**”Don’t Bother to Knock”** (1952) is a psychological thriller film that showcases Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest dramatic roles, marking a departure from the lighter comedic roles she had been known for up to that point. Directed by Roy Ward Baker, the film is a suspenseful character study that demonstrates Monroe’s versatility as an actress, portraying a deeply troubled young woman whose psychological instability drives the plot.
### Film Details:
– **Title**: Don’t Bother to Knock
– **Release Year**: 1952
– **Genre**: Psychological Thriller, Drama
– **Director**: Roy Ward Baker
– **Screenplay**: Daniel Taradash (based on the novel “Mischief” by Charlotte Armstrong)
– **Cinematography**: Lucien Ballard
– **Production Company**: 20th Century Fox
– **Runtime**: 76 minutes
### Main Cast:
– **Marilyn Monroe** as Nell Forbes
– **Richard Widmark** as Jed Towers
– **Anne Bancroft** as Lyn Lesley
– **Elisha Cook Jr.** as Eddie Forbes
– **Donna Corcoran** as Bunny Jones
– **Jeanne Cagney** as Rochelle Jones
### Plot Summary:
The film is set in a New York City hotel, where **Nell Forbes** (Marilyn Monroe), a disturbed young woman, has just been hired as a babysitter for the night. Nell’s uncle, **Eddie** (Elisha Cook Jr.), is an elevator operator at the hotel and recommends her for the job. She is tasked with looking after **Bunny** (Donna Corcoran), the young daughter of **Rochelle Jones** (Jeanne Cagney) and her husband.
Meanwhile, in another part of the hotel, **Jed Towers** (Richard Widmark), a jaded airline pilot, has just broken up with his girlfriend, **Lyn Lesley** (Anne Bancroft), who is a nightclub singer performing at the hotel. While nursing his wounds, Jed notices Nell in the room across the way from his window and, intrigued by her beauty, decides to strike up a conversation.
As the night progresses, Jed discovers that Nell is not simply a lonely young woman, but someone suffering from deep psychological trauma. Haunted by the loss of her fiancé in a plane crash, Nell has grown increasingly unhinged, and her behavior becomes more erratic and dangerous as she interacts with both Bunny and Jed. What starts as a flirtation turns into a tense and disturbing encounter, as Jed realizes that Nell’s mental instability poses a threat to the child she is supposed to be caring for. The suspense builds as Nell’s fragile mental state spirals out of control, leading to a dramatic and emotional climax.
### Marilyn Monroe’s Role:
Monroe’s portrayal of **Nell Forbes** is a significant departure from the glamorous roles that had characterized her early career. As Nell, Monroe delves into a complex character who is deeply troubled and emotionally vulnerable. The role allowed Monroe to showcase her acting range, portraying Nell with a mixture of fragility, desperation, and latent menace.
Nell is depicted as a woman struggling with the trauma of losing her fiancé, and this loss has pushed her into a state of psychological instability. Monroe’s performance is nuanced, capturing both the innocence and the dangerous unpredictability of Nell’s character. The role was a turning point for Monroe, as it demonstrated her ability to handle serious, emotionally charged material, a stark contrast to the lighter, comedic roles that had made her famous up until that point.
### Themes:
– **Mental Illness**: One of the central themes of the film is mental illness and its effects on individuals and those around them. Nell’s fragile mental state is the driving force behind the film’s tension, as her unresolved trauma leads her to behave in increasingly erratic and dangerous ways.
– **Isolation and Despair**: The film also explores themes of loneliness and emotional isolation. Both Nell and Jed are characters who are struggling with their own forms of despair—Nell with her mental health and Jed with his emotional detachment following his breakup. Their encounter forces them to confront these feelings, though with very different outcomes.
– **The Fragility of Appearances**: Monroe’s character is introduced as a seemingly ordinary, even attractive young woman, but as the night progresses, her inner turmoil is revealed. The film plays on the idea that people are often not what they seem on the surface, and the veneer of normalcy can mask deep psychological issues.
### Reception:
**”Don’t Bother to Knock”** was well-received by critics, especially for Monroe’s performance, which was praised for its depth and complexity. It marked a key moment in Monroe’s career, demonstrating that she could handle dramatic roles and perform beyond the typecasting that had characterized much of her early work. Her portrayal of Nell Forbes helped Monroe gain recognition as a serious actress, showing a vulnerability and emotional range that audiences had not yet seen.
Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft also received praise for their performances, with Widmark’s portrayal of the cynical, but ultimately sympathetic, Jed Towers providing a solid counterpoint to Monroe’s troubled Nell. Bancroft, in her first film role, brought depth to the character of Lyn Lesley, the woman Jed has just broken up with, showcasing her own talent in what would become a long and distinguished career.
### Legacy:
**”Don’t Bother to Knock”** is remembered today as a key film in Marilyn Monroe’s development as an actress. It provided her with an opportunity to break away from the stereotype of the “dumb blonde” and explore darker, more emotionally demanding material. While the film is often overshadowed by Monroe’s more famous roles in the years that followed, it remains an important part of her filmography for the way it showcased her dramatic potential.
The film is also notable for its suspenseful atmosphere, tightly crafted by director Roy Ward Baker, who uses the confined hotel setting to great effect in building tension. **”Don’t Bother to Knock”** is a blend of noir and psychological thriller, offering a gripping narrative and a compelling look at the dangers of untreated mental illness.
### Fun Fact:
**Anne Bancroft**, who played Lyn Lesley, made her feature film debut in **”Don’t Bother to Knock”**. She would go on to become one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed actresses, winning an Academy Award for her role in **”The Miracle Worker”** (1962) and earning further fame for her iconic performance in **”The Graduate”** (1967).
Overall, **”Don’t Bother to Knock”** remains a powerful and engaging film that highlighted Monroe’s dramatic talents, marking an important step in her evolution as an actress capable of much more than the glamorous, comedic roles she was initially known for.
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