Step Down to Terror
| Step Down to Terror | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Harry Keller |
| Written by | Mel Dinelli Czenzi Ormonde Sy Gomberg |
| Based on | story Uncle Charlie by Gordon McDonnell |
| Produced by | Joseph Gershenson |
| Starring | Colleen Miller Charles Drake Rod Taylor |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Edited by | Frank Gross |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Step Down to Terror (also known as The Silent Stranger) is a 1958 American film noir crime film directed by Harry Keller and starring Colleen Miller, Charles Drake and Rod Taylor. It is a remake of the 1943 Alfred Hitchcock film Shadow of a Doubt.[1][2]
Plot
[edit]Johnny Williams (Drake) is a psychotic serial killer who returns to his hometown to visit his mother (Hutchinson) and widowed sister-in-law Helen (Miller), both of whom are ignorant of his criminal past. Johnny hopes to settle down and start life anew, but Helen, her suspicions aroused by visiting detective Mike Randall (Taylor), discovers the truth about her beloved brother-in-law. Failing to talk Helen out of turning him in, Johnny methodically plots her murder. When all his plans fail he drags Helen into his car and drives off with her. Knowing Johnny is going to kill her, Helen grabs the keys, and he is forced to swerve to avoid hitting a boy riding a bike, and is killed in the resulting accident. At the memorial service, as Johnny is lauded as a model citizen, only Helen and Mike know the truth.
Cast
[edit]- Colleen Miller as Helen Walters
- Charles Drake as Johnny Williams Walters
- Rod Taylor as Mike Randall
- Josephine Hutchinson as Mrs. Sarah Walters
- Jocelyn Brando as Lily Kirby
- Alan Dexter as Roy the photographer
- Ricky Kelman as Doug Walters
Production
[edit]At one stage Ross Hunter was going to produce and Donna Reed was going to star.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood, Bear Manor Media 2010 p. 58
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (March 25, 2023). "A Brief History of Hitchcock Remakes". Filmink.
- ^ Schallert, Edwin (May 3, 1957). "Kennedy, Field 'Peyton' Favorites; Big Global Group to Honor Disney". Los Angeles Times. p. 25.
External links
[edit]- Step Down to Terror at IMDb
- Step Down to Terror at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Step Down to Terror at the TCM Movie Database
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