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Pimeät portaat

Original title: The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
  • 19601960
  • K-16K-16
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
772
YOUR RATING
Eve Arden, Angela Lansbury, Shirley Knight, Lee Kinsolving, Dorothy McGuire, and Robert Preston in Pimeät portaat (1960)
Drama
In Oklahoma in the 1920s, Rubin Flood (Robert Preston) loses his job as a travelling salesman when the company goes bankrupt. This adds to his worries at home. His wife Cora (Dorothy McGuire... Read allIn Oklahoma in the 1920s, Rubin Flood (Robert Preston) loses his job as a travelling salesman when the company goes bankrupt. This adds to his worries at home. His wife Cora (Dorothy McGuire) is frigid because of trying to make ends meet. His teenage daughter Reenie (Shirley Knig... Read allIn Oklahoma in the 1920s, Rubin Flood (Robert Preston) loses his job as a travelling salesman when the company goes bankrupt. This adds to his worries at home. His wife Cora (Dorothy McGuire) is frigid because of trying to make ends meet. His teenage daughter Reenie (Shirley Knight) is afraid of going out on dates, but eventually makes friends with a troubled Jewish b... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
772
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Delbert Mann
  • Writers
    • Harriet Frank Jr.(screenplay)
    • Irving Ravetch(screenplay)
    • William Inge(based on the play by)
  • Stars
    • Robert Preston
    • Dorothy McGuire
    • Eve Arden
  • Director
    • Delbert Mann
  • Writers
    • Harriet Frank Jr.(screenplay)
    • Irving Ravetch(screenplay)
    • William Inge(based on the play by)
  • Stars
    • Robert Preston
    • Dorothy McGuire
    • Eve Arden
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 7 nominations total

    Photos

    1 sheet
    Shirley Knight and Dorothy McGuire in Pimeät portaat (1960)
    Shirley Knight and Dorothy McGuire in Pimeät portaat (1960)
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    Top cast

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    Robert Preston
    Robert Preston
    • Rubin Flood
    Dorothy McGuire
    Dorothy McGuire
    • Cora Flood
    Eve Arden
    Eve Arden
    • Lottie Lacey
    Angela Lansbury
    Angela Lansbury
    • Mavis Pruitt
    Shirley Knight
    Shirley Knight
    • Reenie Flood
    Lee Kinsolving
    Lee Kinsolving
    • Sammy Golden
    Frank Overton
    Frank Overton
    • Morris Lacey
    Robert Eyer
    • Sonny Flood
    Penney Parker
    • Flirt Conroy
    • (as Penny Parker)
    Ken Lynch
    Ken Lynch
    • Harry Ralston
    Bobby Beakman
    • Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Birch
    Paul Birch
    • Jonah Mills
    • (uncredited)
    Helen Brown
    • Mrs. Haycox
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Chain
    • Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Comi
    Paul Comi
    • Jenkins
    • (uncredited)
    John Elman
    • Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Ben Erway
    Ben Erway
    • Joseph Moody
    • (uncredited)
    Butch Hengen
    • Boy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Delbert Mann
    • Writers
      • Harriet Frank Jr.(screenplay)
      • Irving Ravetch(screenplay)
      • William Inge(based on the play by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      When asked which one of her movies stands out to her, Dame Angela Lansbury cited this movie, saying, "That's one I felt we did a good job with, one that didn't get the attention it deserved."
    • Quotes

      Executive: We sell new machinery. What do you know about drilling equipment for oil fields?

      Rubin Flood: Not a thing.

      Executive: Then why should we hire you?

      Rubin Flood: You chew tobacco, mister?

      Executive: I beg your pardon!

      Rubin Flood: You talk crops and weather? You know who's had a baby lately? You know who goes to church and who don't? Who likes corn liquor and who likes store liquor? Who's a Republican, who's a Democrat?

      Executive: Our methods are a little more modern than that.

      Rubin Flood: Well, I'm telling you that the people out here are farmers, no matter how much oil they got in their land. You want to come out of this territory with a profit? You'd be better off taking that diamond stickpin out of your tie and putting a straw hat on the back of your head and a chaw in your cheek! You're gonna have to hunker down and talk business with a man who's cleaning out his pigsty. That's where a lot of sales are made... and it can't be done in a New York suit!

    • Connections
      Featured in Biography: Angela Lansbury: A Balancing Act (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs
      Composed by Max Steiner

      Performed by Chet Atkins with Bob Thompson And His Strings

    User reviews17

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    AN UNDESERVEDLY FORGOTTEN STUDY ON HUMAN BEINGS
    I've only seen this film two times. The first one was when I was a teenager, in the early 60s, and the other one was on TV, not so long ago. As it had happened in the first time, viewing "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" again gave me the same feeling: in spite of being a very American movie in all its aspects, it has a strong and universal appeal because it deals with people with flesh and blood, not puppets or flat characters. But what I consider appalling is the callousness of movie distributors who haven't so far given us the chance to see and buy this little gem either in VHS or DVD. According to the reliable Halliwell's Film Guide, this was produced by Warner Bros. Why don't they release it now in either of these formats, or, better still, in both? Maybe they lack what this movie is plentifully supplied with, that is, "a real feeling for the people and the place", in Halliwell's words.
    helpful•24
    5
    • Viajante
    • Apr 9, 2000

    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 10, 1961 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
    • Filming locations
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 4 minutes

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