The Window (1949)

This 73 minute film is obviously meant by RKO to be the short part of theater double features. Because of this, it is not a big budget film. Yet it has some top talents involved in the cast. Bobby Driscoll, on loan from Disney, is a big name child actor here who witnesses a murder and nobody will believe him. The Cornell Woolrich script based on his story: "The Boy Cried Murder" will later be remade under that title but this RKO version is better. A few years later Woolrich would write an even better script - Rear Window - for Alfred Hitchcock. Besides Driscoll who did Disney's Peter Pan, and Song of the South, Barbara Hale, still in her late 20's plays Mrs. Mary Woodry, who is very involved in the plot. Later she was Della Street, secretary to Perry Mason.The is a lot of Noir flavor to this one as there are a lot of things that come out later in the film. The excitement and thrills of the film hook the viewer very well for the short length (73 minutes) of the film. Worthwhile viewing on all levels.

This zippy little movie is a noir version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, with a fanciful boy witnessing a murder that no one will believe. The movie is nicely filmed. The camera is generally from little-boy height, with adults towering and powerful. Shadows are used effectively; there's a nice moment where as a murderer goes upstairs the shadow of the banister railing covers her face like prison bars. Bobby Driscoll is effective as the increasingly terrified boy, and Paul Stewart makes a wonderfully malevolent villain. The rest of the cast is solid though not especially memorable.Suspense ramps up nicely, and towards the end the movie is quite exciting. Overall, well worth watching.

I just happened to run across this Gem when I saw my neighbor watching it as I peeked out my tenement rear window. We certainly have a, to say the least, nod to Rear Window, and our young protagonist is no Jimmy Stewart. But this is a real good nail biter. I ran out of fingernails and had to get into downward facing dog to gnaw on my toenails. There's just something about a helpless kid, maybe he's cried wolf in the past, being in adult danger that raises the goose flesh. And even the black and white adds to making this work well. It just feels like post war New York. All in all The Window is another example of why I love Turner Classic Films.

This film is a thriller revolving around the accusations of a boy with a vivid imagination. Tommy witnesses a murder, but no one will believe him because he has a reputation for exaggeration and story telling.Filmed in black and white, The Window does a good job of creating tension as the killers are spooked into taking action against Tommy, played by 9-year-old Bobby Driscoll. The credibility of the film depends on his performance and he does not disappoint. This film is not up to the standards of Hitchcock, but it is not far off. Fortunately, the filmmakers did not try to ratchet up the suspense by asking Bobby to emote more. Instead, they allow him to convey his fears by having him deal with the darkness and shadows of the sets. This feels more believable.The adult actors all portray their characters well. Again, there is no over-acting here. The director does not have them express emotions beyond what normal parents would feel about a child who is lying, or beyond what the killers would feel if threatened by a youngster.Though The Window is worth seeing, for better tales of unbelieved witnesses, see The Bedroom Window or the classic Rear Window.