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of his sight for the rest of the evening. When he brings in the orange juice that the pair drink every night before bed, she is sure her glass has been poisoned. When he briefly leaves the room, she attempts to call the police, but Alan left the phone off the hook in another room, and calls cannot be made. He returns to the bedroom and coerces her into drinking the orange juice, and after her, he drinks his own. Thinking himself safe, he confesses that he murdered Sophia and that he has given her an overdose of
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escapes unharmed but contacts Marc, telling him she believes that Alan is behind the accident, since he will inherit Sophia's money if she and Chris were to die. With Marc's help, she begins to investigate the accident, but can find no conclusive proof. She reveals her true identity and Marc tells her that he is in love with her. When he states his now-deceased father in his law firm might not have sent her the cable regarding Sophia's death, she grows significantly more nervous around Alan.
292:), a distant relative of Sophia. "Karin" intends to gain custody of "her" son, but it becomes clear that Sophia has left her fortune to Chris when he comes of age. When she realizes that Alan is attracted to her, she decides that it will be easier to stay in America if she has an American husband. She allows him to romance her, and they soon marry. Alan takes Karin to San Francisco where Chris meets his "mother" for the first time, and she settles into Sophia's
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hill, which Chris claims to have damaged with an explosion from his toy chemistry set. He and
Margaret beg her not to tell Alan because Margaret never has, but Karin is perplexed to discover that he already knows about it. Karin is pleased, however, to meet Marc Bennett again, learning he is an old schoolmate of her husband and a partner for the law firm that handles Sophia's affairs. He is attracted to Karin, as she is to him, but keeps a respectful distance.
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435:. The corner market seen in the film was Speedy's New Union Grocery at 301 Union at the corner of Montgomery, which also closed in 2008 after 93 years in business. Marc Bennett's office building was the Crocker flatiron building located at One Post Street, which in 1969 was demolished and replaced by the skyscraper now known as
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Karin investigates the playhouse, but she is surprised by Alan while she is in there and nearly falls to her death through a hole in the floor. Alan pulls her up, but appears to be alarmed by her behavior. Soon after, the brakes on Karin's car fail on a day when Chris was supposed to be with her. She
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in her orange juice. Karin tells him that she has switched the glasses and that he has poisoned himself. She tries to telephone a doctor but cannot get through. Margaret is awakened by the commotion, and Alan begs her to call a doctor. Realizing that, in spite of his gaslighting, he doesn't love her
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Karin discovers Sophia's newspaper obituary in
Margaret's scrapbook confirming that the cable was sent three days before her death—proof that Alan must have sent it before he killed Sophia. She attempts to call Marc, but she is prevented from doing so when Alan arrives home. He does not let her out
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magazine wrote, "This is a slow but interesting melodrama about a psychopathic killer, with San
Francisco's quaint hill residential sections as background ... inister mood, and heightened tensions, are well sustained, and performances by Basehart and Cortese convey the drama convincingly. William
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Things seem idyllic at first, but tensions begin to mount between Karin and
Margaret, who has not only raised Chris but also is in love with Alan. Margaret resents Karin for intruding on her life. Karin also is alarmed at the presence of a burnt-out, dangerously damaged playhouse overlooking the
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film noir ... The stark black-and-white photography by Lucien
Ballard, the good performances (especially by Basehart) and the intriguing plot developments kept me tuned in throughout even though it was slow going. Of personal interest, Basehart and the Italian actress
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Karin dies shortly before the camp can be liberated, and
Viktoria, seeing a way to a better life, uses Karin's papers to assume her identity. The camp is liberated by the Allies, and Viktoria is interviewed by Major Marc Bennett
431:, which closed its doors in 2008 after operating for 84 years. Closer shots of the exterior entrance and driveway were filmed on a studio lot, and scenes for the garden and backyard were filmed on the lawn of
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and he will never stop trying to kill Chris, Margaret watches as Alan dies.
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met for the first time on this film, and fell in love and married."
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346:(Valentina Cortesa, in the opening credits) as Victoria Kowalska
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information site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)
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Lundigan is okay as the attorney who befriends the woman."
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261:), who dreams of reuniting with her young son Christopher (
590:, film review, march 21, 2006. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
288:, where she meets with Chris's guardian Alan Spender (
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is a dominant hill overlooking the water in northeast
574:. Staff, film review, 1951. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
257:. She befriends another prisoner, Karin Dernakova (
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245:) has lost her home and her husband in the
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391:Charles Wagenheim as Man at Accident
279:camp for people displaced by the war
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382:Katherine Meskill as Mrs. Whitmore
225:nomination for its art direction.
