Don't Bother to Knock (1952)

After being dumped by his girlfriend, an airline pilot pursues a babysitter in his hotel and gradually realizes she's dangerous.

Director:

Roy Ward Baker (as Roy Baker)

Writers:

Daniel Taradash (screenplay), Charlotte Armstrong (novel)

Stars:

Richard Widmark, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Bancroft

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Widmark	...	Jed Towers
Marilyn Monroe	...	Nell Forbes
Anne Bancroft	...	Lyn Lesley
Donna Corcoran	...	Bunny Jones
Jeanne Cagney	...	Rochelle
Lurene Tuttle	...	Ruth Jones
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Eddie Forbes
Jim Backus	...	Peter Jones
Verna Felton	...	Mrs. Ballew
Willis Bouchey	...	Joe the Bartender (as Willis B. Bouchey)
Don Beddoe	...	Mr. Ballew
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Emmett Vogan	...	Toastmaster (unconfirmed)

Storyline

Airline pilot Jed stays at the New York hotel where girlfriend Lyn is a singer. He sees Nell in a window opposite his and they get chummy. When the girl she's baby-sitting, Bunny, enters Nell goes crazy and sends her to her room. She fantasizes that Jed is her long lost fiance. Jed comes to realize that Nell is more than a little whacko.

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Plot Keywords:

lying | tearing up a letter | female singer | handwritten letter | putting out a cigarette | 

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Taglines:

SHE'S DYNAMITE! It Opens the Door on the Screen's Most Exciting New Personality---MARILYN MONROE

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night Without Sleep

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The events in the film take place in real-time.

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Goofs

When Lyn and Jed get photographed in the bar by the camera lady, she snaps only one picture of them. When she brings the novelty items (handkerchief, matchbook, ashtray, and postcard) to their booth minutes later, the handkerchief shows a slightly different pose than the others.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mrs. Emma Ballew: After all, we guests who live here from year to year, we deserve a little consideration, too.

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Connections

Referenced in Outrageous Foreplay (1987)

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Soundtracks

How About You?
(uncredited)
Music by Burton Lane
Lyrics by Ralph Freed
Introduced in Babes on Broadway (1941)
Performed by Anne Bancroft

User Reviews

marilyn displays some true range

This film doesn't receive a lot of attention. I grew up a fan of classic film, and I only saw this one once until tonight. Seeing it for the second time (I can't imagine there are any other major-release MM films I haven't seen over & over) I was extremely impressed by the quality of the performance Marilyn turned in. Hardcore fans seem to generally feel that her performance in "the Misfits" is her finest; the role had more depth than many she played, and seemed highly personal. I argue that she does just as fine a job in just as deep a role in "Don't Bother To Knock." It's my belief that MM was _ALWAYS_ versatile and talented, but that the American public fell so deeply in love with the breathless (& brainless) beauty role, that the studios typecast her until they weren't sure her looks alone would be enough to guarantee the volume of gross profits which they expected from Marilyn's films.