phone call from a stranger movie review

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Phone Call from a Stranger

While awaiting a delayed flight, a lawyer who has left his unfaithful wife, befriends three fellow passengers. After the plane crashes and he is among the few to survive, he feels compelled ... Read all While awaiting a delayed flight, a lawyer who has left his unfaithful wife, befriends three fellow passengers. After the plane crashes and he is among the few to survive, he feels compelled to contact the families of his dead friends. While awaiting a delayed flight, a lawyer who has left his unfaithful wife, befriends three fellow passengers. After the plane crashes and he is among the few to survive, he feels compelled to contact the families of his dead friends.

• Jean Negulesco
• Nunnally Johnson
• I.A.R. Wylie
• Bette Davis
• Shelley Winters
• Gary Merrill
• 58 User reviews
• 9 Critic reviews
• 1 win & 1 nomination

Top cast 60

• Binky Gay (Mrs. Michael Carr)

• David L. Trask

• Dr. Robert Fortness

• Marty Nelson

• Claire Fortness

• Jerry Fortness

• Dr. Tim Brooks
• (uncredited)
• Mrs. Fletcher
• Restaurant Patron

• Undetermined Secondary Role
• Airplane Passenger

• Mrs. Brooks
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The film was the third and final on-screen pairing of real life husband and wife Gary Merrill and Bette Davis. The other two pictures are All About Eve (1950) and Another Man's Poison (1951) .
• Goofs Behind the opening credits, the taxi that's taking Trask to the airport passes two movie theaters at least three times, as if the rear projection of stock footage was on a continuous loop. The movies playing at these theaters are "Homestretch" and "The Two Mrs. Carrolls," (at the McVickers), both released five years before this film. The McVickers was a well known Chicago theatrical site, but the taxi arrives at the MIDLAND CITY, IOWA airport, and a flight FROM Chicago is among those listed on the arrival schedule.

Marie Hoke : Dull, foolish, vulgar to some but not to me. To me he was a man like a rock. Nothing could shake him. Nothing could shake his love. It was from him that I learned what love really was. Not a frail little fancy to be smashed and broken by pride and vanity and self pity. That's for children. That's for high school kids. But a rock as strong as life itself indestructible and eternal.

• Connections References The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
• Soundtracks The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (uncredited) Music by Gaston Lyle Lyrics by George Leybourne Sung by the passengers on the airplane

User reviews 58

• planktonrules
• Oct 16, 2005
• How long is Phone Call from a Stranger? Powered by Alexa
• February 15, 1952 (United States)
• United States
• Streaming on "Chris T" YouTube Channel
• Streaming on "K M" YouTube Channel
• Stranac je telefonirao
• 5301 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA (ambulance races past Tilford's restuarant at the corner with La Brea Ave.)
• Twentieth Century Fox
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 45 minutes
• Black and White

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

Phone Call from a Stranger

• Photos & Videos

Film Details

• Articles & Reviews

Brief Synopsis

Cast & crew, jean negulesco, shelley winters, gary merrill, michael rennie, keenan wynn, evelyn varden, photos & videos, technical specs.

