For most people, the 1955 version of The Desperate Hours is remembered as the film that features Humphrey Bogart’s last tough guy role. For myself, it’s the film that reminds me of Fredric March. I watched The Desperate Hours when I was first getting into movies, so none of the actors involved–with the exception of Bogie–were familiar to me. A few years later and I’m a huge fan of Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy and Gig Young! How about that?
The Desperate Hours is a taut, exciting crime drama, expertly directed by William Wyler. The plot revolves around an ordinary suburban family, whose life is shockingly disrupted when three escaped convicts break into their home and hold them hostage while waiting for some getaway money to arrive. Bogie plays Glenn Griffin, the leader of the convicts, while March is the levelheaded, yet tense, father who attempts to hold his family together. As a criminal, Bogie is always good. I’ve never really seen him phone in a performance (although the bizarre 1939 horror flick, The Return of Dr. X, ranks pretty high on that list) and the character of Glenn is what Duke Manatee (from The Petrified Forest) would be like had he grown older. Yet, it’s Fredric March who really made the movie for me.
I owe my love of Fredric March to this film. A few years later when I viewed The Desperate Hours again, I realized what a powerful actor March was. As Dan Hillard, he appears cool under pressure–yet, you know that it’s all an act. He’s terrified that one wrong move will affect the fate of his family, and he does all he can to protect them. Can you imagine going to work while your wife and kids are back home, being held hostage by three gun-toting nuts? In one particular scene, March’s talents are on full display. After being visited by son Ralphie’s schoolteacher, March must pretend that the convicts lurking in the house are old friends that he met that afternoon in the bar. Adding to that, Ralphie has given his teacher a note describing the situation, disguised as homework. When March spots it, he must take it away before she leaves the house. And if that weren’t enough, he leeringly asks the teacher to “join the party!” as a cover for his nervous state. It’s marvelous, layered acting on March’s part.
Surprisingly though, March’s participation in The Desperate Hours almost never happened. The role of Dan Hillard was originally meant for Bogie’s good friend, Spencer Tracy. Since both of them were used to top billing, neither wanted to concede that first above-the-title spot to the other. And so, Tracy was out and March (who was pretty much second or third billed in all his later movies) was in. And thank goodness for that! While I love Spencer Tracy, there’s just something about Fredric March that grabs me. He’s a brilliant actor who always manages to find the heart of his characters, no matter what the situation. While he’s notable for so many wonderful films (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, A Star is Born, The Best Years of Our Lives and Inherit the Wind to name a few), one of my favorite performances is his portrayal of Jean Valjean in 1935’s Les Misérables, a movie I thought I would never like. Yet, it’s March’s skills as an actor that draw me in and make me care about this escaped French prisoner who creates a new life for himself. I’m not one for historical epics, but I love Fredric March in them. Go figure.
Oddly enough, the backstory of The Desperate Hours originated from a real life hostage situation that took place in 1952. After reading about it in the papers, writer Joseph Hayes then turned the story of the Hill family into a 1953 novel and then wrote the script for the Broadway play. Directed by Robert Montgomery and starring Karl Malden and Paul Newman in the March and Bogie parts, The Desperate Hours won Tony awards for Best Director (Montgomery) and the Best Play of 1955.
Using the real house of the Hills (who had since moved away after the incident) and the cast of the Broadway play, Life magazine published an article that recreated many scenes from their ordeal. However, the Hills then sued Life magazine for falsifying the article. The magazine stated that the Hills were assaulted and sworn at–claims that the family’s patriarch chalked up to being false. In fact, the Hills were treated rather civilly by the convicts (but that wouldn’t make a good story now, would it?). The case wound up bouncing back and forth in court–at one point, the Hill’s attorney was future president Richard Nixon–with both sides winning and losing at different points. In the end, the case just fizzled out and the results were unknown. Either the Hills abandoned the suit or settled out of court with Time, Inc., the publishers of Life magazine.
