Fourteen Hours (1951)

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

John Paxton (screenplay)
Joel Sayre (story)

Release Date:

April 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

A new element in screen suspense

Plot:

An unhappy man threatens suicide by standing on the ledge of a high-rise building for 14 hours.

Plot Keywords:

Ledge | Police | Rescue | Psychiatrist | Floodlight

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 1

11:00 AM

TCM

Cast

Paul Douglas	...	Police Ofcr. Charlie Dunnigan
Richard Basehart	...	Robert Cosick
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Virginia Foster
Debra Paget	...	Ruth
Agnes Moorehead	...	Christine Hill Cosick
Robert Keith	...	Paul E. Cosick
Howard Da Silva	...	Deputy Police Chief Moskar (as Howard da Silva)
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Danny Klempner
Martin Gabel	...	Dr. Strauss
Grace Kelly	...	Mrs. Louise Ann Fuller
Frank Faylen	...	Walter, room service waiter
Jeff Corey	...	Police Sgt. Farley
James Millican	...	Police Sgt. Boyle
Donald Randolph	...	Dr. Benson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Baxter	...	Attorney (uncredited)
Leonard Bell	...	Cab Driver for Mrs. Fuller (uncredited)
Richard Beymer	...	(uncredited)
Barry Brooks	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Bernard Burke	...	Police Captain (uncredited)
David Burns	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
John Cassavetes	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Gean Danise	...	Girl in the Street (uncredited)
Ossie Davis	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
Brad Dexter	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Leif Erickson	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Michael Fitzmaurice	...	TV Announcer (uncredited)
Gordon Gebert	...	Harry Dunnigan (uncredited)
Sandra Gould	...	Hotel Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Kenneth Harvey	...	Police Operator (uncredited)
Jerry Hausner	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Russell Hicks	...	Regan, Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Brian Keith	...	Extra (uncredited)
Rusty Lane	...	Cop (uncredited)
Harvey Lembeck	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
George MacQuarrie	...	Reverend Dr. J.C. Parkinson (uncredited)
Rory Mallinson	...	Cop (uncredited)
Renny McEvoy	...	Radio man (uncredited)
John McGuire	...	Cop (uncredited)
Bill McLean	...	Bellboy (uncredited)
Shepard Menken	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Ann Morrison	...	Mrs. Helen Dunnigan (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Police Commissioner (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Police Captain (uncredited)
Frank Nelson	...	Impatient Hotel Guest (uncredited)
George Offerman Jr.	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Robert Pitkin	...	Kemper (uncredited)
Lou Polan	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
George Putnam	...	Radio Announcer (uncredited)
John Randolph	...	Fireman (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway	...	Woman in Hotel (uncredited)
Dan Riss	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Lucille Rogers	...	Charwoman (uncredited)
Janice Rule	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Henry Slate	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
Alix Talton	...	Miss Kelly, Secretary (uncredited)
Jean Temple	...	Charwoman (uncredited)
Joyce Van Patten	...	Barbara, Ruth's friend (uncredited)
James Warren	...	Thomas Edward Fuller (uncredited)
Willard Waterman	...	Mr. Harris (uncredited)
William H. Welsh	...	Hotel clerk (uncredited)
Mervin Williams	...	Photographer (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry Hathaway

Writing credits
John Paxton		(screenplay)
Joel Sayre		(story)

Produced by
Sol C. Siegel	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Joseph MacDonald		(as Joe MacDonald)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by
Leland Fuller
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little
Fred J. Rode

Costume Design by
Edward Stevenson

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Sound Department
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Visual Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director (as Charles LeMaire)

Music Department
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

14 Hours (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #14687) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Producer Sol C. Siegel won permission from the New York Police Department to rope off a large section of downtown New York as one extensive set.

Goofs:

Continuity: The middle-aged priest climbs 15 flights of stairs, and is not the least bit out of breath.

Quotes:

Robert Cosick: You should have ten good reasons for anything. That's a rule!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'High Noon' (1992) (V)

Despite flaws, a fine little gem

Although this film traffics in some of the worst movie clichés (the good-hearted, potato-nosed Irish-American cop; the conventional--and tacked-on--Happy Ending(tm)), it manages to rise above them, thanks to fine acting, a gripping story, and excellent production values. (You feel teleported to the Manhattan of 1951.) The chemistry between Paul Douglas (as Officer Dunnegan) and an incredibly young Richard Basehart (as the suicidal young man) really drives the film. Basehart plays his part with a combination of brittleness and patrician airs that make his character believable. Douglas thankfully doesn't overplay his role; he has to be father-confessor to the young man while attempting to steer him away from thoughts of self-destruction. Some years after seeing this film, I read the non-fiction article that it is based on in an anthology (the article was originally published in The New Yorker as "The Man on the Ledge"). Let us just say that the ending of the article and the film diverge somewhat.