Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1939
Blind Alley (film)
Buy Blind Alley (film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Blind Alley' is a 1939 American film noir crime film directed by Charles Vidor and stars Chester Morris, Ralph Bellamy and Ann Dvorak. The film was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name by James Warwick.
It was remade as 'The Dark Past' in 1948, with William Holden and Lee J. Cobb. The remake was also released by Columbia Pictures.
Plot
Hal Winston takes noted psychologist Dr. Shelby and his family hostage in their own home. Winston is a murderer and prison escapee with the cops on his tail. After meticulous planning with his accomplices, he forcefully enters the home of Dr. Shelby and threatens the occupants to remain complicit. During this time, Shelby examines Winston's psyche to reveal what has made the murderer who he is. Through many discussions, Shelby successfully uncovers the answers to his questions.
The film takes place over the course of one night, while the criminals wait for a boat to escape.
Cast
* Chester Morris as Hal Wilson
* Ralph Bellamy as Dr. Shelby
* Ann Dvorak as Mary
* Joan Perry as Linda Curtis
* Melville Cooper as George Curtis
* Rose Stradner as Doris Shelby
* John Eldredge as Dick Holbrook (as John Eldridge)
* Ann Doran as Agnes
* Marc Lawrence as Buck
* Stanley Brown as Fred Landis
* Scotty Beckett as Davy Shelby
* Milburn Stone as Nick
* Marie Blake as Harriet
Reception
David Sterritt of TCM praised 'Blind Alley's cinematography, and observed it had influenced the home invasion subgenre.
In 1939, 'The New York Times' reviewer wrote: "the rather whimsical experiment of grafting Dr. Freud's facile theory of dream symbols on a typical Columbia melodrama has justified itself admirably in the case of 'Blind Alley', at the Globe, by producing, on the whole, a rather better-than-typical Columbia melodrama".
Radio adaptation
'Blind Alley' was presented on 'The Screen Guild Theatre' on February 25, 1940. The adaptation starred Edward G. Robinson and Joseph Calleia in the starring roles.
Technical
The film is in 1.37 : 1 aspect ratio and, printed, is 8 reels long.
See also
* List of American films of 1939
References
Buy Blind Alley (film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1939