Loretta is Alarmed

What was once a happy marriage has deteriorated into bitterness and jealousy, due to the illness of George Z. Jones (Barry Sullivan). Bedridden from a heart condition, George has decided that his wife Ellen (Loretta Young) is having an affair with his best friend, Dr. Ranney Grahame (Bruce Cowling). He concocts a plan to keep the pair apart - he writes a letter to the district attorney, accusing them of trying to murder him, and creates a body of evidence to substantiate his charge.  Ellen unknowingly mails the letter; then George outlines his plan to her - and drops dead. Ellen definitely has a Cause for Alarm! (1951).

Our plot summary is a bit misleading because it's hard to tell if the Jones marriage ever was a happy one. Ellen clearly thinks it was, but, as portrayed by Barry Sullivan, George is a bully and rather creepy. Yes, some of this is the result of his illness - Ranney mentions that the heart condition and the medication George is taking have changed him - but George relates a story in which he beat up one child and then broke a toy so that another child could not have it. Is the story a delusion? Or is he really the jealous monster he portrays?

We must admit to not being fans of Barry Sullivan. He's not a BAD actor, but he isn't all that appealing either. He was excellent in Jeopardy (1953), but not so much in this film. A more sympathetic actor might have made the change in George more apparent. But the flashback scenes reveal a man who is obviously gloating as he steals his best friend's girl.

Bruce Cowling is equally underwhelming as Ranney. He's rather dull and pedestrian, and it's no wonder that Ellen is looking elsewhere for a beau in the early scenes. Mr. Cowling didn't have an stellar career - only 39 film and television credits - however Ms. Young must have had a regard for him - he appeared on her television show 6 times. He's okay in this film, but you forget about him when he's not around. John Hodiak was to have performed the part (which was allegedly shortened after Mr. Cowling was cast), but he dropped out for some reason after filming began (AFI Catalog).

Does this mean that the film is dull? Absolutely NOT - this is a suspenseful ride, with an excellent performance by Loretta Young. In spite of Ellen's lousy taste in men, you feel for her and root for her to succeed in her simple mission - to retrieve a letter from the Post Office before it reaches its destination. That there are men in her life is secondary to the story. This is a film about Ellen Jones, and a period of about two hours in which her life is falling to pieces.

 

This is a film noir set in the suburbs on a bright and sunny day. Children play on the street; neighbors tend their garden. George is an insurance salesman and Ellen is a housewife. It all seems so middle-America. But upstairs in the Jones house is a man who has become a monster. Eventually, he is a dead man, lying on his bedroom floor with a gun in his hand. It flies in the face of film noir conventions, and yet is very much of the genre. Instead of a femme fatale, we have an homme fatal, who has lured an innocent woman into a life that becomes a hell on Earth.

Thanks to Ms. Young, we are never in doubt that the routine happenings of her day - a client visiting to see her husband, the arrival of his aunt, the postman wanting to see him - are mere contrivances. An emotionally battered woman, she keeps her strength in the face of all obstacles, and keeps trying to protect herself. That she was unable to stand up to her husband doesn't matter. She is no doormat; she keeps trying and (thanks to the character's voice-over monologue) constantly revises her plans.

Written and produced by Ms. Young's husband, Tom Lewis, the film was based on a radio play that was done in real time (TCM article).  Allegedly, Mr. Lewis wanted Judy Garland in the lead, but Ms. Young got a lawyer to appeal on her behalf to Mr. Lewis that he was discriminating against her because she was his wife (IMDB).

The New York Times review by Bosley Crowther was very positive. He was, not surprisingly very impressed with Ms. Young. According to Hollywood Madonna: Loretta Young by Bernard F. Dick,though the the film was made on a small budget and did make a profit, it was not highly regarded by MGM. Ms. Young, who was approaching 40, was finding it harder to get good film roles, so within 2 years, she had switched over to television.

We'll leave you with this trailer from the film, and a recommendation that you give it a try.