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| Sorry, Wrong Number - 1948 |
Coming up next we have 1948's "Sorry, Wrong Number", a film about a woman who overhears a murder plot on the telephone. What she doesn't initially realize is that the intended victim is herself.
The film's cast includes Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey, Harold Vermilyea, Leif Erickson, William Conrad, and Dorothy Neumann.
On a dark night in New York City, invalid Leona Stevenson is trying to get ahold of her husband. She calls his place of work repeatedly without success.
Just as she is about to hang up the telephone, Leona hears voices. Raising the receiver to her ear, she listens in on a horrible conversation between two men describing murder plans for later that evening.
Fearing for the victim's safety, Leona calls the telephone company and the police. Since she can't really give them any real details, they can't help her. "Oh, for heaven's sake, all this idiotic red
tape. You'd just sit there and let people die!" she says excitedly.
Leona keeps trying to reach her husband. As she makes calls trying to place his whereabouts, Leona unknowingly calls her husband's old girlfriend, Sally.
Through flashbacks, we are acquainted with more of the story. Leona actually stole her husband Henry from Sally, who has never quite forgiven her.
Henry and Leona are eventually married, and, as Leona is a very wealthy heiress, the two of them have a whirlwind honeymoon through Europe.
Leona becomes very upset when she sees a picture of Sally in Henry's wallet one evening. Henry is one of the working class and is having trouble adjusting to Leona's style and way of living.
Back in the present and through her various phone calls, Leona pieces together more of the mystery and also finds out some very unpleasant things about her husband.
In a flashback, we find out that Henry is very unhappy with working for Leona's father. They have a huge argument one evening after Henry says that he wants to strike out on his own. Leona ends up having a heart attack, which begins her life as an invalid. Later, we find out that Leona's ailments are psychosomatic in nature, which greatly annoy Henry.
Eventually, Leona comes to realize that the intended murder victim is herself, and she continues frantically trying to get a hold of Henry.
When she finally does get ahold of him, Leona and Henry each confess their grievances and ask each other's forgiveness.
Henry tells Leona that she must get up and go out onto the balcony to scream for help. However, Leona is paralyzed with fear and cannot move.
About this time, Leona sees a shadow in the hallway and becomes hysterical. The shadowy figure comes close and there is a struggle.
The call having been disconnected, Henry calls the apartment again. This time, a man's voice answers and says, "Sorry, wrong number".
Cast rundown:
Barbara Stanwyck...........................Leona Stevenson
Burt Lancaster................................Henry Stevenson
Ann Richards..................................Sally Hunt Lord
Wendell Corey.................................Dr. Alexander
Harold Vermilyea.............................Waldo Evans
Ed Begley.......................................James Cotterell
Leif Erickson...................................Fred Lord
William Conrad................................Morano
Dorothy Neumann...........................Elizabeth Jennings
And that's it for Sorry, Wrong Number. Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, a well-deserved honor. Stanwyck claimed that the terror her character underwent in the bedroom scenes was what turned her hair prematurely gray. She shot her scenes over a twelve-day period.
In one scene, Leona offers Henry a cigarette from a jeweled cigarette case. The case was Barbara Stanwyck's own, and it had been a gift to her from her good friend, Joan Crawford.
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