The Window

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Ed here: I've mentioned before that Bobby Driscoll was my first cousin. Born in Cedar Rapids his family moved to LA when he was five or six. A barber there suggested he try out for the movies. He did and went on to have a solid career until his late teen years. His life spiraled downward from there. I'm glad to see this film is available again.

From the great Cinema Retro
By Lee Pfeiffer

I first saw The Window as a kid in the 1960s when it was shown as part of New York's legendary Million Dollar Movie broadcast. I can't recall seeing it many times since then, so I was all the more astonished at how well I remembered virtually every seen when I viewed the DVD release through Warner Archive. The film must have made a tremendous impression on me to have an impact that has lingered so long. What also strikes me is that the impact has not been diminished at all. The low-bduget RKO release was shot on location in Brooklyn and conveys a real feel for life in the tenemants during one particularly scorching summer. The 1949 movie stars Bobby Driscoll, a Disney discovery, as Tommy, a small boy with a penchant for telling tall tales. His loving, but frustrated parents (Barbara Hale and Arthur Kennedy) are exasperrated by their inability to teach Tommy about the dangers of crying wolf. One night when Tommy seeks to nullify the searing heat by sleeping on the fire escape, he looks through the window of a neighboring apartment- and witnesses the resident husband and wife (Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman) murdering a man in a bungled robbery attempt. Because of his constant fabrications, Tommy finds know one believes him. An ill-advised trip to the police station only results in sullying his reputation even further. When the murderous couple learn that Tommy has witnessed their crime, he realizes it's only a matter of time before they kill him, as well. The opportunity presents itself when an emergency requires that Tommy be left alone in the apartment. This sets the stage for a nail-biting confrontation when the murderers kidnap Tommy and attempt to do away with him.

The film's lack of a major budget actually works to its benefit. Director Ted Tetzlaff optimizes the use of actual Brooklyn locations, accentuating what it was like to grow up in tenements where children's playgrounds were traffic clogged streets and dangerous, abandoned buildings. Best of all are the performances. Driscoll was so convincing that he earned a special Academy Award for his performance. Barbara Hale and Arthur Kennedy are completely convincing as a hard-working couple dedicated to providing a good home for their son, despite their impoverished conditions- and Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman are excellent as the outwardly pleasant husband and wife who moonlight as murderers. The film examplifies Hitchcock's theory that there isn't always safety in numbers. Young Tommy is surrounded by hundreds of neighbors, but when he needs help, he finds himself in complete isolation.

The Window, originally released by RKO and now "saved" by Warner Brothers, is classic American film noir, a top-notch thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

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