The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (film)
| The Dark at the Top of the Stairs | |
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Theatrical poster for the film
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| Directed by | Delbert Mann |
| Produced by | Michael Garrison |
| Written by |
Harriet Frank, Jr. Irving Ravetch |
| Based on | the play, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs by William Inge |
| Starring |
Robert Preston Dorothy McGuire Shirley Knight Angela Lansbury |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling, Sr. |
| Edited by | Folmar Blangsted |
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Release date
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Running time
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123 minutes |
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs is a 1960 American drama film. Academy Award winner Delbert Mann directed the work of Robert Preston and Dorothy McGuire in the production. Shirley Knight garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and Lee Kinsolving was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Best Supporting Actor. Knight was also nominated for two Golden Globes. Mann's direction was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film. It was based on the Tony Award nominated play of the same by William Inge.
During Prohibition in Oklahoma, Rubin Flood is a successful harness and saddle salesman. However, with the advent of the automobile, his job is becoming more and more difficult. He is married to Cora, someone he considers a demanding wife and over-protective mother. About to leave on a sales trip, Rubin learns his company is closing and he is out of a job. Unable to face his wife with the news, he stops off at a pharmacy to partake of "medicinal" alcohol. Cora is out with her daughter, Reenie, buying a dress for a birthday party of one of her classmates, which will be held at the country club.
Rubin returns home but cannot bring himself to tell Cora he has lost his job. Instead they argue about how much Cora has spent on Reenie's dress, Cora lamenting that she always has to watch every penny. The couple's younger son, Sonny, is being bullied at school. Sonny has a fear of the dark. Determined to teach him to stand up for himself, Rubin attempts to teach him to box. During their sparring, he inadvertently strikes the boy too hard. This exacerbates the anger of the already upset Cora, who tears into Rubin, eventually accusing him of having an affair with a local widow, Mavis Pruitt. A livid Rubin slaps Cora, then storms out of the house. Reenie witnesses her parents' dispute. She runs into the street, causing a motorist to swerve and he runs his car into a tree. The driver, Sammy Golden, is relatively unhurt. Sammy takes Reenie to a soda fountain, where the two become attracted to one another.
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