Cause for Alarm (4 stars)

Cause for Alarm, from 1951, is a mildly suspenseful film noir starring Loretta Young, Barry Sullivan, and Bruce Cowling.  Directed by Tay Garnett, the film takes place during several hours of one July afternoon in the life of housewife Ellen Jones (Loretta Young).

George Jones (Barry Sullivan) is an ill man...a very ill man.   Because of some sort of heart condition, George has been confined to his bed for some time, and although his doctor and longtime friend, Ranny Graham (Bruce Cowling), makes house calls on a regular basis, his dutiful wife, Ellen, is his primary caregiver. 

Endless days in bed, coupled with his illness, have done wild things to George’s mental state, and he comes to believe that Ellen and Dr. Graham are conspiring to kill him.  Since Ellen and the doctor had been seeing each other prior to her marriage to George, George is convinced that they are still in love and that they have set a plan in motion to be rid of him.

Determined to make the two “lovers” pay for their crime, George pens a letter to the local district attorney---a letter in which he accuses his wife and doctor of aggravating his condition so as to make his death look natural.  After requesting that a complete investigation be made into his death, George seals the envelope and hands it to his wife.  Telling Ellen he had to sign some insurance papers, he asks her to put the envelope in the mail, which, being the helpful wife she is, she does when the mailman arrives at the house a short time later.

George isn’t as bed-bound as he would have Ellen believe, however, and upon her return to their bedroom, he pulls out a gun and spills forth his delusions of her love for Ran and their plan to murder him.  Sure it is nothing more than George’s illness talking, Ellen denies his accusations, but to no avail.  George is convinced his wife and doctor are out to do him in, and after informing her that the envelope she just put in the mail was a letter incriminating her and the doctor of trying to kill him, George collapses.

Though she and the doctor were never trying to kill George, Ellen panics about the letter now on its way to the district attorney.  She knows she must retrieve it before it ever reaches its destination, yet doing so is not as easy as she had hoped.  For the remainder of that “most terrifying day of her life,” Ellen must oppose bureaucratic regulations and race against time in order to save herself and the doctor from her husband’s delusional mind.  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.

Cause for Alarm is an interesting, well-acted, mildly suspenseful film.  Both Loretta Young and Barry Sullivan are very good in their roles.  I could really feel Loretta’s terror as the walls began to close in around her, and I found Mr. Sullivan quite believable as the neurotic husband.  Of course, this film is best on a first-time viewing---before you know how it all turns out---but even repeated viewings are enjoyable. 

Two other things stand out to me in this film.  First is the Jones’s little neighbor boy, whose nickname is Hoppy, after Hopalong Cassidy.  I found him delightful, especially when he grabbed a handful of cookies so he could feed his horse...er...tricycle.  After he had pocketed several cookies, he remembered that he had forgotten to ask if he might have some.  Of course, permission was granted.  Another fun thing in the film is the walking door-to-door mailman (though the Jones's mailman was certainly annoying).  I haven’t seen a walking door-to-door mailman in years!!  Most mail carriers for at least the last three decades drive to every house on their route, depositing the mail in the box at the end of the driveway (or to the community mailbox).  Gone are the days of conversing with your mail carrier as he arrives at your front door to fill your doorside mailbox with cards and letters (and bills).  Seeing that walking, bag-on-his-shoulder postman may well take you on a trip down memory lane as you remember the mailmen of your youth. 

At any rate, Cause for Alarm is definitely an enjoyable viewing experience.  The film is out on DVD, so it should be fairly easy to track down.  In addition, it is on the TCM schedule for Wednesday, January 30th at 4:30 a.m. (ET).   Hope you get a chance to see it...or at least set your DVR.

Happy viewing!!