Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Sorry, Wrong Number

  • 19481948
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
11K
YOUR RATING
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
While on the telephone, a physically impaired woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.
Play trailer2:39
1 Video
46 Photos
  • Drama
  • Film-Noir
  • Mystery
While on the telephone, an invalid woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.While on the telephone, an invalid woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.While on the telephone, an invalid woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
11K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Anatole Litvak
  • Writer
    • Lucille Fletcher(radio play)
  • Stars
    • Barbara Stanwyck
    • Burt Lancaster
    • Ann Richards
Top credits
  • Director
    • Anatole Litvak
  • Writer
    • Lucille Fletcher(radio play)
  • Stars
    • Barbara Stanwyck
    • Burt Lancaster
    • Ann Richards
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 119User reviews
    • 61Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:39
    Trailer

    Photos46

    Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster, William Conrad, and John Bromfield in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Burt Lancaster and John Bromfield in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Barbara Stanwyck
    Barbara Stanwyck
    • Leona Stevensonas Leona Stevenson
    Burt Lancaster
    Burt Lancaster
    • Henry Stevensonas Henry Stevenson
    Ann Richards
    Ann Richards
    • Sally Hunt Lordas Sally Hunt Lord
    Wendell Corey
    Wendell Corey
    • Dr. Alexanderas Dr. Alexander
    Harold Vermilyea
    Harold Vermilyea
    • Waldo Evansas Waldo Evans
    Ed Begley
    Ed Begley
    • James Cotterellas James Cotterell
    Leif Erickson
    Leif Erickson
    • Fred Lordas Fred Lord
    William Conrad
    William Conrad
    • Morano - Gangsteras Morano - Gangster
    John Bromfield
    John Bromfield
    • Joe - Detectiveas Joe - Detective
    Jimmy Hunt
    Jimmy Hunt
    • Peter Lordas Peter Lord
    Dorothy Neumann
    Dorothy Neumann
    • Miss Jenningsas Miss Jennings
    Paul Fierro
    Paul Fierro
    • Harpootlianas Harpootlian
    Bill Cartledge
    • Page Boyas Page Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Cliff Clark
    • Police Sergeant Duffyas Police Sergeant Duffy
    • (uncredited)
    Joyce Compton
    Joyce Compton
    • Cotterell's Blonde Girlfriendas Cotterell's Blonde Girlfriend
    • (uncredited)
    Ashley Cowan
    • Clam Diggeras Clam Digger
    • (uncredited)
    Yola d'Avril
    Yola d'Avril
    • French Maidas French Maid
    • (uncredited)
    Suzanne Dalbert
    Suzanne Dalbert
    • Cigarette Girlas Cigarette Girl
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Anatole Litvak
    • Writer
      • Lucille Fletcher(radio play) (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
    7.4
    The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
    Criss Cross
    7.4
    Criss Cross
    The Snake Pit
    7.6
    The Snake Pit
    I Walk Alone
    7.0
    I Walk Alone
    The Killers
    7.8
    The Killers
    The Letter
    7.6
    The Letter
    Sorry, Wrong Number
    4.5
    Sorry, Wrong Number
    Niagara
    7.0
    Niagara
    D.O.A.
    7.2
    D.O.A.
    Dark Passage
    7.5
    Dark Passage
    The Big Clock
    7.6
    The Big Clock
    Ball of Fire
    7.7
    Ball of Fire

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Anatole Litvak: Where Henry is having lunch with Sally, he asks his waiter if he knows who the gentleman is in the dark glasses at the table behind him. It is the director.
    • Goofs
      Twice Barbara Stanwyck turns on a radio and music begins instantly and strongly. Radios of the film's era would have required some time to warm up.
    • Quotes

      Henry Stevenson: [to Leona] I want you to do something. I want you to get yourself out of the bed, and get over to the window and scream as loud as you can. Otherwise you only have another three minutes to live.

    • Connections
      Edited into Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      June in January
      (uncredited

      by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger

    User reviews119

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Gimmicky noir still shocks despite its shortcomings
    Chrome-plated hokum, Sorry, Wrong Number works despite itself. And works and works. Starting out as a radio drama by Lucille Fletcher in the 1940s, it boasted umpteen performances plus a 1946 production in the nascent medium of television before Anatole Litvak turned it into film noir. During most of its earlier incarnations, Agnes Moorehead created the role of the hysterical, bedridden heiress, the `cough drop queen,' but the film fell into the lap of the First Lady of Film Noir, Barbara Stanwyck. Moorehead was more than a strong enough actress, but Hollywood required a star.

    The Irony is that Sorry, Wrong Number is far from her finest hour on screen. Rarely has one been made so aware of Stanwyck `acting' in the most unabashedly actressy way. And the same can be said of Burt Lancaster who, when a role didn't set well with him, communicated his discomfort blatantly. In The Rose Tattoo, against Anna Magnani, he was ingratiating and unconvincing ; here, he's almost as awkward as the henpecked husband in whom the worm has at long last turned.

    But maybe Fletcher's slice of devil's food cake calls for mannered histrionics. Ensconced in her bedchamber one sweltering Manhattan evening, her pill bottles and her telephone at her elbow, Stanwyck eavesdrops on a sinister conversation – a murder is being plotted – thanks to a crossed line. This makes her even more restive, and she starts working the phone, tracking down her tardy husband. Litvak `ventilates' these calls, turning them into a series of flashbacks filling in the background to what will prove a very bad evening for Stanwyck. (The sequences on Staten Island, however, could have sprung from the pen of Franklin W. Dixon, the Hardy Boys' puppeteer.)

    Unavoidably talky, owing to its source, Sorry, Wrong Number moves inexorably to its preordained end. Basically, it's a gimmick, and one that Hitchcock might have fine-tuned into a nifty infernal machine. Litvak doesn't do badly, though, and the movie's shock value outlasts its staled conventions. Its most chilling moment comes when Stanwyck frantically dials a number that she thinks will give her solace. But her answer is `BOwery 2-1000 – the City Morgue.'
    helpful•32
    19
    • bmacv
    • Jun 10, 2002

    FAQ5

    • What is the name of a popular song that is played on a portable record player in the scene in which Barbara Stanwyck's character, Leona, argues with her friend Sally Hunt about Henry Stevenson?
    • Is 'Sorry, Wrong Number' based on a book?
    • What is 'Sorry, Wrong Number' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 24, 1948 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Zalim, pogresan broj
    • Filming locations
      • Hollywood, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Hal Wallis Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
    Top Gap
    What is the Mexican Spanish language plot outline for Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in July
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies Coming This Summer
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.