Phone Call from a Stranger

While Gary Merrill's main claim to fame was his brief marriage to Bette Davis, he was a minor Hollywood star on his own--playing a variety of bit parts. However, this film features him as a survivor of a plane crash who seeks out family members of victims he met on the trip. And, he does a competent job and proves he really could act. Unfortunately, he was far from a handsome leading man and once he was divorced from Ms. Davis, his career pretty much disappeared.

In addition to his excellent performance, the movie is so well-written. The vignettes where he meets the families are very touching and sometimes very ironic (such as the one he plays with Ms. Davis). It is a strange but well-executed film that deserves to be remembered.

Phone Call From A Stranger casts Gary Merrill, Shelley Winters, Michael Rennie and Keenan Wynn as four complete strangers who bond during a cross country flight that ends in tragedy. Of the four Merrill survives the plane crash and feels it his duty to call on the survivors that the three others left. In the process he works out a few issues for himself.

Michael Rennie was a prominent doctor who became a whole lot less prominent after he got out of a vehicular homicide charge by throwing the blame on the other man in the car. Merrill calls on wife Beatrice Straight and son Ted Donaldson who've been living with an alcoholic for many years.

Shelley Winters had left her husband Craig Stevens and his domineering mother Evelyn Varden to seek some fame and fortune on the stage. She was returning home in defeat. Varden is one truly hateful woman, a kind of Sophie Tucker like entertainer on steroids. Merrill conceives it his duty to give Varden a temporary comeuppance of sorts.

The most poignant tale is that of Keenan Wynn. Wynn is a traveling salesman, one of those characters who is constantly 'on'. Keenan borrowed a bit from his borscht belt comedian character from The Hucksters for this role. He carries a picture of his wife Bette Davis from her pinup girl days in a Betty Grable poise in a bathing suit. The Davis that Merrill meets is quite a bit different than what Wynn showed the others. In fact Davis when she recites her own story paints a picture of Wynn as a person of real character that you would never suspect in meeting him casually. This role may have been Keenan Wynn's best screen performance, at least I think so.

The Davis/Wynn story is the best, but the others aren't bad either. The writing by Nunnally Johnson from an I.A.R. Wylie story is just superb and Jean Negulesco gets great performances from his cast. Phone Call From A Stranger is a soap opera, but an intelligent and moving one that may wring a tear from a few hardened hearts.

This is an interesting story with a great cast. The survivor of a plane crash meets the other people in the lives of those he met on the plane before the crash. This framework provides a fascinating study in conscience and human nature.

Phone Call from a Stranger is directed by Jean Negulesco and adapted to screenplay by Nunnally Johnson from a story by I.A.R. Wylie. It stars Shelley Winters, Gary Merrill, Michael Rennie, Keenan Wynn, Evelyn Varden, Warren Stevens, Beatrice Straight, Ted Donaldson, Craig Stevens, Helen Westcott and Bette Davis. Music is by Franz Waxman and cinematography by Milton Krasner.

Lawyer David Trask (Merrill), leaving his family troubles behind, survives a plane crash and decides to call on the families of the people he made friends with during the trip...

Utterly lovely drama, a film that boasts quality across the board. How great to see a picture that affords characters time to breath and impact on the story, impact that becomes four fold come the wonderfully humanistic finale. Story is structured as a two play piece, first act lets us into David Trask's pain and builds three characters around him as the so called "Four Musketeers" become friends during a troubled aeroplane journey. We get to know them and wonder what their home life is like, their secrets and tribulations, and then the walls come tumbling down and the story shifts into sombre tones to lead us down paths adorned with thoughtfulness and intelligence.

There's a hint of contrivance and some moral grey areas, yet this rises well above the minor quibbles to become a film of dramatic emotional strength. Beautifully performed by the principal players, it forces us to question that things may not always be as they first appear. It also has meditations on grief, second chances and that out of pain can come good, the human interest value here extraordinarily high. Yes! This is a most under seen and under appreciated bit of classic era cinema, its rewards just waiting to be discovered by more film loving fans. Go on, seek it out, come the finale you will feel better for it. 8/10

Phone Call From A Stranger will be worth the watch for any Shelley Winters or Bette Davis fans. I watched the old, 1952 black and white movie on a drizzling afternoon and surprisingly, the flick made me feel real good. Why, you ask? On back of the movie packet it tells you that "A plane crash puts an end to the sufferings of three ill-fated passengers ..." With that alone, one would assume that it's a totally 'down' movie. However, it is not. It's like that old saying that my grandmother used to make, "In everyone's life a little rain must fall". Well, I guess she was right if one is to enjoy the sunny days. Which, Phone Call From A Stranger turns out to be: a sunny day after much rain.

This movie will make you feel good about yourself. I promise. I think that's what so great about older movies; no special effects to disturb the real meaning of movies: the actors and actresses.

A must-see for classic movie fans.