Despite the real life drama, the film version of The Desperate Hours turned out to be a hit. Much of the credit is due to William Wyler, who has a knack for making the most mundane scene interesting. A few weeks ago, I wrote about Gig Young’s experience in this film. While exhausting for an actor, Wyler’s strict attention to detail and demands of multiple takes pay off in the end. In the wrong hands, The Desperate Hours could have flopped, becoming boring or mundane during the middle section–but it doesn’t. If anything, the tension builds from the moment the convicts enter the Hillard’s home. There are also some interesting subplots that give the story even more emotional weight: the history between Deputy Sheriff Jesse Bard (Arthur Kennedy) and Glenn Griffin, Dan’s dislike of his daughter Cindy’s (Mary Murphy) 
boyfriend Chuck (Gig Young), and the tragic relationship between brothers Dan and Hal (Dewey Martin), which ultimately leads to Hal’s death. From the supporting cast, Robert Middleton plays the slimy, unhinged convict, Sam. Of the three, he’s the loose cannon, the one to watch out for. Sam is almost childlike in nature, yet he’s the first one to resort to extreme violence which culminates in the murder of an innocent bystander. In so many films, Middleton excels at playing heinous criminal types and here he’s no exception. You find yourself despising him throughout the film and cheer when he finally gets his just desserts.
Wyler also knew how to lighten the tension, albeit briefly. By using one of Ralphie’s friends, he interjects little slices of humor throughout the first half of the film. After picking up Middleton from an afternoon excursion, March pulls into the driveway. Noticing that Ralphie’s football playing friends are there, he then swats them away, causing one of the kids to turn to the others and whine, “Guys, what did I do?” It’s gives the viewer a brief chuckle before turning back to the situation at hand. In another tense drama, 1951’s Detective Story, Wyler employed the same technique with the shoplifiting character played by Lee Grant. Without the slight humor that these characters offer, the tension throughout both films would be practically unbearable. After all, it is a movie–not real life!
It’s also interesting to note that in the script, the part of Glenn was aged considerably so that Bogie could play it. On Broadway, Paul Newman created the role–yet in 1955, he didn’t have much of a film career and I’m sure Wyler wasn’t willing to take a risk on a virtual unknown. Until that point, Newman had done mostly television and Broadway work (he made his Broadway debut in 1953’s Picnic). The only film on his resume was 1954’s historical drama, The Silver Chalice, which embarrassed him so much, Newman took out an ad in a trade paper apologizing for his performance. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if Paul Newman was cast in the part of the Glenn. Can you imagine being taken hostage by him? Seriously, now!
Despite my silly meanderings, The Desperate Hours is a great film and one that’s well worth your time. It was remade in 1990, but as with all remakes, they’re somewhat trite and meaningless when you compare it to the original. And the original has it all: a great script, well-thought out characterizations of three desperate men and a family in crisis, as well as a nail-biting conclusion. And of course, there’s the wonderful acting between Bogie and March, who play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse near the end of the film. Unlike so many movies that I write about, I refuse to spoil the ending here. You’ll just have to watch it for yourself.
Well, seeing that gratuitous pic of Paul shirtless is a nice way to start your morning
. My mom loves him (and his various salad dressings which are all very good) so I sent the pic to her, she’ll get a kick out of it too.
I have one of Frederic March’s early talkies, True to the Navy (1930) with Clara Bow. Do you have that one? If you don’t I can send you a copy. I got a whole set of her films off ebay and have copied them for several others so I don’t mind.
Great film. This was an early exposure to March as well. If my memory serves me right this was almost as much his film as Bogie’s. Another March film I remember (as it’s pretty rare) is “An Act of Murder.” Pretty good and still has meaning today.
I always liked this one because Bogie played a different kind of bad guy. It wasn’t literally the gangster type but still determined and, it seemed, a hint of fear. More mind games than violence makes it very interesting.
Good choice.
I saw this movie within the last year or so, so was very interested to read your review, with all the background information. Great stuff, as ever. I mainly remember Bogie’s performance – he looks quite ill in this movie, but still gives off an air of menace. I did like March too, although I found the little boy, Ralphie, a bit annoying. (I hadn’t even taken in the fact that the daughter’s boyfriend was Gig Young until reading your review – and I thought the only movie I’d seen him in was ‘Come Fill the Cup’…)
One thing that struck me while watching it was how agonisingly slowly everything unfolds – cranking up the tension unbearably by the end. I think you’re right to link it to ‘The Petrified Forest’, which has the same feeling of endless waiting, and another great performance by Bogart of course.
Meant to add that I also liked the picture of Paul Newman – and would love to go back in time and see him play the part on Broadway!
Thanks for the Life magazine photos.
