During World War II, Ellen Jones (Loretta Young) works as a nurse in a naval hospital, and is dating a military doctor, Lieutenant Ranney Grahame (Bruce Cowling). But, Ellen falls in love with Ranney's pilot friend, George Z. Jones (Barry Sullivan). After leaving Ranney on amicable terms, Ellen marries George. When the war ends, Ellen and George move into a suburban Los Angeles neighborhood.
Years later, George has proven to be selfish, petty, and domineering, and Ellen feels unfulfilled because they have yet to have any children. Despite this, Ellen still loves her husband, and when he begins suffering heart problems, she tirelessly cares for him with the help of Ranney, who periodically visits in his capacity as George's personal physician. During a heat wave, George's illness is exacerbated and he is bedridden. He also becomes increasingly delusional, to the point that Ranney concludes he needs psychological help.
George begins suspecting that Ellen and Ranney are having an affair, and that Ellen is trying to kill him. He writes a letter to the district attorney accusing Ellen and Ranney of conspiring to murder him. Later, he collapses and dies.
Meanwhile, George's snobbish aunt Clara arrives at the Jones residence to visit George. Ellen manages to return in time to prevent Clara from entering, and persuades her to leave.
Ellen notices the gun still in George's hand and hides it, but accidentally fires, but only the neighbor boy, Billy (Brad Morrow) hears, and he mistakes it for a toy.
A notary arrives for an appointment with George, and Ellen sends him away. As Ellen departs by car, in her haste she narrowly avoids running over Billy.
Finally at the post office, the supervisor is at first sympathetic and gives Ellen a form that, in order to reclaim the letter, must be signed by George. By this point Ellen is so frantic and desperate that her behavior irks the supervisor, and he decides to send the letter out regardless.
Ellen returns home, defeated. Ranney arrives. After repositioning George's body in the bed, he allows The doorbell rings. The Postman (Irving Bacon) has come to return George's letter due to it having insufficient postage. Ellen is overcome with relief, and Ranney burns the letter.
A 1951 American Black & White melodrama suspense film directed by Tay Garnett, produced by Tom Lewis, screenplay by Mel Dinelli and Tom Lewis, based on a radio play of the same name by Larry Marcus, cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg, starring Loretta Young, Barry Sullivan, Bruce Cowling, Margalo Gillmore, Bradley Mora, Irving Bacon, Georgia Backus, Don Haggerty, Art Baker, and Richard Anderson. André Previn wrote the score.
Former child star Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer (of Hal Roach's Our Gang comedy shorts) makes an uncredited cameo appearance as the guy with Tex, a man repairing a hot rod car.
The kindly neighbor gardening next door, Georgia Belden Backus (October 13, 1901 - September 7, 1983) was an American character actress on stage, radio and screen. She was also a writer, director and producer of radio dramas. In 1930 she was named dramatic director of the Columbia Broadcasting System, to guide the development of the new art of the radio play. A member of the repertory company presenting Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre radio programs, she played supporting roles in some 30 films during the 1940s and 1950s. Her first screen credit was Citizen Kane (1941), in which she played the severe assistant in the Thatcher library. Her career was ended by the Hollywood blacklist.
Irving Bacon (a character actor who appeared in over 400 films during his career) was already widely known as the weary postman in the popular Blondie series of 28 films a decade earlier when he was cast as the postman chased by Ellen.
Bradley Mora was a noted child actor on Broadway and appeared in "Annie Get Your Gun" (1950).
Director Tay Garnett thoroughly prepared both cast and crew and the film was shot in 14 days, a rather tight schedule for the era. Young reportedly used the same pre-production technique for her TV series a few years later.
Some locations were on residential streets near Melrose Ave. in Hollywood, California. The address of the main filming location was 116 North Oakhurst Dr., one block south of Beverly Drive, until the house was demolished in the mid-1950s and has since been replaced. Neighboring houses also seen in the film which surrounded the location on Oakhurst Drive and Plymouth Avenue are still standing.
In 1951, The New York Times film critic, Bosley Crowther, "Here a simple situation is turned into a thoroughly chilling business by highlighting the most humdrum staples of the everyday American scene ... Cause for Alarm! proves more than anything else that superior writing, directing and acting - and some imagination - can make a little go a long way ... The suspense, under Director Tay Garnett, mounts steadily, almost unbearably, until a final plot twist so original that it's almost a swindle."
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