Witness to Murder (1954)

Director:

Roy Rowland

Writer:

Chester Erskine (writer)

Release Date:

15 April 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

THE SUSPENSE SHOCK OF THE YEAR!

Plot:

Barbara Stanwyck sees a murder through her bedroom window, but no one will believe her. She is stalked...

Plot Keywords:

Murder

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Cheryl Draper
George Sanders	...	Albert Richter
Gary Merrill	...	Police Lt. Lawrence Mathews
Jesse White	...	Police Sgt. Eddie Vincent
Harry Shannon	...	Police Capt. Donnelly
Claire Carleton	...	Mae, the Blonde
Lewis Martin	...	Psychiatrist
Dick Elliott	...	Apartment Manager
Harry Tyler	...	Charlie
Juanita Moore	...	Negress (Hospital)
Joy Hallward	...	Cheryl's Fellow Worker
Adeline De Walt Reynolds	...	The Old Lady (Hospital)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved

Company:

Chester Erskine Productions

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The story is taking place in Los Angeles, but the map on the wall in Gary Merrill's office is that of San Francisco.

Movie Connections:

References "Dragnet" (1951)

Soundtrack:

Nowhere Blues

Stanwyck does it again !

I have been a fan of Stanwycks since I was a child (now 55 yrs)..saw and thought I knew most of her films from mid 30's- on to the TV years. Somehow, Witness To Murder escaped me, until I saw it listed to be shown on TCM (thank you Ted), this weekend 11/23, I believe... I set my vcr, and was not disappointed, what an outstanding film noir this is.. yet no one ever mentions or discusses this one !!!Stanwyck is just as good as she was in Sorry Wrong Number, maybe more controlled... Plot is similar to Hitcocks Rear Window, but it has many more twists and turns. Supporting cast is great, including 2 All About Eve alumni.. George Sanders, playing a sadistic Nazi (yes) murderer his best work since Eve, and Gary Merrill, portraying a police detective...You can see future star and Oscar nominee, Juanita Moore, (Imitation of Life '58) in an assylum scene, very effective, and Jesse White, as Merrills partner giving some comic relief... Wow, couldnt stop watching... Great to see this ignored film from mid 1950's. Is it on tape ?? Aside #1: Gary Merrill was married to Bette Davis at the time... She and Stanwyck did not get along...I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Gary came home from work... during the filming of Witness.

Aside# 2: Stanwyck was the most prolific actress in Hollywood history!! She just kept turning them out. I remember my parents taking us to our local theatre, Regent, in Newark, NJ.. and every other week so it seemed was a Stanwyck movie... We had just seen her in Titanic, and soon she would be in Executive Suite.... what a pro, what a career, what an actress... she was such a family favorite that my older sister was named after her, Barbara......