I originally saw this movie years ago when I was going to school in London, and it’s stayed with me all this time. I watched it a few months ago, now knowing who Fredric March is and enjoying it for another reason. The first time I saw it I was most impressed with Bogart and the overall tension of the film, but this recent time I, too, was sitruck by March’s layered performance. One of the things I notice about every Fredric March perfomance is that his characters are always thinking. That sounds silly, I suppose, but there’s a depth to his characters that I don’t see all that often in others — then or now. He listens, he thinks, he responds, and he thinks. (I’ve always thought that a smart actor can play a stupid character, but an inherently stupid actor will never be able to realistically portray a genius.)
And as much as I love Paul Newman, he would have been completely wrong as Bogart’s character.
Angie, I thought someone would like the gratuitous picture of Paul! You know, I’ve never tried any of his food items, although I heard that his lemonade is pretty good.
I may be moving in a few weeks, so would you mind if I contacted you at a later date about the “True to the Navy”? I’d love to get a copy though, as his early talkies are pretty rare to come by! Thank you so much for the offer!
Chris, I agree with you about Bogie. Perhaps it’s because he’s older, but there’s a kind of weariness to his character that he never had in any of his early films. I think the subplot with his brother also added to it, since his character suddenly showed some vulnerability–especially when he decides to leave the house and strike out on his own.
The ending is pretty awesome though. It’s great to see the tables turn on him and March get the upper hand!
Judy, aren’t little kids in classic films always annoying? It’s not a popular opinion (I think) but Margaret O’Brien drives me up the wall. My limit of her is one movie per month and even that’s pushing it.
And I always thought that Gig Young’s character was too old for the daughter and that Fredric March had every right to be against their relationship. That’s the fuddy duddy in me talking. But the ending was nice–although, I always figured there had to be some kind of psychological damage to the family afterwards. Would the wife ever want to be left home by herself again?
To me, that’s a sign of a really good movie, where you worry about the characters after “The End” appears on the screen.
Paula, I think Paul Newman would have been completely wrong because let’s face it–he’s really too handsome for the part. By the end, the mother and the daughter would have been fighting over him. Ha! On a more serious note, he didn’t have that menacing air that Bogie did.
Isn’t it exciting when you re-watch a movie and fall in love with an actor? When I saw this one again, I couldn’t believe how good Fredric March was. I agree with you that his characters are always thinking. To be honest, you hit exactly on the characteristic that I was trying to express, but couldn’t come up with the right words for. That’s why he’s always so watchable and interesting. Every time I watch one of his movies, I’m always wondering why I like him so much and now I know. Thanks!
Yes, I agree the little kids in classic movies are often annoying – there was a far-too-unbearably-sweet little girl in ‘The Prisoner of Devil’s Island’, starring Warner Baxter, although luckily she didn’t have many scenes!
I don’t think I’ve seen many movies with Margaret O’Brien as yet, though I have seen her in a short with James Cagney where she plays his daughter (‘You, John Jones’)… and, yep, she’s quite annoying in that. I also feel a bit uneasy when the kids have to cry a lot, like poor Jackie Cooper in ‘The Champ’, where apparently everyone was being horrible to him to make him cry more.
Judy, I’ve never seen that Cagney “You, John Jones!” short. In fact, it wasn’t until reading about it in the Cagney community that I knew he was even in it. And I’ve seen it listed on TCM so many times.
I’m not sure if you’re into musicals, but “Meet Me in St. Louis” is the only Margaret O’Brien movie i can watch over and over. She’s a good child actress, but there’s something about her voice that makes me want to start randomly hitting people.
Sorry for the extremely late reply, but Paul Newman actually received rave reviews for his performance as Glenn. I actually saw this on Broadway as a drama student (showing my age). He was originally billed third or fourth (being a new comer), but due to the critics absolutely loving his role, the producers had to elevate him to top billing!! Behind the perfect face and beautiful blue eyes, Newman gave Glenn a lurking, wild, animalistic streak that perhaps made him far more dangerous than Bogie could have. Very similar to the character he played in Hud.
That was always the trouble with Newman. He was so incredibly handsome and sexy that no one took him seriously in roles where he was required to be evil and nasty. Yet the Desperate Hours remains one of his highest-acclaimed performances in theatre or on film.
Just because he is good looking, never discount him.
I just saw that the house has passed a resolution to honor Paul Newman. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090225/ap_en_mo/paul_newman_resolution.
I did a google image search for “Paul Newman and The Long Hot Summer.” Your still from the movie is the exact moment I fell in love with Paul Newman. It was a couple years ago so I was about 25 at the time, and I had never really gotten into classic movies. It was late and I was doing some housework with TCM on and there he was… What a handsome man.