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Cry Wolf is a 1947 American mystery film directed by Peter Godfrey and featuring Errol Flynn and Barbara Stanwyck, based on the novel of the same name by Marjorie Carleton.[4]

Cry Wolf
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Peter Godfrey
Screenplay by	Catherine Turney
Based on	Cry Wolf 1945 novel by Marjorie Carleton
Produced by	Henry Blanke
Starring	Errol Flynn Barbara Stanwyck
Cinematography	Carl E. Guthrie
Edited by	Folmar Blangsted
Music by	Franz Waxman
Production company	Thomson Production
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	18 July 1947[1]
Running time	83 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,461,000[2]
Box office	$2 million (US rentals)[3] or $2,690,000[2]

Plot

Hearing that her husband is dead, Sandra Marshall arrives at his prominent family's remote estate to claim her inheritance. She receives a cold reception, especially from the husband's uncle, research scientist Mark Caldwell, who had not known about her or any marriage. He even accuses her of being a schemer. But he allows her to stay in the mansion while details of her legal rights are worked out, and as the two become better acquainted, they develop a less contentious relationship.

Caldwell's teenage niece, Julie, welcomes Sandra. But what the girl says is troubling. She claims her uncle is holding her prisoner on the estate, that strange things are going on in a sealed-off area of the mansion, and that the older family members and their servants may not be telling the truth about the recent death. Though Caldwell insists that Julie simply has an overactive imagination, Sandra wonders what to believe and whom to trust. Increasingly convinced that something is not right at the secluded property, she's willing to take risks to uncover what it is.

Cast

• Errol Flynn as Mark Caldwell
• Barbara Stanwyck as Sandra Marshall
• Geraldine Brooks as Julie Demarest
• Richard Basehart as James Caldwell Demarest
• Jerome Cowan as Senator Charles Caldwell
• John Ridgely as Jackson Laidell
• Patricia Barry as Angela
• Rory Mallinson as Becket
• Helene Thimig as Marta
• Paul Stanton as Davenport
• Barry Bernard as Roberts
• Lisa Golm as Mrs. Laidell

Production

Original novel

The novel was published in January 1945. The New York Times said "the plot has pace; the manse is traditionally eerie, the heroine is charming. Situations and dialogue, however, are often clumsily handled."[5] The Chicago Tribune called it "a spicy piece".[6]

Development

In April 1945 Warner Bros bought the film rights as a vehicle for Barbara Stanwyck.[7] Catherine Turney was assigned to do the script and Dennis Morgan announced as co star.[8]

The film took a while to be made. In March 1946, Errol Flynn was announced as co star and Peter Godfrey as director.[9] The movie was a "Thomson Production", i.e. made through Flynn's company at Warner Bros.[10]

Two of the supporting cast were from the New York stage, Geraldine Brooks and Richard Basehart, and had just been put under contract by Warner Bros. (Basehart had given an acclaimed stage performance in The Hasty Heart.)[11][12]

Shooting

Filming started in May 1946 and took place to August 1946.[13][14]

Reception

The film was not released until July 1947.

Critical

The Wall Street Journal said the film was "often as dull as it is frightening because its melodramatic story is full of cliches... without tommy gun or sword, Mr Flynn seems unhappily wooden."[15] The Christian Science Monitor said it "grips the attention and holds it right through...the result is something well above average."[16]

"Its melodramatic antics are rather fun", said the Washington Post.[17]

The Los Angeles Times called the film "murky" and "fairly opaque" although it felt audiences "are likely to be impressed by the performance of Flynn."[18]

The New York Times said "its final explanation of the mystery is ridiculous and banal."[19]

Filmink magazine wrote "a weaker/younger/more clearly neurotic actor" than Stanwyck "may have added to the tension...because Stanwyck can clearly handle herself – even poking around a locked lab at one in the morning you don’t feel too worried for her" adding that "Errol is very effective in an atypical role – slightly aloof, cold, sinister… I can’t help imagine that maybe he was channeling his father, or some other patriarchal family member."[20]

Box Office

The film was moderately successful at the box office, Variety estimating its rentals in the US and Canada at $2 million.[3]

According to Warner Bros records, the film earned $1,842,000 domestically and $848,000 foreign.[2]

References

Other references

1. Tony Thomas, Rudy Behlmer * Clifford McCarty, The Films of Errol Flynn, Citadel Press, 1969 p 147.

External links

• Cry Wolf at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Cry Wolf at IMDb
• Cry Wolf at AllMovie
• Cry Wolf at the TCM Movie Database
• Cry Wolf film trailer on YouTube

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