Sorry, Wrong Number
| Sorry, Wrong Number | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Anatole Litvak |
| Produced by | Anatole Litvak Hal B. Wallis |
| Screenplay by | Lucille Fletcher |
| Based on |
Sorry, Wrong Number 1943 the radio play by Lucille Fletcher |
| Starring |
Barbara Stanwyck Burt Lancaster |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito |
| Edited by | Warren Low |
|
Production
company |
Hal Wallis Productions
|
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,850,000 (US rentals) |
Sorry, Wrong Number is a 1948 American thriller film noir directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster. It tells the story of a woman who overhears a murder plot. The film was adapted by Lucille Fletcher from her 1943 radio play. It is one of the few pre-1950 Paramount Pictures films that remained in the studio's library (the rest are currently owned by Universal).
Leona Stevenson (Barbara Stanwyck) is the spoiled, bedridden daughter of wealthy businessman James Cotterell (Ed Begley). One day, while listening to what seems to be a crossed telephone connection, she hears two men planning a woman's murder. The call cuts off without Leona learning very much other than it is scheduled for 11:15, when a passing train will hide any sounds. She calls the telephone company and the police, but with few concrete details, they can do nothing. Complicating matters, her husband Henry (Lancaster) is overdue and their servants have the night off, leaving her all alone in a Manhattan apartment.
As she makes a number of phone calls trying to locate Henry, Leona inadvertently begins to piece together the mystery. The story is told mostly in flashbacks. When Leona reaches Henry's secretary, Elizabeth Jennings (Dorothy Neumann), she learns that he took an attractive Mrs. Lord to lunch and did not return to the office. Mrs. Lord turns out to be the former Sally Hunt (Ann Richards). Leona stole then-drug store employee Henry from Sally, and married him against her father's wishes. Sally is now the wife of Fred Lord (Leif Erickson), a lawyer in the district attorney's office. From overheard conversations, she learned that her husband was close to resolving an investigation that involves Henry somehow. Sally became so concerned that she followed her husband and two associates to a mysterious meeting in a seemingly abandoned house on Staten Island. The house, according to a "no trespassing" sign, belongs to a W. Evans. Sally arranged to meet Henry for lunch, but before she could warn him, he left the table and did not return. Later, Sally calls Leona with more news. The house on Staten Island has burned down, and three men, including someone named Morano (William Conrad), have been arrested. Waldo Evans (Harold Vermilyea), however, has escaped.
...
Wikipedia