phrase. But it's an entertaining way to spend an hour and a half.

Grade: B-

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1949 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Três Minutos de Vida

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Wallis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1