The Window (1949 film)

The Window
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTed Tetzlaff
Fred Fleck (assistant)
Screenplay byMel Dinelli
Based on"The Boy Cried Murder"
1947 story in Mystery Book Magazine
by Cornell Woolrich
Produced byFrederic Ullman Jr.
in charge of productions
Dore Schary
StarringBarbara Hale
Bobby Driscoll
Arthur Kennedy
Paul Stewart
Ruth Roman
CinematographyRobert De Grasse
William O. Steiner
Edited byFrederic Knudtson
Music byRoy Webb
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release dates
  • May 17, 1949 (1949-05-17) (Premiere-Los Angeles)[1]
  • August 6, 1949 (1949-08-06) (U.S.)[1]
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$210,000[2] or $500,000[3]

The Window is a 1949 American black-and-white film noir, based on the short story "The Boy Cried Murder" (reprinted as "Fire Escape")[4] by Cornell Woolrich, about a lying boy who witnesses a killing but is not believed. The film, a critical success that was shot on location in New York City, was produced by Frederic Ullman Jr. for $210,000 but earned much more, making it a box-office hit for RKO Pictures. The film was directed by Ted Tetzlaff, who worked as a cinematographer on over 100 films, including another successful suspense film, Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (1946). For his performances in this film and in So Dear to My Heart, Bobby Driscoll was presented with a miniature Oscar statuette as the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949 at the 1950 Academy Awards ceremony.

  1. ^ a b "The Window: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  2. ^ Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p237
  3. ^ "Variety". 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ Nevins, Francis M. (1988). Cornell Woolrich: First You Dream, Then You Die (New York, London, Tokyo: The Mysterious Press), pp. 332–333.