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

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:

The building used was demolished in 1967. It was replaced by the 52-story tower 140 Broadway, noted for its large red cube in the plaza.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Stock rear projection footage of normally-moving motor traffic while Cosick is on ledge is not consistent with huge traffic jam shown in area surrounding hotel where he is threatening suicide leap.

Quotes:

Cab driver: [Discussing suicide] Yeah, that's a crime, ain't it, knockin' yourself off? They could throw ya in jail, couldn't they?

Movie Connections:

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

A Noir Hamlet

It's not about homosexuality, as film historian/commentator Foster Hirsch wants to believe. It's a noir Hamlet: "You're gonna jump, you're not gonna jump...!" "To be or not to be" is paraphrased by both Dunnigan and Dr. Strauss (Martin Gabel), but it's one of the reporters who quotes the play directly, "The lady doth protest too much." (Hirsch himself compares the cabby-scenes to a Shakespearean comic sub-plot.) Finally found John Cassavettes: he even has a small speaking part. He's the reporter "announcing" Mrs. Cosick's arrival at the hotel...on the telephone, to his paper. (The receiver obscures the lower part of his face.) Richard Basehart was in his 30's at the time. I read somewhere that Fellini told him, "If you could do '14 Hours,' you can do anything," explaining why RB was chosen to play "Il Matto" in "La Strada" ... a tight-rope walker.