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November 27, 2012 By iluvcinema 14 Comments

Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Don’t Bother to Knock (1952)

SYNPOSIS (via Wikipedia):

Based on the book Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong published in 1951, Don’t Bother to Knock features Marilyn Monroe as a disturbed babysitter watching a child at the same New York hotel where a pilot, played by Richard Widmark, is staying. Her strange behavior makes him increasingly aware that she is the last person the parents should have entrusted with their daughter.

After seeing this film a couple of time, I have come to the following conclusion: this should have been a signal to audiences and the public at large that Monroe’s rather terrifying portrayal was a bit close to home. For my money, she was quite believable as a mentally fragile woman on the verge of a pure psychotic break – then again maybe it is just a bit of hindsight.

A bit of trivia: Don’t Bother to Knock marked the film debut of Anne Bancroft.

Check out other overlooked films on Todd’s blog Sweet Freedom.

Filed Under: Overlooked Films Tagged With: dont bother to knock, marilyn monroe, richard widmark

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