Late one night, Iowa lawyer David Trask leaves his wife Jane, who has recently confessed to having a brief affair, and buys an airplane ticket for Los Angeles. When the plane is delayed, Trask sits in the airport restaurant, where he is joined by three strangers: actress Binky Gay, whose real name is Bianca Carr; Dr. Bob Fortness; and traveling salesman Eddie Hoke. Trask and Fortness attempt to calm Binky, who is nervous about her first flight, and all three are irritated by Eddie's loud, crude behavior. The plane finally takes off, but a heavy storm forces them to land at a small airport in Vega. Four hours later, the foursome have become friendly, and Eddie, who has dubbed them "The Four Musketeers," suggests that they have a reunion someday. Trask, who does not know where he will be staying, takes down the addresses of the others and promises to get in touch. After Eddie shows them a photograph of his wife, a beautiful, young woman in a bathing suit, Trask and Fortness go outside, where Fortness hires Trask as his attorney and reveals that he is returning to Los Angeles to confess to his part in a five-year-old crime. Fortness describes how he and a fellow doctor were summoned from dinner to the hospital, and during the drive, the drunken Fortness collided with another automobile. Everyone except Fortness was killed, and when the police questioned him, he claimed that his friend was driving. Fortness' wife Claire lied to protect him, but their marriage has foundered ever since. Hoping to restore Claire's respect for him, Fortness plans to tell all to the district attorney. The passengers then re-board the plane, and during the journey, Binky tells Trask that her mother-in-law, vaudevillian Sally Carr, was so demanding and judgmental that Binky left her husband Mike, even though she loved him, to establish her own career in New York. Binky states that after a year of failure and loneliness, during which she worked as a stripper, she has now decided to return to Mike and learn to ignore Sally's jibes. The plane suddenly crashes, however, and Trask is one of the few survivors. In his Los Angeles hotel room, Trask decides to contact the family members of his three companions, and begins with Claire. Claire is at first happy to see Trask, but soon breaks down and admits that her teenage son Jerry, who idolized his father, blames her for his death and has run away. Remembering Fortness' musings about traveling with Jerry, Trask locates the boy at a pier and returns him to his mother. Despite Claire's objections, Trask tells Jerry the truth about his father, and that he was a good man because he wanted to right the wrong he had committed. Having forgiven his mother, Jerry sobs in her arms as Trask leaves. Trask next visits the seedy nightclub run by Sally Carr, where both she and Mike perform. When Trask meets the caustic Sally, who announces that Mike had just filed for divorce from Binky, Trask lies, telling her that Binky has been cast as Mary Martin's replacement in the Broadway production of South Pacific , and that she recommended Sally for an important role. Sally is suitably ashamed of her harsh treatment of Binky, and Mike, who has received a telegram about his wife's death, is relieved to learn from Trask that Binky did not know about the divorce. Later, Trask visits Eddie's wife Marie, and is startled to find that she is an invalid, paralyzed from the waist down. Marie laughs, knowing that Eddie must have shown Trask the old bathing beauty photograph of her, then shocks him by describing her late husband as vulgar and tiresome. Marie relates how, early in her marriage, she grew tired of Eddie and left him for another man, Marty Nelson. Marie and Marty drove cross-country to Chicago, and during their journey, Marie hit her head on a floating dock when they stopped to go swimming. Several days after her accident, Marie became paralyzed and Marty deserted her. In the hospital, Marie was confined to an iron lung and was despairing about her future when the still-loving Eddie arrived and greeted her with a heartfelt "Hi, Beautiful." Marie then tells Trask that despite how he appeared to others, Eddie was the most generous, decent man she had ever known, and that he taught her the true nature of love. When Marie questions Trask about his wife's infidelity, and the fact that they still love each other, Trask realizes that he should forgive his wife. Trask then calls Jane from Marie's room, and she eagerly tells him to come home immediately.

Warren Stevens

Beatrice Straight

Ted donaldson.

Craig Stevens

Helen Westcott

Bette Davis

Sidney perkins, hugh beaumont, thomas jackson, harry cheshire.

Freeman Lusk

George eldredge, nester paiva, elizabeth flournoy, john hedloe.

George Nader

William neff, robert a. davis.

John Doucette

Cliff clark, ken christy, betty jane howarth, lillian hamilton, ruth robinson, billy mclean, keith hetherington, perdita chandler, genevieve bell, hugh fowler, eugene grossman, roger heman, elois jenssen, nunnally johnson, ray kellogg, milton krasner, charles lemaire, thomas little, bruce macdonald, dick mayberry, bernard mayers, leonid raab, j. russell spencer, franz waxman, lyle wheeler.

Hosted Intro

Much of this film takes place in flashbacks, which occur when the characters tell their stories to Gary Merrill's character, "David Trask." According to a modern source, producer-screenwriter Nunnally Johnson originally wanted to cast Lauren Bacall as "Binky Gay," but she was unavailable. Although Hollywood Reporter news items include Bob Adler, Robert B. Williams and Guy Zannette in the cast, their appearance in the released picture has not been confirmed. Keenan Wynn was borrowed from M-G-M for the production, and Shelley Winters was borrowed from Universal. Broadway actress Beatrice Straight made her screen debut in the picture, which received an award for Best Scenario at the 1952 Venice Film Festival.        Merrill and Winters reprised their roles for a Lux Radio Theatre presentation of the story on January 5, 1953. Portions of Phone Call from a Stranger were included in an hour-long television remake of the story, entitled Crack Up , which was broadcast on the 20th Century-Fox Hour in February 1956. The show, directed by Ted Post, included footage from the film, featuring Bette Davis as "Marie Hoke" and Merrill as David Trask, as well as new material performed by Merrill and co-star Virginia Grey.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 1952

Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM.

Your Browser is Not Supported

To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers:

Safari v11+

Firefox Quantum

Microsoft Edge

Silver Screenings

• Movie Books
• Tributes to Fellow Bloggers

Top Posts & Pages

• Hedy Lamarr Goes to the Casbah
• 5 Fabulous Classic Hollywood Costume Designers
• The Baroness Schraeder Breakup Technique
• Fake Teenagers vs. The Blob
• Mary Astor Spills the Beans

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address:

• We are not affiliated with nak (dot) scottexteriors (dot) com, even though our site, inexplicably, appears on that server.