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241:Polish woman Viktoria Kowalska (
1155:Films based on American novels
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1160:Films directed by Robert Wise
1061:Star Trek: The Motion Picture
861:The Day the Earth Stood Still
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277:), who gets her a place in a
1110:1950s English-language films
642:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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1185:Films shot in San Francisco
853:The House on Telegraph Hill
765:The Curse of the Cat People
709:The House on Telegraph Hill
691:The House on Telegraph Hill
682:The House on Telegraph Hill
671:The House on Telegraph Hill
660:The House on Telegraph Hill
649:The House on Telegraph Hill
636:The House on Telegraph Hill
558:The House on Telegraph Hill
539:The House on Telegraph Hill
379:John Burton as Mr. Whitmore
265:), who was sent to live in
249:, and is imprisoned in the
247:German occupation of Poland
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1175:Films set in San Francisco
1165:Films scored by Sol Kaplan
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603:. Movies & TV Dept.
1140:American thriller films
941:This Could Be the Night
877:Something for the Birds
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221:. The film received an
198:House on Telegraph Hill
22:House on Telegraph Hill
1180:Films set in the 1940s
1125:20th Century Fox films
609:. 2007. Archived from
153:May 12, 1951
973:Odds Against Tomorrow
400:Tamara Schee as Maria
376:as Joseph C. Callahan
352:as Major Marc Bennett
269:with a wealthy aunt.
205:thriller directed by
1135:American drama films
1115:1950s thriller films
1105:1950s American films
1029:The Andromeda Strain
957:Run Silent, Run Deep
925:Tribute to a Bad Man
474:) ably directs this
161: (New York City)
65:The Frightened Child
388:as Tony, the Grocer
201:is a 1951 American
1005:The Sound of Music
989:Two for the Seesaw
751:Films directed by
676:TCM Movie Database
606:The New York Times
544:TCM Movie Database
502:Best Art Direction
471:The Sound of Music
406:as Karin Dernakova
294:Italianate mansion
251:concentration camp
1170:Films set in 1950
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1077:A Storm in Summer
821:Blood on the Moon
813:Mystery in Mexico
781:The Body Snatcher
773:Mademoiselle Fifi
448:Critical response
425:Montgomery Street
344:Valentina Cortese
243:Valentina Cortese
215:Valentina Cortese
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370:as Dr. Burkhardt
350:William Lundigan
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615:. Retrieved
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368:Steven Geray
324:Margaret is
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170:Running time
146:Release date
70:by Dana Lyon
64:
55:Frank Partos
1053:Audrey Rose
753:Robert Wise
518:Paul S. Fox
510:John DeCuir
397:as Mechanic
358:as Margaret
209:, starring
207:Robert Wise
75:Produced by
43:Robert Wise
39:Directed by
1100:1951 films
1094:Categories
1037:Two People
829:The Set-Up
693:discussion
617:2008-12-21
525:References
492:Nomination
433:Coit Tower
174:93 minutes
157:1951-05-12
129:Sol Kaplan
68:1948 novel
52:Elick Moll
1145:Film noir
443:Reception
356:Fay Baker
318:sedatives
302:Fay Baker
203:film noir
117:Edited by
101:Fay Baker
16:1951 film
1069:Rooftops
665:AllMovie
419:area of
187:Language
125:Music by
85:Starring
61:Based on
716:YouTube
698:YouTube
674:at the
639:at the
571:Variety
556:ReelSF
542:at the
520:; 1952.
481:Cortese
455:Variety
190:English
179:Country
155: (
1072:(1989)
1064:(1979)
1056:(1977)
1048:(1975)
1040:(1973)
1032:(1971)
1024:(1968)
1016:(1966)
1008:(1965)
1000:(1963)
992:(1962)
984:(1961)
976:(1959)
968:(1958)
960:(1958)
952:(1957)
944:(1957)
936:(1956)
928:(1956)
920:(1956)
912:(1954)
904:(1953)
901:So Big
896:(1953)
888:(1953)
880:(1952)
872:(1952)
864:(1951)
856:(1951)
848:(1950)
840:(1950)
832:(1949)
824:(1948)
816:(1948)
808:(1947)
800:(1946)
792:(1945)
784:(1945)
776:(1944)
768:(1944)
487:Awards
476:Gothic
255:Belsen
217:, and
1021:Star!
654:IMDb
516:and
332:Cast
237:Plot
714:on
700:by
696:on
663:at
652:at
304:).
296:on
253:at
1096::
586:.
512:,
508:,
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439:.
233:.
213:,
744:e
737:t
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546:.
468:/
273:(
159:)
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