Tuesday 21 December 2021

The House on Telegraph Hill (1951 Robert Wise)

Apart from young Mr. Gordon Gebert again, didn't recognise anyone in the cast, despite having seen it, albeit ten years ago. The room with a hole in the floor the only thing either of us remembered...

Good story, Dana Lyon novel adapted by Elick Moll and Frank Partos. Valentina Cortese survives Belsen, takes on role of another woman who has rich relatives and a son in America. Richard Baseheart is the boy's guardian, who courts then marries the lady. Fay Baker plays (rather well) a slightly sinister maid, and echoes of Rebecca start to float around, particularly as the house in question is old, imposing and itself slightly sinister (it was actually the facade of Julius' Castle, a restaurant). Then along comes William Lundigan to help...

Yes, jolly good, lots of location San Francisco helps, photographed by Lucien Ballard, music by Sol Kaplan, for Fox. Good moments where people creep up on other people, a sort of Val Lewton leftover; ending good though Baseheart's death agonies a bit OTT.




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