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Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

Approved  |   |  Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller  |  1 September 1948 (USA)
7.5
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Ratings: 7.5/10 from 6,912 users  
Reviews: 82 user | 41 critic

Whilst on the telephone, an invalid woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.

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(radio play), (screenplay)
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
Ann Richards ...
...
Dr. Philip Alexander
Harold Vermilyea ...
Waldo Evans
...
James 'J.B.' Cotterell
...
Fred Lord
...
Morano
...
Joe - Detective
Jimmy Hunt ...
Peter Lord
Dorothy Neumann ...
Elizabeth Jennings
Paul Fierro ...
Harpootlian
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Storyline

Leona Stevenson is sick and confined to her bed. One night, whilst waiting for her husband to return home, she picks up the phone and accidentally overhears a conversation between two men planning a murder. She becomes increasingly desperate as she tries to work out who the victim is so the crime can be prevented. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

The most famous radio drama of all time now electrifies the screen! See more »


Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

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Language:

Release Date:

1 September 1948 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Du lebst noch 105 Minuten  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 9, 1950 with Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster reprising their film roles. See more »

Goofs

Whenever camera pans out Leona's window to cityscape with moving cars, city lights, etc., smoke emitting from smokestacks never moves. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Leona Stevenson: Operator! Operator! Operator!
Voice of Operator: Your call please?
Leona Stevenson: Operator, I've been ringing Murray Hill 35097 for the last half hour and the line is always busy. Will you ring it for me, please?
See more »

Connections

Version of Sorry, Wrong Number (1954) See more »

Soundtracks

Passacaglia
by Franz Waxman
Performed by the Paramount studio orchestra
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Crossed telephone wires
15 January 2006 | by (New York) – See all my reviews

Lucille Fletcher wrote the original version for the radio. It only lasted 22 minutes, which then grew to one hour and then to 89 minutes of playing time in the film version. Since the original work had everything it needed to create the suspense and paranoia that Leona Stevenson felt, other situations were added to fit into a motion picture release.

Anatole Litvak brought the film into the screen, letting Ms. Fletcher write the screen adaptation. The film relies on the use of flashbacks in order to tell the story, otherwise it would have been impossible to have the original premise play so long on the screen. Supposedly the crime was going to be committed at 11.15PM as the subway train went across the Queensboro bridge.

Barbara Stanwyck, an actress who did great work on films of this genre, was perhaps the wrong choice for Leona Stevenson. As the hysterical woman who discovers an assassination plot when she hears a conversation on the telephone, Ms. Stanwyck was not as effective as in other roles. The pairing of Burt Lancaster with her shows no chemistry between them, even when one realizes why his Henry Stevenson marries Leona. Mr. Lancaster seems awkward in most of his scenes.

The film asks a lot of the viewers in making them believe how Ms. Stanwyck, who was in her forties, is seen as a young college student, always looking like she does as her older self as when we first meet her as the film opens, and she is supposedly, a woman of a certain age!

The film is a "must see" for fans of Ms. Stanwyck, who could have been better, perhaps directed by another director.


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