''Night Has a Thousand Eyes'' is a 1948 American horror film directed by

John Farrow John Villiers Farrow, KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, in 1942 he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

and starring Edward G. Robinson,

Gail Russell Gail Russell (born Betty Gale Russell; September 21, 1924 – August 26, 1961) was an American film and television actress. Early years Gail Russell was born to George and Gladys (Barnet) Russell in Chicago and then moved to the Los Angeles ...

and John Lund. The screenplay was written by

Barré Lyndon Barré Lyndon (pseudonym of Alfred Edgar) (12 August 1896 – 23 October 1972) was a British playwright and screenwriter. The pseudonym was presumably taken from the title character of Thackeray's 1844 novel. Born in London, he may be best rem ...

and Jonathan Latimer. The film is based on the novel of the same name by

Cornell Woolrich Cornell George Hopley Woolrich ( ; December 4, 1903 – September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. He sometimes used the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr., rated Woolrich th ...

, originally published under the pseudonym George Hopley.. Retrieved February 23, 2022. The film features the original

Angels Flight Angels Flight is a landmark and historic narrow gauge funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It has two funicular cars, named ''Olivet'' and ''Sinai'', that run in opposite directions on a shared ...

on Bunker Hill in Downtown Los Angeles as a location.

Plot

Late one night in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, oil geologist Elliott Carson witnesses his girlfriend, heiress Jean Courtland, attempt suicide by leaping before an oncoming train, but manages to stop her. Afterward, the two go to have dinner at a restaurant, where they encounter John Triton, an acquaintance of Jean who claims to be

clairvoyant Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...

. Elliott accuses John of attempting to drive Jean to kill herself by foretelling her death, with the intention of stealing her fortune. To convince Elliott otherwise, John recounts a story from twenty years before. In the story, John, his fiancée Jenny, and Whitney Courtland (Jean's father) are touring with a magic act when John discovers his ability to see future events. Upon deciding that John's psychic gifts are legitimate, Whitney uses him to make gambling decisions and play the stock market, amassing a small fortune in the process. During one of their performances, John has a vision of Jenny's death following the birth of their child. Hoping to spare her life, John leaves Jenny with Whitney, and advises him to purchase a plot of land in Oklahoma. Jenny and Whitney eventually marry and conceive their daughter, Jean, but Jenny dies during childbirth, leaving Whitney a widowed father. John proceeds to recount to Elliott that three months earlier, he read a newspaper article about Whitney, who, after striking oil on his Oklahoma property and growing immensely wealthy, relocated to Bunker Hill and established a business there. After having a vision in which Whitney dies in a plane crash, John relocates to Bunker Hill, hoping to find his old friend, as well as Jean. John eventually reaches Jean and attempts to warn her of her father's fate, but is too late. Whitney dies in a plane crash in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

before Jean can speak with him. John's premonition seems to have come true, so he entrusts Jean to him, and, knowing he was a friend of her father's, she asks him if he is able to see her fate as well. John informs Jean that she will die within one week on a clear night under the stars. After John finishes telling his story to Jean and Elliott, Elliott visits the police to inquire about John's past. The police inform Elliott that Whitney's plane propeller shaft was tampered with, suggesting the crash may have been orchestrated. Meanwhile, a terrified Jean, believing she is about to die, begs John to stay with her at the Courtland estate. Also staying at the home are a group of oil workers who planned to merge with the Courtland oil interests, and are now attempting to locate paperwork. While staying at the residence, John has a premonition of his own death by gunshot, as well as disparate details of Jean's impending death, which will occur at the feet of a lion. During the night, an unseen assailant attempts to smother Jean to death in her bed, but she survives. The next evening, John is interrogated by police. Meanwhile, at the Courtland estate, a fearful Jean awaits the impending eleven o'clock hour, the time John believes she is to die. Minutes before the clock strikes eleven, a killer advances the hands of the home's grandfather clock, causing it to chime preemptively. Jean breathes a sigh of relief, believing she has been spared and then steps into the garden. Moments later, the assailant attacks her, but John thwarts the murder attempt, only to be shot to death by police who arrive on the scene and assume him to be an accomplice. The assailant is revealed to be one of the oil workers who opposed the Courtland merger. At the crime scene, Elliott locates a letter from John's pocket detailing his own death, which he foresaw occurring while saving Jean's life.

Cast

Production

Filming of ''Night Has a Thousand Eyes'' took place in

. The film features the original

funicular railway A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

in Los Angeles' Bunker Hill.

Release

''Night Has a Thousand Eyes'' was first released theatrically in England, opening on September 17, 1948 in Exeter. It subsequently opened in London and

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

, England on October 1, 1948. It premiered in New York City on October 13, 1948, and in Los Angeles on October 20, 1948.

Critical response

Leonard Mendlowitz of the ''

Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph The ''Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph'' was an evening daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1927 to 1960. Part of the Hearst newspaper chain, it competed with ''The Pittsburgh Press'' and the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' until bein ...

'' gave the film a favorable review, deeming it "a completely unbelievable piece of hocus-pocus

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

turns out to be better than fair movie material due to its fine cast and taut direction." The film is generally praised for its gloomy adaptation of Woolrich's writing. In his book ''Art of Noir'',

Eddie Muller Eddie Muller (born October 15, 1958) is an American writer based in San Francisco. He is known for writing books about movies, particularly film noir, and is the host of Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Early life and education Muller ...

writes: "No film more faithfully captured Woolrich's sense of doomed predestination than ''Night Has a Thousand Eyes''." '' Time Out Film Guide'', however (in spite of praising the cinematography by John F. Seitz), gives the thriller a negative review: "Aside from the fine opening sequence -- Lund's rescue of Gail Russell from the brink of suicide, and discovery of her mortal terror of the stars -- a disappointing adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's superb novel."''TimeOut''
film review, no date. Accessed July 5, 2013.

Music

The film's main theme (written by Jerry Brainin and

Buddy Bernier Henry 'Buddy' Bernier (April 21, 1910 – June 18, 1983) was an American lyricist born in Watertown, New York, who was mainly active during the 1940s and 1950s. He came from a show business family and had two sisters, Daisy and Peggy who were each a ...

) became a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

standard, having been recorded by

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

Harry Beckett Harold Winston "Harry" Beckett (30 May 1935 – 22 July 2010) was a British trumpeter and flugelhorn player of Barbadian origin. Biography Born in Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados, Harry Beckett learned to play music in a Salvation Army ...

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " Take Five". He ...

and

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

, among others.

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * *
''Night Has a Thousand Eyes''
on

Screen Directors Playhouse ''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcas ...

: February 27, 1949
''Night Has a Thousand Eyes''
on

Philip Morris Playhouse ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' is a 30-minute old-time radio dramatic anthology series.Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . P. 214. The program " nerally .. ...

: August 19, 1953 {{DEFAULTSORT:Night Has A Thousand Eyes 1948 films 1948 drama films 1948 horror films 1940s fantasy films 1940s American films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films American drama films American fantasy films American horror films Film noir Films about magic and magicians Films about precognition Films based on American novels Films based on works by Cornell Woolrich Films directed by John Farrow Films scored by Victor Young Paramount Pictures films Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Oklahoma Films shot in Los Angeles