Shawn Spencer I generally like Loretta Young, but unfortunately this script requires such dumb behavior on her part, that I found myself getting angry with her stupidity rather than the clumsy machinations of the villain.Barry Sullivan is largely wasted in this one note performance, he was so good in Tension.Irving Bacon adds some much-needed comic relief as a whiny postman who talks the ears off everyone on his route.A similar story and situation has been brought to life far more enjoyably in Sorry, Wrong Number and Gaslight which I highly recommend.Although the film is only 74 minutes long, it still seems to drag. There are some drawn-out scenes with a neighbor kid on a trike who I guess was supposed to add a cuteness factor, but didn't really advance the plot at all.

LeonLouisRicci As the 1950's started to Unfold many Folks, who could Afford it, moved to the Suburbs and caught in the Tailwind was Film-Noir. For Better or Worse, mostly Worse, it became the Death Noll of the Genre, or at least a Transformation, or to be more Cynical, a Devolution. This Reminds of an Alfred Hitchcock Hour Episode. MGM, by this Time, had Relegated its B-Unit to these types of "Noirs" that RKO and WB were Proudly Producing for Years as MGM Snubbed the Trend as Beneath Them.But here it is, a Vehicle for the Fading Beauty and Star Power of the Screen Queen Loretta Young. It is a Little Film in all Respects. Shot on the Cheap in a Couple of Weeks it manages to Create a Pretty Good Suspenser. Miss Young Looks Ridiculous pushing a Vacuum Cleaner but Quickly Collapses and gets Sucked Under from the Stress of an Invalid Husband Slowly Losing His Mind. She Completely Loses it and comes Unglued, Panics, and with Great Anxiety tries Unsuccessfully to Retrieve an Incriminating Letter. It all Ends with a Twist Worthy of Hitchcock Hour, Twilight Zone, Thriller, and E.C. Comics that became so Popular.Just Wondering, since this was a Movie and TV was an Emerging Competition, was it Intentional to have a "Little Toy TV" as a Symbol for a Little Novelty Unworthy of Cinema? It's so Tiny and Insignificant. Ironically this Film was Exactly the Type of Production that Television would Adapt and Prophet on Forever.

Lawson The premise sounded a bit far-fetched at first but upon further consideration, I think the story of a demented but cunning man wanting to frame his wife for his suicide could make a plausible movie even if it were set in current times (or at least an episode of CSI). Set in the 50's though, it all comes across as a tad too silly, when Loretta Young runs around pleading for the letter from whomever it's with. 5I'm not really a fan of Young's acting, probably because she's often pigeonholed as a put-upon wife, which is a pretty limited role. At least her Oscar win for The Farmer's Daughter for playing a Swedish-farmgirl- turned-congresswoman was quite deserved - it was a juicy part and she was great with it.

Kenneth Anderson I've never cared for Loretta Young but I really LOVE this movie…though I suspect for all the wrong reasons.Fans of film noir may go for the voice-over narration of a hard-boiled private eye, but me, I'm a sucker for a film that features the breathless, panicky narration of a woman in distress (like Doris Day in the 1956 film, "Julie"). Loretta Young narrates "Cause for Alarm!" and the exclamation point in title is no blunder. The film starts out at fever pitch and never lets up to rather hilarious effect.Young plays a perfect 50s housewife who endures one exceptionally crappy, hot summer day. Young is married to Barry Sullivan, a terminally ill, verbally abusive husband who is also suffering from paranoid delusions (he wasn't always that way, a brief flashback shows how they met "cute" when he was just a creepily slimy suitor heavy on charm and low on friendship loyalty). Young's general twitchiness gives way to full out hysteria when, in rather rapid order, her unstable hubby pulls a gun on her and accuses her of conspiring with the doctor (Sullivan's former friend whom he stole Young away from) to kill him. What's more, Sullivan has had her unwittingly mail an incriminating letter to the D.A. detailing his allegations. When he inconveniently (or conveniently, after all, he was going to shoot her) drops dead in a way that will only serve to seal her doom, Young spends the rest of the film tying herself into knots trying to keep his death a secret and get that letter back.It's clear that all of this is supposed to be dramatic as hell, but Young's performance is so earnest and her missteps so consistent, that it plays like a Carol Burnett skit. It's hilarious and wildly enjoyable even if you do prefer to take it seriously.Adding to the comedy is the fact that the nastiness of the circumstances and Sullivan's bullying cruelty contrasts so sharply with the nostalgically artificial-looking neighborhood they live in (favored by TV shows like "Father Knows Best" and "The Donna Reed Show"). Watching Young and Sullivan spar is like watching a Rod Serling version of those old Folger coffee commercials where the husband's criticism of his wife's coffee always struck me as masking a deeper hostility.Peppered throughout are some great bit parts like Sullivan's nosy aunt Clara ( "A man wrapped up himself makes a very small package!"), and my favorite, a really cute neighbor child (cute because he is so odd and endearingly natural on camera) who calls himself Hoppy. He is such a doll and a welcome relief from the kind of Disney Channel androids that pass for child actors today.To say that I find it impossible to take the film seriously is not to say it isn't good. No, in fact it's rather excellent. Even as you're giggling over Young's clumsy lies to the postman, her neat as a pin kitchen, and high-strung hand-wringing, you can't help but root for her. I've seen it many times and never tire of watching it. Of course I'm laughing my head off all the while, but a film that entertains is a film that entertains, right?