Strangers in the Night (film)
| Strangers in the Night | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Anthony Mann |
| Screenplay by | Bryant Ford Paul Gangelin |
| Story by | Philip MacDonald |
| Produced by | Rudolph E. Abel |
| Starring | William Terry Virginia Grey Helene Thimig |
| Cinematography | Reggie Lanning |
| Edited by | Arthur Roberts |
| Music by | Morton Scott |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 56 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Strangers in the Night is a 1944 American thriller film noir directed by Anthony Mann and starring William Terry, Virginia Grey and Helene Thimig.[1]
Plot
An unbalanced woman invents a daughter, and is pushed over the brink when her phantom pen pal soldier returns home.
Cast
- William Terry as Sgt. Johnny Meadows
- Virginia Grey as Dr. Leslie Ross
- Helene Thimig as Mrs. Hilda Blake
- Edith Barrett as Ivy Miller
- Anne O'Neal as Nurse Thompson
- Audley Anderson as Train Conductor
- Jimmie Lucas as Waiter
- Roy Butler as Cab Driver
- Charles Sullivan as Police Driver
- Frances Morris as Nurse
- George Sherwood as Navy Doctor
- Roy Darmour as Sailor
- Jack Gardner as Medical Corpsman
Reception
Critical response
Film historian Spencer Selby called the film an "Eerie low-budget melodrama evincing several early noir elements of plot and style.[2]
When the Blue-ray edition was released, film historian and critic Glenn Erickson discussed the background of the team that produced the film, "It's [Anthony Mann's] fifth film feature and his first that can be classified as at least partially noir. Compared to Joseph H. Lewis's My Name Is Julia Ross (a mini-masterpiece) or William Castle's When Strangers Marry (strained but quirky), 1944's Strangers in the Night is nobody's idea of great filmmaking. But in Olive Films' flawless Blu-ray edition, it's an excellent candidate for study ... Strangers in the Night's story credit points to Philip MacDonald, a screenwriter on the classic mysteries Rebecca, The Dark Past and Val Lewton's The Body Snatcher. The co-screenwriter Paul Gangelin has impressive credits as well, and contributes some natural-sounding dialogue."[3]
References
- ^ Strangers in the Night at IMDb.
- ^ Selby, Spencer. Dark City: The Film Noir. Strangers in the Night listed as noir # 398, pg. 183. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing, 1984. ISBN 0-89950-103-6.
- ^ Erickson, Glenn. DVD Savant, DVD and film review, March 26, 2013. Accessed: July 24, 2013.
External links
- Strangers in the Night at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Strangers in the Night at IMDb
- Strangers in the Night at AllMovie
- Strangers in the Night at the TCM Movie Database
- Strangers in the Night information site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)