Proud Member of

Copyright Notice

© silverscreenings.org, 2011-2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this written material without express and written permission from this site’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to silverscreenings.org with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Praesis ut prosis ne ut imp. This is our hope for the current Canadian Prime Minister.

How Bette Davis Turned 18 Minutes into a Whole Movie

Written by silver screenings.

Bette Davis: Scene Stealer Extraordinaire. Image: John Grant, Noirish

*Spoiler Alert*

We found a  Bette Davis film that made us cry.

Now, as much as we adore Ms Davis, we never cry at her films, not even if she’s dying of cancer or preparing to live in a leper colony. These things make us sad, but not tearful.

However, we just watched the drama Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), and she finally got to us.

Phone Call from a Stranger is about four people who meet while flying across the United States to Los Angeles. The four are:

• A lawyer ( Gary Merrill ) who has just left his wife and children.
• A showgirl ( Shelley Winters ) who’s given up on Broadway to return to her husband.
• A doctor ( Michael Rennie ) who’s decided to make a confession to Los Angeles police.
• A novelty salesman ( Keenan Wynn ) who’s on a business trip.

While en route to Los Angeles, the plane runs into bad weather and crashes. Of the four, only Merrill’s character survives.

Merrill makes it his mission to contact the families of his deceased friends, to bring closure to the Unfinished Business death leaves behind.

Phone Call from a Stranger  is a film about personalities, and the talented cast have created a fascinating group of people. Naturally, this includes Bette Davis’s character, who doesn’t appear until the last 18 minutes of the film.

Courtesy of the Warner Bros. Publicity Dept? Image: John Grant, Noirish

When Phone Call from a Stranger  was made, Davis and Merrill were married in real life. Rumour has it when Merrill showed this script to Davis, she jumped at the opportunity to play the small but crucial role at the end of the film.

Davis’ character is married to Keenan Wynn, the novelty salesman. Wynn’s character is a loud, brash fellow who makes corny and inappropriate jokes.

But he speaks lovingly of his wife, and proudly displays her photo (see above). We recognize the woman as Bette Davis and wonder about Wynn’s sanity. What if he’s one of those people who pretend to have a relationship with a celebrity?

But when Merrill visits Wynn’s widow, we discover she really is Bette Davis, albeit a little older than her photo suggests.

She’s also paralyzed.

This visit is different from the others. In the previous two cases, Merrill brought clarity to the families. But with Davis, he can’t tell her anything she doesn’t already know. However, she has a story to tell Merrill – about her marriage to the novelty salesman.

Keenan Wynn visits Davis. Image: John Grant,  Noirish

Long before the plane crash [Davis tells Merrill], she was married to the larger-than-life salesman but she was unhappy and unfaithful. She ran away with another man but, during the getaway road trip, she suffered a head injury so severe she was hospitalized indefinitely. Her boyfriend deserted her.

We see Davis while she’s recuperating in the hospital after her accident. Her head is bandaged, post-surgery, and she’s laying helpless in the iron lung, staring at her miserable fate. Suddenly Wynn arrives.

We, like Davis, are nervous. Surely he knows how she’s come to be here, in a hospital in a strange city.

Wynn strolls into the room like a man who knows he holds All The Cards. He leans over Davis, pauses slightly, then says, “Hiya, Beautiful.”

The expression on Davis’ face: That this man, after being recklessly abandoned, would greet her so lovingly is astounding. It makes us a little weepy to think of it.

But Davis is clever. She’s the one doing all the acting in this scene, and she frames it around Wynn. In that moment, she transforms him from buffoon to hero. We sense his forgiveness will affect the outcome of this film.

Yet, she’s more clever than that. Because we are conscious of her handing this scene to Wynn, she grabs the entire film. Bette’s character helps solve only one issue in this movie, but she leaves us feeling she’s fixed everything.

Only a legend can do that.

Well played, Bette. Well played.

For a more complete overview of Phone Call from a Stranger , see the Noirish review HERE .

Phone Call from a Stranger:  starring Bette Davis, Shelley Winters, Gary Merrill. Directed by Jean Negulesco. Written by Nunnally Johnson. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, 1952, B&W, 105 mins.

This is part of the The Second Annual Bette Davis Blogathon  hosted by In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood.

Sharing is Free!

• Share on Tumblr

Posted in Drama

• 1950s Drama
• Bette Davis
• Bette Davis Drama
• Gary Merrill
• Keenan Wynn
• Michael Rennie
• Phone Call from a Stranger
• Plane Crash
• Shelley Winters
• Previous Post Announcing the 2017 Reel Infatuation Blogathon!
• Next Post Director Leni Riefenstahl: Artistry and Propaganda

Happily blogging about old movies and using the royal "We".

49 Comment on “ How Bette Davis Turned 18 Minutes into a Whole Movie ”

Now I’m wondering whose body that is Photoshopped – I mean airbrushed – onto Bette’s face. Shelley Winters, maybe?

