The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writers:

Harriet Frank Jr. (writer)
William Inge (play)

Release Date:

10 February 1961 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Everytime a woman turns her face away because she's tired or unwilling - there's someone waiting like me!

Plot:

In Oklahoma in the 1920s, Ruben Flood loses his job as a traveling salesman, when the company goes bankrupt...

Plot Keywords:

Salesman | 1920s | Anti Semitism | Reference To Adam And Eve | Loss Of Job

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Robert Preston	...	Rubin Flood
Dorothy McGuire	...	Cora Flood
Eve Arden	...	Lottie Lacey
Angela Lansbury	...	Mavis Pruitt, Beauty Parlor Proprietress
Shirley Knight	...	Reenie Flood
Lee Kinsolving	...	Sammy Golden
Frank Overton	...	Morris Lacey
Robert Eyer	...	Sonny Flood
Penny Parker	...	Flirt Conroy
Ken Lynch	...	Harry Ralston

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Dark at the Top of the Stairs" by William Inge opened at the Music Box Theater in New York City on December 5, 1957, ran for 468 performances and was nominated for the 1958 Tony Award for the Best Play. Frank Overton recreated his stage role as Morris Lacey in the movie version.

Quotes:

Mavis Pruitt: I'm going to tell you something, Mrs. Flood. Every time a door is slammed in a marriage... every time a woman turns her face away because she's tired or unwilling... there's someone waiting. Someone like me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Biography: Angela Lansbury: A Balancing Act" (1998)

TRULY A TOUCHING FILM

I'm known as a soft touch when it comes to the films I enjoy but this movie also touched and affected my two teenage sons who accidentally were caught up in it while I was watching it. It is very poignant especially the religious prejudice and the pain & destruction it caused. This is a tasteful story of first love, love lost and love re-discovered. The characters are wonderful. I hope to have an opportunity to tape it or even better to purchase it.