Themes: Therapy, Haunted By the Past, Hostage Situations
Main Cast: Chester Morris, Ralph Bellamy, Ann Dvorak, Joan Perry, Melville Cooper
Release Year: 1939
Country: US
Run Time: 68 minutes
Plot
Blind Alley, directed by Charles Vidor is a chilling psychological drama in the film-noir tradition reminiscent of the fine melodrama The Desperate Hours. Hal Wilson (Chester Morris) is an escaped killer who hides out in the home of noted psychologist Dr. Shelby (Ralph Bellamy). While Wilson's gang holds Shelby's family and servants hostage, the pipe-smoking mental doctor calmly tries to discover the reasons for Wilson's murderous proclivities. As gun moll Mary (Ann Dvorak) covers Shelby, Wilson willingly allows the doctor to psychoanalyze him, using hypnosis to trace the killer's childhood. Blind Alley works as a "film noir" complete with surrealistic dream sequences. A taut story and moody cinematography by Lucien Ballard -- with sharp direction from Vidor, and superlative acting by Morris and Bellamy -- earn this film noir entry a top spot in the genre. The film was remade scene-for-scene in 1949 as The Dark Past, with William Holden as the killer and Lee J. Cobb as the unflappable head shrinker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Lionel Banks - Art Director, Fred Kohlmar - Associate Producer, Robert Kalloch - Costume Designer, Charles Vidor - Director, Otto Meyer - Editor, Morris W. Stoloff - Composer (Music Score), Lucien Ballard - Cinematographer, Michael Blankfort - Screenwriter, Albert Duffy - Screenwriter, Philip MacDonald - Screenwriter, Lewis Meltzer - Screenwriter, James Warwick - Play Author
Blind Alley is a 1939 crime drama film. Chester Morris plays a prison escapee who hides out with his gang in the home of a noted psychologist, played by Ralph Bellamy. Though a prisoner, the doctor begins delving into his captor's psyche. The film was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name by James Warwick. It was remade as The Dark Past, with William Holden taking Morris's role and Lee J. Cobb, Bellamy's.