Maybe! You know, I never thought about it, and now you’ve got me wondering, too.

My first thought was “Whose body is that?” Lol

Like Liked by 1 person

Bette deserves that lovely tribute. Your writing made me a little weepy.

Like Liked by 2 people

I second this comment! Well blogged, Ruth! 🙂

Agreed! Wonderful post.

Thanks! Have you seen this film? If you’ve reviewed it already, I’d love to know what you thought.

No I haven’t seen it…I’m a total “newbie” to Bette Davis – the only one I’ve seen is All About Eve for the Blogathon (yes, yes, I know I am terrible – should have seen it long time ago). But, I’m wanting to watch more of her works…so…would this be a good 2nd one to watch?

I’m looking forward to your review on “All About Eve”. As for Bette Davis movies, I think you’d like this one, although any one of her films would be a good 2nd choice. You have a lot of wonderful viewing ahead. 🙂

Like Liked by 3 people

Thanks – I’ll give it a go. Can’t wait!

Hey! I am excited to read your post on this incredible movie. As Ruth said below, any Bette movie would be a great 2nd film to watch. I have to chime in and say that my favourite is The Little Foxes. She is such a villain in that one!

Ooh…also sounds good. Now I have all these decisions to make 😉 Thanks for your wonderful feedback!

Thanks! I’d been meaning to see this film for a long time, and was glad for the chance to finally see it.

Thanks! Bette really makes an impact in this film, doesn’t she?

Love it! I have not yet seen Phone Call for a Stranger, but it is definitely on my list. So much great Bette to discover!! I am writing about The Whales of August for the blogathon and will post that entry later on today 🙂

The Whales of August is one I’m really keen to see. I’ll look for your post later today.

It is so beautiful with some megastars in their elderly years. Bette Davis and Lillian Gish are two of my favourite actresses ever, and it is such a thrill to see them portray sisters in their elderly years. Vincent Price and Ann Sothern are also in it 🙂

Sounds like a sad tale handled with excellence!! Your ‘Spoiler Alert’ didn’t stop me from reading on!! I really want to see this movie. THNX for the recommendation!! 🙂

I hope you get the chance to see it. It’s an unusual drama + character study. I think you’d like this one.

• Pingback: THE SECOND ANNUAL BETTE DAVIS BLOGATHON HAS NOW ARRIVED – In The Good Old Days Of Classic Hollywood.

Great post. I saw this for the first time recently. I really enjoyed it. Bette is great in her brief scenes. This is a film that is very character focused, and it makes you feel as though you know all these people you’re watching.

That’s an excellent point. You really do feel like you know all these people.

Excellent review! I’ll have to look for this one.

Oh yes, I hope you get the chance to see it! It’s not your run-of-the-mill drama.

My grandmother was telling me about this (and Bette Davis was the actor who stood out the most to her, too) and after reading your post, too, I think I really ought to see this. It sounds unusual, but very interesting!

I know what you mean about Bette Davis films – I don’t usually cry during them (not even in Dark Victory). Perhaps because I often have a sense that she is enjoying her sad scenes…like a professional triumph despite the sad story. But this sounds very moving!.

Great point! Yes, a person gets the sense Bette relishes those sad scenes. Sometimes it seems she’s winking at the audience as if to say, “Look how much I’m acting here.”

“Phone Call from a Stranger” is an unusual movie in the way the story is told. I think you’d like it.

Thought I had seen this one but I haven’t (can never keep the title straight with the other one she did with Merril right before this one). It sounds interesting!! I’ve seen a lot of Davis movies but there’s still some crucial performances I have yet to see.

I hope you get the chance to see this one. It’s an unusual film, with so many characters being killed off halfway through. The performances are really good!

It’s an intriguing film and I agree that Bette gives a fabulous performance in her scene. She was such a big star at the time that she’s featured prominently in the movie’s poster, despite her limited screen time.

Yes, Bette Davis certainly gets a lot of real estate on the movie poster. I wonder how the film might have done if they hadn’t promoted her so much?

This sounds really fascinating! I’m kind of surprised I haven’t seen it yet. It sounds like it gave the underappreciated Keenan Wynn a great role, too. Much thanks for the recommendation, Ruth!

This is fascinating, and I think you need to see it, Michaela. As for Keenan Wynn – who is fab in nearly everything – it’s amazing how our perception of him changes from the start to the end of the film.

• Pingback: How Bette Davis Turned 18 Minutes into a Whole Movie – Silver Screenings | Rogues & Vagabonds

Sound like an amazing scene. And I’m sure Bette Davis is as amazing as you say. For that, alone, I’m loving this but the premise is intriguing. So on my TBW list it goes.

