“Witness to Murder” (1954) / Z-View

Witness to Murder (1954)

Director:  Roy Rowland

Screenplay:  Chester Erskine, Nunnally Johnson (uncredited)

Starring:  Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, Gary Merrill,  Jesse White and Claude Akins

Tagline: No one would believe what she saw that night… not the police… not her friends… no one — but the murderer himself!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Looking out of her window one evening, Cheryl Draper (Stanwyck) witnesses a murder committed in an apartment across the way.  The murderer sees the police arrive, and by the time they get to his room, he’s hidden the body in an empty apartment.  Albert Richter (Sanders) greets the police as if he’s been awakened from a sound sleep and he couldn’t be more accommodating.  The police report back to Miss Draper that she was mistaken.

The next day Miss Draper sees Richter putting a trunk into his car and driving away.  She’s convinced that he’s disposing of the body.  Draper decides to get into his apartment to find evidence and then go to the police.  Unfortunately for Cheryl Draper, it’s like the movie’s tag line says: No one believes what she saw that night… not the police… not her friends… no one — but the murderer himself!

Witness to Murder was released in 1954, the same year as Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.  The release year isn’t the only thing the films have in common,  The plots of each have someone witness a murder in an apartment across the way and no one believes it but the murderer.  Hitchcock’s film is a classic, and Witness to Murder is under-rated.

Witness to Murder wastes no time to get the story going.  The black and white photography adds a feeling of menace.  Although Barbara Stanwyck is the first billed star, it is George Sanders who steals the show.  While the “insane” woman aspect of the movie is dated, Sanders’ portrayal of a sociopathic killer who is always steps ahead of the witness and cops could have been written today.  Several familiar faces show up: George Sanders, Gerry Merrill, Jesse White (the Maytag repairman!) and even an unbilled Claude Akins.

Witness to Murder is a fun ride.  Clocking in at a fast-paced one hour and twenty-three minutes, it’s a journey you might enjoy.  I did and that’s why I give Witness to Murder 4 of 5 stars.