Themes: Work Ethics, Sibling Relationships, Fathers and Sons
Main Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Susan Hayward, Richard Conte, Luther Adler, Paul Valentine
Release Year: 1949
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
House of Strangers is the first of three film versions of Jerome Weidman's I'll Never Go Home Any More, each of which was scripted by Philip Yordan. Edward G. Robinson plays a Giannini-like Italian-American banker, Gino Monetti, who runs roughshod over his four grown sons. The ruthless Gino engages in several illegal activities to build up his business, and is arrested as a result. Though the sons have always been fully aware of their father's questionable business practices, they refuse to help him stay out of prison; led by oldest son Joe (Luther Adler), three of the sons take over the business and kick their father out. Only son Max (Richard Conte) remains loyal to his father, whereupon his three brothers conspire to have Max thrown into prison as well. Max promises the dying Gino that he'll exact vengeance on the treacherous sons; but when he is released, Max hasn't the stomach for revenge, not even after one of his brothers (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) tries to kill him. Max leaves his brothers to stew in their own juices, and heads to California for a new life with his fiancée, Irene Bennett (Susan Hayward). Subsequent film versions of the Jerome Weidman novel included Broken Lance (1954) and The Big Circus (1961). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
House of Strangers is a stylish, powerful but ultimately unsatisfying family drama that benefits from a quartet of top-notch performers and from Joseph L. Mankiewicz's stylish and assured direction. Although Mankiewicz is not credited as a writer, the screenplay for Strangers bears a number of Mankiewicz touches, including an extended flashback (started, as in A Letter to Three Wives, by an aural cue); incisive, character-defining dialogue; and a slight tendency toward over-explaining. It's the last characteristic that tends to hurt Strangers, especially at the end. This is exacerbated by the fact that the climactic change of heart by the lead character comes from nowhere; he goes over territory that he has clearly been over hundreds of times before, but for some reason, this particular time it causes him to do a complete about-face. Of course, the fact that his girlfriend is now involved is a factor, but he has earlier dismissed that element so thoroughly that something more is needed. Fortunately, Edward G. Robinson's commanding presence, Richard Conte's smoothness and strength, Susan Hayward's complex and richly shaded characterization, and Luther Adler's oily opportunism help to overcome the flaws in the script and make Strangers a good, if not great, film. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
House of Strangers (1949) is a film noir, and is the first of three film versions of Jerome Weidman's novel I'll Never Go There Anymore, each scripted by Phillip Yordan. The other versions were the Spencer Tracy western Broken Lance (1954) and The Big Show (1961).
Gino Monetti is a ruthless Italian-American banker who engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons, although knowing about his criminal activities, refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of the sons take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that stays loyal to his father.
The three other brothers don't like that and conspire to send Max to jail as well. Max tries to bribe a juror to save his father Gino and gets disbarred and a stretch of seven years in prison. Although Max promises to get revenge on his brothers, when he is released Max has a change of heart when he realizes that his father had caused all the tension within the family and makes peace with his brothers.