“Sounds like…” Gah!

I think Bette Davis knew EXACTLY what she was doing in taking that role. Of course, I love Bette in everything, so I may not be the most objective source…

Great post! I have never seen this movie. Will have to watch when I need a good cry. I would love for you to add it to the Classic Movie Marathon link party that launched last night. http://classicmovietreasures.com/classic-movie-marathon-link-party-premiere/

Thanks! I’ll be by to check out the Classic Movie Marathon link party. Sounds like a great idea. 🙂

A splendid writeup, Ruth — and many thanks for the mention!

Thanks again for the use of your photos. 🙂 They were exactly the ones I wanted to use.

Thanks so much for joining in on the blogathon with such a great post. I must admit that this is among the few Bette movies that I have yet to see, but now I’m definitely adding it to my must watch list. I loved your post on it. I’m really sorry for the late reply.

I hope you get the chance to see this. I think you might really like it. Very interesting characters and some food for thought.

Such a lovely review of this oft-forgotten film.

Eighteen minutes of Bette Davis is worth two hours of any current cinema diva hogging the camera. Plus, you get Shelley Winters! Love your posts!

Thanks! You make a good point about the fab Shelley Winters: She deserves more fan love these days. I’m always excited to see her name in the credits because you know you’re in for a treat.

Indeed–Shelley was quite the fab actress (‘A Patch of Blue’ and ‘Night of the Hunter’ et al.) but sadly most folk remember her as a brash, overweight character actress. She once roomed with Marilyn Monroe so I bet that was a hoot!

No way! She and Marilyn M. were roommates? Now THAT would be an interesting book/film.

I challenge you to write the screenplay. Sort of like The Apartment…only with Shelley as Shirley MacLaine and Marilyn as, well, Jack Lemmon. Or not!

Bahaha! Brilliant idea.

Reblogged this on WILDsound Writing and Film Festival Review .

Start Singin', Mac! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• Certified Fresh Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 81% Alien: Romulus Link to Alien: Romulus
• 88% Between the Temples Link to Between the Temples
• 100% Daughters Link to Daughters

New TV Tonight

• 93% Chimp Crazy: Season 1
• 100% Pachinko: Season 2
• -- That '90s Show: Season 3
• -- OceanXplorers: Season 1
• -- Classified: Season 1
• -- Reasonable Doubt: Season 2
• -- The Anonymous: Season 1
• -- Face to Face With Scott Peterson: Season 1
• -- Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 92% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• 78% Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• 96% Industry: Season 3
• 86% Average Joe: Season 1
• 54% The Umbrella Academy: Season 4
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• 100% Supacell: Season 1
• 82% A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: Season 1
• 78% Presumed Innocent: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• 92% Bad Monkey: Season 1 Link to Bad Monkey: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Andrew Garfield Movies and Series Ranked by Tomatometer

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Verified Hot: Honoring The Films with the Highest Verified Audience Scores

Introducing the Verified Hot Audience Badge

• Trending on RT
• Re-Release Calendar
• Popular TV Shows
• Renewed and Cancelled TV
• Best New Horror Movies

Phone Call From a Stranger Reviews

With an assist from Jean Negulesco's lucid and well-placed direction it makes an absorbing show.

Full Review | Jul 15, 2021

Despite its complexity, the story line seldom gets confused and is always suspenseful and entertaining.

Full Review | Jul 24, 2019

Strained melodrama.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Feb 9, 2011

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

• Top Ten Lists

PHONE CALL FROM A STRANGER

• Post author: eenableadmin
• Post published: August 5, 2019
• Post category: Uncategorized

(director: Jean Negulesco ; screenwriters: Nunnally Johnson/from a story by I. A. R. Wylie ; cinematographer: Milton Krasner ; editor: Hugh Fowler ; music: Franz Waxman; cast: Shelley Winters ( Binky Gay ), Bette Davis ( Marie Hoke ), Gary Merrill ( David Trask ), Michael Rennie ( Dr. Fortness ), Keenan Wynn ( Eddie Hoke ), Beatrice Straight ( Mrs. Fortness), Ted Donaldson ( Jerry Fortness), Warren Stevens ( Marty Nelson), Helen Westcott ( Jane Trask), Craig Stevens ( Mike Carr ), Hugh Beaumont ( Dr. Brooks), Evelyn Varden ( Sally Carr) , George Nader (Pilot); Runtime: 96; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Jean Negulesco ; Fox Home Entertainment ; 1952)

“S trained melodrama. “

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Romanian-born Hollywood filmmaker Jean Negulesco (“Daddy Long Legs”/” How to Marry a Millionaire “/” Boy on a Dolphin “) directs this strained melodrama, that creates characters that don’t seem real. The then husband and wife–Bette Davis and Gary Merrill–see this as an opportunity to work together, while Gary stars Bette chooses to take a minor part–which turns out to be the most memorable female part in the pic (which is actually not saying much). Nunnally Johnson bases the second-rate screenplay on the second-rate story by I. A. R. Wylie.

