Classic Horrors Club

If you thought Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954) had the stars, wait until you see Fourteen Hours (1951.) You might have to look a little harder, though. Sure, the headliners are easy to spot, but try to find these uncredited actors among the chaos of a New York street scene as “thousands” of people gather to watch a man standing on a hotel ledge, preparing to jump:

• Richard Beymer (Twin Peaks)
• John Cassavetes (Rosemary’s Baby)
• Ossie Davis (Bubba Ho-Tep)
• Leif Erickson (Invaders from Mars)
• Sandra Gould (Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched)
• Brian Keith (The Parent Trap, Family Affair)
• Harvey Lembeck (Stalag 17)
• John Randolph (Seconds)
• Janice Rule (Bell, Book and Candle)
• Joyce Van Patten (Monkey Shines)

The real headliner, although not at the time (he was billed second), is Richard Basehart, who plays the young man (Robert Cosack) standing on the hotel ledge. Top-billed, but perhaps less well known, is Paul Douglas, who plays the police officer (Charlie Dunnigan) trying to talk him down. Brought to assist is Agnes Moorehead, playing Cossack’s mother, Christine Hill Cosick.

As tragedy could be unfolding in front of their eyes, we follow two unrelated pairs of characters. Out of a cab steps Grace Kelly in her first big screen role as Louise Ann Fuller, a woman on her way to meet her husband, Thomas Edward Fuller (James Warren) at a divorce attorney’s office. Throughout their proceedings, she’s mesmerized by what’s happening outside.

From her vantage point, beautiful young Ruth (Debra Paget) meets beautiful young Danny Klempner (Jeffrey Hunter.) He no sooner invites her to a concert than they’re separated. Later, they’re reunited and will become the last people we see as the camera rises and they walk down the street together through the dispersing crowd.

We never learn exactly what drove Robert to step out of his hotel room, although psychological speculation runs rampant. He won’t listen to any of the doctors or police who try to help him, but he feels an instant bond with Dunnigan, probably because of issue (real or perceived) between him and his father, Paul (Robert Keith.)

Although there’s natural suspense with the “will he or won’t he” aspect of the story, 90 minutes with a man standing on a ledge could feel a little long. Well, not one minute of Fourteen Hours feels long. Plus, the camera work and angles build upon the feeling that anything could happen… in an interesting or stylish way.

Likewise, while there’s inherent drama in the story, there’s the danger of it becoming overly melodramatic. Luckily, there’s not one word I found insincere. The story is credited to Joel Sayre, but the screenplay was written by John Paxton (Murder, My Sweet, 1944.) Suicide by jumping was apparently a sensitive subject in the early 1950s, but it’s not sensationalized here.

This one’s a winner. It features a great cast of up-and-coming actors that we recognize today, It has thrilling direction. It has a compelling story. The tagline offers “a new element in screen suspense” and I can imagine how it must have captivated audiences. It captivated me.