Phone Call from a Stranger

In 1950, I.A.R. Wylie wrote her novelette Phone Call from a Stranger, which was originally published in McCall's. 20th Century-Fox obtained the rights to Wylie's story, bringing in one of their top writers, Nunnally Johnson, to adapt the screenplay as well as produce Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), with Jean Negulesco hired on to direct. Phone Call from a Stranger is one of dozens of popular novels and short stories by Ida Alexa Ross Wylie that were adapted into movies including The Young in Heart (1938), Vivacious Lady (1938) and The Foreign Legion (1928). Fox even filmed two versions of her story Grandmother Bernle Learns Her Letters, released with the title Four Sons directed by John Ford in 1928, then directed by Archie Mayo in 1940. Phone Call from a Stranger begins with David Trask (Gary Merrill), one of the few survivors of a commercial airplane crash. Prior to the plane's delayed take-off, Trask becomes acquainted with three of his fellow passengers during an extended layover. Each traveler comes from a unique background with interesting stories to tell and their own personal drama. Binky Gay (Shelley Winters) is a struggling actress dealing with an overbearing mother; Dr. Robert Fortness (Michael Rennie) is finally coming to terms with his role in a fatal car accident for which he previously claimed no responsibility; and Eddie Hoke (Keenan Wynn) is a loud, obnoxious traveling salesman who brags about his young, sexy wife, showing a photo of her in a bathing suit to his fellow travelers. At the end of their time together, the four passengers exchange their addresses in hopes of a reunion one day in the future. Being the lone survivor out of their foursome-- "The Four Musketeers" as Hoke affectionately calls them--Trask decides to contact the surviving families of his three new friends, in hopes of giving them peace of mind and to share what he learned during their brief time together. Writer and producer Nunnally Johnson was a staple at 20th Century-Fox, with an impressive filmography including My Cousin Rachel (1952), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) and The Three Faces of Eve (1957). The Georgia native got his start as a journalist writing short stories and eventually landing in Hollywood as a scriptwriter. Johnson was nominated for two Academy Awards for his writing of The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and Holy Matrimony (1943). Jean Negulesco proved to be an excellent choice to direct Phone Call from a Stranger. Born in Romania, Negulesco made his feature-lenghth directorial debut with Singapore Woman (1941). He later directed Humoresque (1946), starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield, and Johnny Belinda (1948), with Jane Wyman and Lew Ayres - the latter of which earned Negulesco an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Negulesco worked steadily throughout the 1950s, directing almost two dozen feature-length films, including How to Marry a Millionaire (reteaming with Nunnally Johnson), Three Coins in a Fountain (1954), Daddy Long Legs (1955) and A Certain Smile (1958). It may seem odd that a star as big as Bette Davis would have lower billing on a film, especially in the wake of her Academy Award nominated comeback in All About Eve (1950). But Davis was a consummate professional actress and understood the importance of a good part, regardless of its size. The role of Marie Hoke in Phone Call from a Stranger is quite small, but it had a great range and complexity that was enticing to a working actor, such as Davis. For the role of Binky Gay, Johnson originally wanted to cast Lauren Bacall, but when she was unavailable for the production, Johnson turned to Shelley Winters, who was loaned out to Fox from her home studio Universal. Winters was fresh off her Academy Award-nominated role as the tragic Alice Tripp in George Stevens' A Place in the Sun (1951). Winters went on to have a highly successful and varied career, winning a total of two Academy Awards, one for Best Supporting Actress in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), also directed by George Stevens, and for Best Supporting Actress in A Patch of Blue (1965). Her fourth and final nomination came after her outstanding performance in the classic disaster flick The Poseidon Adventure (1972). This was the third and final film collaboration for Davis and her fourth husband, actor Gary Merrill. The couple previously starred together in Another Man's Poison (1951) and All About Eve. Phone Call from a Stranger also features the film debut of famed Broadway actress Beatrice Straight (Claire Fortness), who won the Tony Award for her performance in The Crucible (1953) and later an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Sidney Lumet's Network (1976), making history for her brief, but powerful role as Louise Schumacher, the long-suffering wife of network president Max Schumacher, played by William Holden. While critical reception was mixed, primarily because of the story's fantastical premise, Phone Call from a Stranger was a hit at the box office and features excellent performances from its cast. In 1953, Gary Merrill and Shelley Winters reunited, reprising their roles for a Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the story. Then it was adapted once more in 1956 for television, with Merrill and Virginia Grey under the title Crack Up, including footage of Davis and Merrill from the original theatrical release edited in with the newly filmed material. Director: Jean Negulesco Producer: Nunnally Johnson Screenplay: Nunnally Johnson and I.A.R. Wylie Cinematography: Milton R. Krasner Editing: Hugh S. Fowler Art Direction: J. Russell Spencer and Lyle R. Wheeler Original Music: Franz Waxman Cast: Shelley Winters (Binky Gay), Gary Merrill (David Trask), Bette Davis (Marie Hoke), Michael Rennie (Dr. Robert Fortness) and Keenan Wynn (Eddie Hoke). BW-105m. By Jill Blake