Who is gaslighting poor old Doris Day in a
fog bound London? Is it the handsome construction worker doing stuff next door
(John Gavin, bravely tackling an English actor and coming off badly)? Her
businessman husband (Rex Harrison)? Wacky aunt (Myrna Loy)? The maid’s dodgy
son (Roddy McDowall)? Elderly associate (Herbert Marshall)?
The appearance of John Williams as a cop
and Anthony Dawson as a sleeze reminds one of Dial M for Murder. This isn’t in
that class, and the opening scene of a high pitched voice terrorising Doris in
the fog doesn’t scare me as much as it did when I was a kid, but it’s enjoyable
in it’s own way. The cast is terrific fun – even Gavin’s badness (he has to
convey post war battle trauma in one scene) has it’s own rewards.
The script was written by Ivan Goff and Ben
Roberts, who also wrote another thriller for Ross Hunter released that year,
Portrait in Black. Like that, it starred a glamorous middle aged female who was
lusted after by various cast members, had a glittering support cast, slightly
exotic setting, and a finale which involved someone getting up on a high place.
This is probably better of the two, if only because the lead is more
sympathetic.
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