Tonight's Movie: A Cry in the Night (1956) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

Classic film fans will sit up and take notice from the first scene, as the movie begins with narration from the distinctive voice of Alan Ladd. Ladd's Jaguar Productions was the company behind the film.
Elizabeth "Liz" Taggart (Natalie Wood) and her secret fiance Owen (Richard Anderson) are parked at a lover's lane, enjoying time together and discussing plans for Owen to meet Liz's uptight father (Edmond O'Brien), a cop.
Unfortunately, Liz and Owen picked the wrong place to park; they're attacked by a disturbed man, Harold (Raymond Burr), who knocks out Owen and kidnaps Liz.

I first saw this film in 2013, and I liked it, while recognizing it had some issues. I had a similar reaction revisiting it today.
On the plus side, it's a fast-paced film, clocking in at 75 minutes, and it's fairly engrossing, with a good cast.

I did find O'Brien's character easier to take the second time around, because I knew going in what to expect. And fortunately he's balanced by Donlevy and Anderson, who are both very appealing in their roles as detective and boyfriend. There's also a small but sympathetic role for Peter Hansen as the doctor who recognizes Owen isn't "drunk and disorderly" -- there's a reason he smells like booze -- but has been seriously injured.

This is another in Burr's catalogue of extremely creepy characters. He's always good, if scary!
The supporting cast includes Herb Vigran, Anthony Caruso, Irene Hervey, Mary Lawrence, and George J. Lewis.
A CRY IN THE NIGHT was directed by Frank Tuttle, with black and white cinematography by John F. Seitz.

As a side note, the wording on the original poster used on the DVD case is truly strange: "Eighteen, nice girl, nice home - How did she fall this far?" That's right, being kidnapped is all her fault!
For more on this film, KC has written a thoughtful review at A Classic Movie Blog.
Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection Store at Amazon and from other online retailers.
4 Comments:
Good review!
Thanks again for the link. Looks like we are in agreement about the the pros and cons of this film. It didn't really have my attention until Wood and Burr began to interact. I actually missed Ladd's voice at the beginning! Of course, I've never been very good at identifying celebrity voices.
I first saw this as a kid watching the late, late show. Boy, did it give me the shivers!
I'm not always that good at picking out voices myself, KC, but Ladd's is really distinictive for me.
Glad you enjoyed the review, Jenn.
Caftan Woman, I can imagine that it would be a "shivery" experience watching as a kid late at night!
Best wishes,
Laura
Post a Comment
<< Home