Witness to Murder (1954)

A woman's sanity comes into question, after she claims to have witnessed a murder from her apartment window.

Director:

Roy Rowland

Writer:

Chester Erskine (original screenplay)

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, Gary Merrill

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Cheryl Draper
George Sanders	...	Albert Richter
Gary Merrill	...	Lawrence Mathews
Jesse White	...	Eddie Vincent
Harry Shannon	...	Captain Donnelly
Claire Carleton	...	May - Mental Patient
Lewis Martin	...	Psychiatrist
Dick Elliott	...	Apartment Manager
Harry Tyler	...	Charlie
Juanita Moore	...	Negress - Mental Patient
Joy Hallward	...	Fellow Worker
Adeline De Walt Reynolds	...	The Old Lady - Mental Patient (as Adeline de Walt Reynolds)

Storyline

Cheryl Draper (Barbara Stanwyck) sees a murder through her bedroom window, but no one will believe her. She is stalked by the suave killer ('George Sanders'), who first takes steps to convince police she is crazy, but she has ally in a sympathetic policeman (Gary Merrill).

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Plot Keywords:

murder | psychiatric patient | apartment | mind game | author | 

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Taglines:

Topping the Thrills Of "DOUBLE INDEMNITY" and "SORRY, WRONG NUMBER!"

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

15 April 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Testigo del crimen

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chester Erskine Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Albert's station wagon is a 1953 Ford Customline Country sedan. Original MSRP was around $2,270 ($20,900 in 2017). At auction an example in excellent condition could fetch around $35,000 in 2017. Detective Williams drives a 1953 Ford 4-door sedan.

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Goofs

When Richter is reading the newspapers at his desk, the drapes are open because Cheryl sees him from her apartment. After Cheryl leaves his apartment with him leaning up against the desk, the drapes are closed behind him.

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Quotes

Cheryl Draper: But I saw the murder! I SAW the murder!

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Connections

Remade as Lux Video Theatre: Witness to Murder (1956)

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Soundtracks

Nowhere Blues
Music by Herschel Burke Gilbert
Lyrics by Sylvia Fine

User Reviews

In this effective, pre-feminist potboiler, the Barbara Stanwyck character is considered an unreliable witness because she's a middle-aged, single, career woman.

In addition to its solid performances, tight storytelling and John Alton's superior cinematography, what makes "Witness to Murder" particularly powerful today is the movie's pre-feminist view of its leading character's dilemma. "But I saw the murder, I SAW the murder," the Stanwyck character insists. Yet no one believes her because 1) she's a woman; 2) she's unmarried; 3) she's menopausal. Nobody even blinks an eye when she's dumped in a mental hospital, which gets viewers really riled because they share her point of view. The audience sees the murder along with Stanwyck and can feel her humiliation, anger and frustration. That's why the movie works.