Lawyer David Trask ( Gary Merrill ) walks out on unfaithful wife Jane ( Helen Westcott) and his two daughters and boards a plane for Los Angeles, without telling wifey his destination. During the flight he becomes close to three strangers who dub themselves “The Four Musketeers,” and when the plane crashes David’s the sole musketeer survivor . When in LA, David dutifully calls on the families of the other three to tell about their flight together.

David first meets Mrs. Fortness ( Beatrice Straight ), she’s the wife of Dr. Bob Fortness ( Michael Rennie ) . He’s become a guilt-ridden drunk after driving while drunk and killing his passenger Dr. Brooks (Hugh Beaumont) and killing two more in the other car he hit head-on while driving in the wrong lane. To escape conviction, Bob lied and said Dr. Brooks was driving. David tells wifey and distraught son (Ted Donaldson), who never knew the truth, that Dr. Fortness retained him as his lawyer and was going to confess to the LA district attorney to clear up the truth of the incident that happened five years ago. Good Samaritan David then meets the overbearing selfish old vaudeville performer Mrs. Sally Carr ( Evelyn Varden ), the mother-in-law of struggling showgal Binky Gay ( Shelley Winters ) , in her LA club, and her singer hubby Michael ( Craig Stevens ) , with whom Binky has a rocky relationship that is about to end in a divorce. The flighty Binky never knew that the divorce papers were filed by hubby. The lawyer tries to talk up Binky’s good points and alleviate the animosity her mother-in-law has for his son’s talentless wife. Lastly the lawyer visits the invalid wife, Marie (Bette Davis), of the obnoxious jokester novelty traveling salesman Eddie Hoke ( Keenan Wynn ). Wifey tells how she ran away from hubby with her lover (Warren Stevens) and became paralyzed over a swimming accident in the lake. Lover boy deserted her, but hubby stood by her side and forgave her indiscretion. Her inspirational story influences David to forgive his wife and return to his family. Thereby by doing a good turn for others, David straightens out his own life.

It’s an inconsequential drama, that has questionable ethics (as far as we know, the name of Dr. Brooks as the accused drunk driver is never cleared) and its story never even makes a plane crash seem like more than a dull affair.

REVIEWED ON 2/9/2011 GRADE: C

You Might Also Like

London road, thousand pieces of gold, static codes.

Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)

Movie Details

Stream & watch phone call from a stranger.

Cast & Crew

Similar movies.

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Latest trailers.

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

• TV Listings
• Cast & Crew

Phone Call From a Stranger Reviews

• 1 hr 36 mins
• Watchlist Where to Watch

The sole survivor of a crash contacts the victims' next of kin. Gary Merrill, Shelley Winters, Michael Rennie, Bette Davis, Keenan Wynn, Craig Stevens, Evelyn Varden, Helen Westcott. Marty: Warren Stevens. Mrs. Fortness: Beatrice Straight. Jean Negulesco directed.

This well-made episodic film sustains viewer interest with excellent performances from the entire cast. Merrill leaves his wife, Westcott, when he learns that she is about to desert him and their children for a lover. While flying to Los Angeles to think things out, Merrill meets Winters, an ex-stripper, who is nervous because this is her first plane trip. Returning from New York, where she's failed to land a part in a new musical, Winters has decided to give up her career to devote herself to her beloved husband, Craig Stevens. Varden, Stevens' mother, who runs a Los Angeles night spot, wishes her son would dump Winters, but Winters is determined to make her marriage work. When it encounters turbulence, the plane is forced to land at a small airport in the heartland. Another passenger, Rennie, a doctor, seeks legal advice from lawyer Merrill, explaining that he is on his way to California to admit responsibilty for the deaths of three people he killed while driving drunk five years earlier. Rennie is determined to exorcise the guilt that has gotten in the way of his relationship with his son, Donaldson. Wynn, a traveling salesman given to telling hoary old jokes, suggests he, Merrill, and Rennie get together in California for a drink sometime to talk about their shared "adventure." Neither Merrill nor Rennie really wants to have anything to do with the blustering Wynn, but, for the sake of appearances, they exchange phone numbers with the salesman. In the meantime, Wynn sings the praises of his knockout wife, Davis. Eventually, the plane takes off, but bad weather necessitates another emergency landing, in which Merrill is knocked senseless. When he recovers, Merrill is shocked to discover that he is one of the crashlanding's few survivors; Rennie, Winters, and Wynn are all dead. Airline officials prepare to inform the loved ones of those killed, but Merrill asks to be allowed to carry the news to the families of Rennie, Winters, and Wynn himself. He goes to Rennie's home and tells Donaldson what his father intended to do. Donaldson is about to run away to South America, but Merrill persuades the youth to stay and comfort his mother, Straight. Next, Merrill visits Stevens and Varden. Knowing no harm will come from bending the truth, Merrill tells them that Winters had won the role in the Broadway show and was coming home to celebrate. Finally, Merrill goes to see Davis and discovers that she's a bedridden invalid. Davis (in a terrific performance) explains that she became paralyzed in an accident after she left Wynn for another man, but that her husband took her back and cared for her. Touched by Davis' story, Merrill tells her about his own marital problems, and Davis pleads with him to call his wife, let her know he's alive, and go back to her. Merrill makes that call and plans to return to Westcott.

Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)

Directed by jean negulesco.

• AllMovie Rating 1
• User Ratings ( 0 )
• Your Rating
• Overview ↓
• User Reviews ↓
• Cast & Crew ↓
• Streams ↓
• Related ↓

Description by Wikipedia

Phone Call from a Stranger is a 1952 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco, who was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. The screenplay by Nunnally Johnson and I.A.R. Wylie, which received the award for Best Scenario at the same festival, centers on the survivor of an aircraft crash who contacts the relatives of three of the victims he came to know on board the flight. The story features via flashbacks that accentuate the character's past lives.

Related Movies

Alternate Titles

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Review by Filipe Furtado Pro

Phone call from a stranger 1952.

Watched Jul 09 , 2024

Filipe Furtado’s review published on Letterboxd:

Very unusual structured in an uneven episodic way, but directed in an expressive manner by Jean Negulesco who does a very good job at moving around the different tones that Nunnally Johnson script asks for. The interaction between the passengers in which most of the movie drama hangs on is specially well done and I appreciate how this can play things understated and the let the more melodramatic moments hit. Good cast and I even liked Gary Merrill for once. The last scenes when he gets to meet Davis are good although it is obvious that her episode is supposed to tie the reconciliation drama. As a rule, I much prefer Negulesco Warner movies to his Fox ones (save for the first one Road House), but this is one of his better 50s work.

• Moderator dashboard
• Block this member This member is blocked
• Report this review
• jean negulesco

Select your preferred backdrop

Select your preferred poster, upgrade to remove ads.

Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Please consider upgrading to a Pro account —for less than a couple bucks a month, you’ll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages ( example ), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads!

• Now Playing
• Airing Today
• Popular People
• Discussions
• Leaderboard
• Alternative Titles
• Cast & Crew
• Release Dates
• Translations
• Backdrops 1
• Content Issues 0

Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)

← back to main.

Login to write a review.

A review by CinemaSerf

Written by cinemaserf on september 9, 2022.

Gary Merrill is "David Trask", a lawyer on a flight from Chicago that is delayed en route by bad weather. Whilst travelling he befriends three of his companions and they share really quite personal stories to help pass the time. When their flight resumes, it crashes and all but three perish."Trask" sets out to track down the families of his three friends and finds each with a story to tell. The first features Michael Rennie as a doctor with a guilty secret who has turned to drink and compromised his relationship with his family. The second involves aspiring actress Shelley Winters who is return... read the rest.

You need to be logged in to continue. Click here to login or here to sign up.

Can't find a movie or TV show? Login to create it.

On media pages

On tv season pages, on tv episode pages, on all image pages, on all edit pages, on discussion pages.

Want to rate or add this item to a list?

Not a member?

Sign up and join the community

Currently available on 4 streaming services.

Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)

7 Days Free

retail price

Watch similar movies on Apple TV+ for free

Then $9.99 / month

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Let us notify you once it becomes available on more services.

We checked for updates on 249 streaming services on August 19, 2024 at 4:22:51 AM. Something wrong? Let us know!

Phone Call from a Stranger streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Phone Call from a Stranger" streaming on FlixFling. It is also possible to buy "Phone Call from a Stranger" on FlixFling as download or rent it on FlixFling online.

Four strangers board a plane and become fast friends, but a catastrophic crash leaves only one survivor. He then sets off on a journey to discover who these people were, but ultimately discovers the devastating truth about himself.

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Popular movies coming soon

Upcoming Drama movies

Similar Movies you can watch for free

More popular Movies directed by Jean Negulesco

Other popular Movies starring Shelley Winters

We’re fighting to restore access to 500,000+ books in court this week. Join us!

Send me an email reminder

By submitting, you agree to receive donor-related emails from the Internet Archive. Your privacy is important to us. We do not sell or trade your information with anyone.

