{"id":23988,"date":"2012-07-23T06:00:14","date_gmt":"2012-07-23T10:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=23988"},"modified":"2014-05-22T12:27:05","modified_gmt":"2014-05-22T16:27:05","slug":"talkie-of-the-week-sorry-wrong-number","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=23988","title":{"rendered":"Sorry, Wrong Number (1948): Classic Movie Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sorry,<\/a><\/p>\n

Sorry, Wrong Number<\/a>. USA 1948, 89 minutes, black & white, Paramount Pictures. Director: Anatole Litvak. Written by Lucille Fletcher. Based on the radio play \u201cSorry, Wrong Number\u201d by\u00a0Fletcher.<\/p>\n

Cast:<\/strong> Barbara Stanwyck<\/a>, Burt Lancaster<\/a>, Ann Richards<\/a>, Wendell Corey<\/a>, Harold Vermilyea, Ed Begley, Leif Erickson, William Conrad, John Bromfield, Jimmy Hunt, Dorothy Neumann, Paul Fierro.<\/p>\n

Plot summary: Leona Stevenson overhears two men plotting a murder of a woman who turns out to be herself.<\/p>\n

Review:<\/strong> Recently, the lovely Barbara Stanwyck would have celebrated her 105th birthday. In dear memory of an unforgettable leading lady, I have thus decided to present Sorry, Wrong Number, a film noir for which she received her fourth Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 1949.<\/p>\n

Originally a radio drama that featured Agnes Moorehead in a solo performance in 1943, Sorry, Wrong Number was turned into a screenplay by Lucille Fletcher, the playwright herself, and conquered the silver screen in the fall of 1948. Starring Barbara Stanwyck as invalid Leona Stevenson, who overhears two men plotting a murder on the phone, the story is dark and suspenseful in writing, as well as in effect. Told in real time with the use of explanatory flashbacks, Leona\u2019s desperate attempt to inform the authorities are as futile as her effort to reach her husband, Henry. The phone, as her only medium of communication with the outside world, turns into a beacon of hope and sorrow when she finally realizes that the victim is going to be herself. Haunting in her desperation, Ms. Stanwyck\u2019s performance is never quiet but rather striking in its fierceness and color. Supported by an excellent co-star, Burt Lancaster, as Henry Stevenson and an overall convincing cast, Ms. Stanwyck\u2019s fear and constriction reaches an almost tangible level with every phone call she places, every secret she learns. Her face reflects the horrid situation she finds herself trapped in, the mere panic she begins to absorb. It is the music by Franz Waxman and the expert use of shadows and light which does the rest, affecting the audience with a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.<\/p>\n

Reclaiming her role as Leona on CBS\u2019 Lux Radio Theater in 1950, Barbara Stanwyck showed her full range of emotions in a part that was the last to get her the attention from the Motion Picture Academy until she finally received an honorary Oscar in 1981. As one of her many films that left a mark until today, Sorry, Wrong Number is a classic that never gets old but has the potential to attract an entire new generation of fans. With its enthralling style and Ms. Stanwyck\u2019s powerhouse performance, the film is perfect to bring sunshine to an autumn-like July and a beautiful way to honor her today.<\/p>\n

Available on DVD as well as an audio CD featuring the 1950 radio play<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Melanie Simone is a writer with a degree in American Studies and English. On <\/em>Talking Classics<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/a>, she savors her love for vintage Hollywood.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sorry, Wrong Number. USA 1948, 89 minutes, black & white, Paramount Pictures. Director: Anatole Litvak. Written by Lucille Fletcher. Based on the radio play \u201cSorry, Wrong Number\u201d by\u00a0Fletcher. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey, Harold Vermilyea, Ed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9713,"featured_media":23989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1442,5589,1756],"coauthors":[5409],"class_list":["post-23988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-articles","tag-1940s-movies","tag-barbara-stanwyck","tag-burt-lancaster"],"yoast_head":"\nSorry, Wrong Number (1948): Classic Movie Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) a classic movie review of the Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster drama murder mystery directed by Anatole Litvak.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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