The Desperate Hours (film)
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| The Desperate Hours | |
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 The Desperate Hours (1955) DVD cover |
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| Directed by | William Wyler |
| Produced by | William Wyler |
| Written by | Joseph Hayes |
| Starring | Humphrey Bogart Fredric March |
| Music by | Gail Kubik |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 5, 1955 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 112 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,388,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
The Desperate Hours is a 1955 film from Paramount Pictures starring Humphrey Bogart. The film was directed by William Wyler based on a novel and play written by Joseph Hayes.
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[edit] Plot
Bogart is the main character, Glenn Griffin, the leader of a trio of criminals who invade the Hilliard family's suburban home and hold the four members of the family hostage while awaiting the arrival of a cohort who is bringing the three fugitives funds to aid them in their escape. Police organize a statewide manhunt for the escapees and eventually discover the distraught family's plight. The audience of the movie, of course, does not care for Bogart's character, as he is vicious, cold, and cruel and will do anything to get his way. He menaces and torments the Hilliards and threatens to kill them, and an unfortunate garbage collector who happens upon the situation is murdered. At the climax of the film, Mr. Hilliard (March) throws Griffin (Bogart) out of the house by holding Griffin's loaded gun on him. Griffin is subsequently gunned down and killed when he hurls his unloaded gun at a police spotlight and tries to make a break for it upon discovering that lawmen have surrounded the Hilliard house.
[edit] Cast
- Humphrey Bogart as Glenn Griffin
- Fredric March as Daniel (Dan) C. Hilliard
- Arthur Kennedy as Deputy Sheriff Jesse Bard
- Martha Scott as Eleanor 'Ellie' Hilliard
- Dewey Martin as Hal Griffin
- Gig Young as Chuck Wright
- Mary Murphy as Cindy Hilliard
- Richard Eyer as Ralphie Hilliard
- Robert Middleton as Sam Kobish
[edit] Trivia
- The first black-and-white movie in VistaVision, Paramount's wide-screen process.
- The original Broadway production had actor Paul Newman in the Bogart role. The character was made older in the script so Bogart could play the part in the film.
- Spencer Tracy was first cast to be in the film with Bogart, but the actors could not decide who should get top billing.
- In 1956, Joseph Hayes won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.
[edit] 1990 remake
The movie was later remade in 1990 starring Mickey Rourke, Anthony Hopkins, Mimi Rogers, Kelly Lynch, Lindsay Crouse and David Morse. The remake, directed by Michael Cimino, received poor reviews. See Desperate Hours.