Internet Archive Audio

• This Just In
• Grateful Dead
• Old Time Radio
• 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
• Audio Books & Poetry
• Computers, Technology and Science
• Music, Arts & Culture
• News & Public Affairs
• Spirituality & Religion
• Radio News Archive

• Flickr Commons
• Occupy Wall Street Flickr
• NASA Images
• Solar System Collection
• Ames Research Center

• All Software
• Old School Emulation
• MS-DOS Games
• Historical Software
• Classic PC Games
• Software Library
• Kodi Archive and Support File
• Vintage Software
• CD-ROM Software
• CD-ROM Software Library
• Software Sites
• Tucows Software Library
• Shareware CD-ROMs
• Software Capsules Compilation
• CD-ROM Images
• ZX Spectrum
• DOOM Level CD

• Smithsonian Libraries
• FEDLINK (US)
• Lincoln Collection
• American Libraries
• Canadian Libraries
• Universal Library
• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Library
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Books by Language
• Additional Collections

• Prelinger Archives
• Democracy Now!
• Occupy Wall Street
• TV NSA Clip Library
• Animation & Cartoons
• Arts & Music
• Computers & Technology
• Cultural & Academic Films
• Ephemeral Films
• Sports Videos
• Videogame Videos
• Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

• Wayback Machine (iOS)
• Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

• Explore the Collections
• Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

• Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)

Video item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

• Graphic Violence
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Hate Speech
• Misinformation/Disinformation
• Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
• Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

2 Favorites

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

In collections.

Uploaded by RetroFlixUploads on June 22, 2023

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

' Phone Call From a Stranger,' Nunnally Johnson Movie, Opens at Roxy Theatre

By Bosley Crowther

• Feb. 2, 1952

Slick is perhaps the best word to describe the quality of Nunnally Johnson's "Phone Call From a Stranger," which came to the Roxy yesterday. The story is slick, in the first place, it being an I. A. R. Wylie affair about a fellow who straightens out his own life by calling upon the bereaved families of three victims of an airplane crash he has survived. The script-writing by Mr. Johnson is mercurially slick, too, and so is the neat and shiny acting of a cast of assorted stars.So slick, indeed, is the whole thing—so smooth and efficiently contrived to fit and run with the precision of a beautifully made machine—that it very soon gives the impression of being wholly mechanical, picked up from a story-teller's blueprints rather than from the scroll of life.This is the line of engineering: Gary Merrill in the gentlemanly role of a fellow abandoning his family meets three people on a westbound plane. In the course of their interrupted journey, he gets to know a lot about each. One is an alcoholic doctor, whom Michael Rennie plays; he is going home to assume responsibility for an automobile accident he previously shirked. Another is a nightclub entertainer—Shelley Winters here; she is going home to try to claim her husband from a vain and selfish mother-in-law. The third is a noisy traveling salesman—of all people, Keenan Wynn; he gives out that he is the husband of a physically delectable wife.What happens after the plane is wrecked in a storm is not quite clear (this is part of the efficient engineering). But the next the audience sees of the gentleman survivor, he is making telephone calls—calls to the families of the parties he got to know on the plane. And before the picture is over, he has paid a visit to each, added a little more to his knowledge and spread a little sunshine on the way. He also has come to the conclusion that he himself would be wise to go home. (Wouldn't it be ironic if, in returning, he were killed in a plane?)Among the people he meets and wisely counsels are Ted Donaldson and Beatrice Straight as the son and wife of the doctor; Evelyn Varden as the selfish mother-in-law, and Bette Davis as the wife of the salesman who is nothing like what she's been described. Each is fictitiously efficient—mechanically intriguing but slick. No one of them is a character that is acceptably real.And that is the nature of the picture—mechanically intriguing but unreal. As the pilot remarks before the plane is wrecked, "We're getting everything this trip."On the stage at the Roxy are Johnny Johnson, Richard and Flora Stuart, Georgie Tapps, Roger Carne and the Gae Foster Roxeyettes.

PHONE CALL FROM A STRANGER, screen play by Nunnally Johnson, from a story by I. A. R. Wylie; directed by Jean Negulesco; produced by Mr. Johnson for Twentieth Century-Fox Pictures. At the Roxy.Binky Gay . . . . . Shelley WintersDavid Trask . . . . . Gary MerrillDr. Fortness . . . . . Michael RennieEddie Hoke . . . . . Keenan WynnSally Carr . . . . . Evelyn VardenMarty Nelson . . . . . Warren StevensMrs. Fortness . . . . . Beatrice StraightJerry Fortness . . . . . Ted DonaldsonMike Carr . . . . . Craig StevensJane Trask . . . . . Helen WestcottMarie Hoke . . . . . Bette DavisStewardess . . . . . Sydney PerkinsDr. Brooks . . . . . Hugh BeaumontMr. Sawyer . . . . . Thomas JacksonDr. Fletcher . . . . . Harry CheshireDr. Fernwood . . . . . Tom Powers