Sorry, Wrong Number

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1h 29m

Mystery & Thriller

List

86%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

78%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Due to a telephone glitch, Leona Stevenson (Barbara Stanwyck), a controlling heiress confined to a wheelchair, overhears a conversation about a plan to kill a woman. Unable to leave her home or reach her husband (Burt Lancaster), and written off by the police, Leona struggles to uncover the truth through a series of phone calls that only lead her deeper into a mystery, which may involve her college rival, Sally (Ann Richards), and a scheme to sell pharmaceuticals on the black market.

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

A shocker that grips the emotions from the first foot of film.

Jun 20, 2019

Full Review

Ed Park

Village Voice

Number derives sleek hysteria from its audaciously constraining narrative strategy.

Jan 2, 2008

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

To make a movie of Lucille Fletcher's classic radio play was really to betray its best idea: that sound, not sight, is the truly paranoid sense.

Jan 2, 2008

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...periodically compelling yet mostly underwhelming...

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 4, 2021

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Stanwyck was too strong to play this simpering role.

Oct 10, 2008

Full Review

TV Guide

Both Lancaster and Stanwyck are excellent.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 2, 2008

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S R

Saw this after the TCM introduction. It was a different type of noir story that kept me interested.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sorry wrong number Out of all the Stanwyck movies this is my least favorite. Even though it tries to build up suspense it fails miserably with its incoherent plot development. On one hand its not difficult to follow the villain's motives while on the other hand it lacks simple logic. For example : A bedridden invalid who can still walk isn't really as vulnerable as someone who truly lost these functions and makes no sense as to why she couldn't get out of bed. Also if anyone overhears what they believe to be a murder plot , wouldn't it make more sense to report this to the police first? Instead we get to watch Barbara Stanwyck talking to everyone else except someone who could have been helpful towards her cause. Lancaster's character was also portrayed poorly. The Doormat personality just didn't suit him . Overall the film created more confusion than offering any believable solutions to the problems at hand. Towards the end we witness a heightened moment of conflict only to be let down by the finale. I came out feeling disappointed and let down. Once you've watched this movie it just isn't worth a rewatch. Therefore I wouldn't recommend it

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Sorry, Wrong Number" works effectively as a straightforward thriller, reeling us into a story of intrigue and betrayal that gets darker and more insidious with each morbid development. In a fashion that suggests the intermingling of standard noir with Hitchcockian suspense, the film cleverly offers the convention of the telephone up as a conduit into a seamy world of criminality and duplicity which is perpetually edging itself ever closer to the vulnerable life of the beleaguered Stanwyk character. Although some puzzling convolutions and quirky arbitrary details do ensue amidst an over-the-top style that at times takes itself too seriously, we find ourselves generally bound in the spell of the film as it works its way inexorably towards the horrifying significance of its title.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

dave s

Barbara Stanwyck plays Leona, the spoiled daughter of a pharmaceutical magnate. An invalid confined to her bed, she overhears a murder plot on the telephone when the lines get crossed and begins to believe that she is the intended victim. Sorry, Wrong Number has a great premise and a ton of potential, but tends to sink under its own weight. The primary problem is the considerable number of flashbacks used, may of them containing unnecessary information, to set up the motivation for the killing. Further compounding matters is the fact that the most unlikable character in the film, and there are a lot of unlikable characters, is the bedridden protagonist, so much so that you will find yourself anxious to see her get her just deserts. By the time things come to the logical conclusion, you may find yourself cheering for the bad guys, which was probably not the intent of the filmmakers.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I am a HUGE Barbara Stanwyck fan! She never disappoints! Don't bother with the tepid remake. This film version is the gold standard.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

paul d

Anatole Litvak's Sorry, Wrong Number is a great suspense film and crime melodrama. Lucille Fletcher's script is chock full of colorful characters, multiple plot lines, and layers of complexity that are revealed as it moves along. Burt Lancaster is excellent and Barbara Stanwyck outstanding, at the top of her game. The film is shot beautifully, with wonderful panning shots and other camera movements that heighten the tension and provide context and perspective. The close-ups, shadows and other lighting tricks are film noir at its finest.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Anatole Litvak

Director

Barbara Stanwyck

Leona Stevenson

Burt Lancaster

Henry J. Stevenson

Ann Richards

Sally Lord

Wendell Corey

Doctor Alexander

Ed Begley

James B. Cotterell

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Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - A Controlling Father-in-Law

2:07

Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - I, Leona, Take Thee, Henry

1:52

Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - More Important Than Me?

2:13

Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - I Want You to Scream

2:13

Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - Overhearing the Murder Plot

1:38

Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - Someone at the Door

1:03

Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - There's Someone in This House

2:09

Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - The Telegram

1:13

Sorry, Wrong Number: Official Clip - What Does a Dame Like You Want with a Guy Like Me?

2:11

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Synopsis

Due to a telephone glitch, Leona Stevenson (Barbara Stanwyck), a controlling heiress confined to a wheelchair, overhears a conversation about a plan to kill a woman. Unable to leave her home or reach her husband (Burt Lancaster), and written off by the police, Leona struggles to uncover the truth through a series of phone calls that only lead her deeper into a mystery, which may involve her college rival, Sally (Ann Richards), and a scheme to sell pharmaceuticals on the black market.

Director: Anatole Litvak
Screenwriter: Lucille Fletcher
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 1, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 13, 2017
Runtime: 1h 29m

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