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Cause for Alarm

Play trailer Poster for Cause for Alarm 1951 1h 14m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 30% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
As the delusional George Jones (Barry Sullivan) struggles to recover from a crippling heart attack, he begins to believe his wife, Ellen (Loretta Young), and friend, Dr. Grahame (Bruce Cowling), are planning to kill him in order to be together. George decides to write the authorities about his wife's supposed murder plot. But when he really does die, of health complications, the innocent Ellen realizes that she must stop the letter before she's accused of killing her husband.

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Cause for Alarm

Critics Reviews

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Francois Truffaut Arts (France) 05/06/2022
The solidity of the scenario is sacrificed to effect. But all those effects hit home, perfectly timed, and isn’t that what counts? Go to Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television 11/30/2015
Strange, static thriller has interesting flashback. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 02/11/2002
C-
The film looked more like a 1950s TV show than a feature film. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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acsdoug D @acsdoug 12/18/2024 The film does a nice job of building suspense and showing the panic if Loretta Young's character. but the movie's resolution is too pat and simplistic to satisfy. See more @Jmo54 07/25/2021 Low budget noir, atypical from MGM. Suspense-less yarn about a sick and paranoid husband who thinks his doctor and wife are trying to kill him. Made as a "dry run" for Loretta' TV career. See more 03/02/2021 Plays like an episode of the TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents instead of one of Hitchcock's theatrical films. See more deke p 12/31/2018 Saw long parts of it on TV, in 2000 teens See more 07/19/2016 It's all Loretta Young is this fast-moving thriller. See more bill t @Spuzz 04/30/2015 A bit of a ridiculous over-the-top melodrama that has Patricia Neal as a housewife whose husband dies of a heart condition, but not before he writes a letter to the D;A; implicating her trying to escalate his death! She mails it for him before he dies, not knowing the contents. But soon he dies, and she now knows what's in the letter, she tries like the dickens to try to get the letter back! A bit soap operish, and hard to believe, What, you believe everything you read? See more Read all reviews
Cause for Alarm

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Cast & Crew

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Tay Garnett

Director

Loretta Young

Ellen Jones

Barry Sullivan

George Z. Jones

Bruce Cowling

Dr. Ranney Grahame

Margalo Gillmore

Mrs. Edwards

Brad Morrow

Hoppy
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Cause for Alarm

Cause for Alarm (1951) Cause for Alarm (1951) Cause for Alarm (1951) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis As the delusional George Jones (Barry Sullivan) struggles to recover from a crippling heart attack, he begins to believe his wife, Ellen (Loretta Young), and friend, Dr. Grahame (Bruce Cowling), are planning to kill him in order to be together. George decides to write the authorities about his wife's supposed murder plot. But when he really does die, of health complications, the innocent Ellen realizes that she must stop the letter before she's accused of killing her husband.
Director
Tay Garnett
Producer
Tom Lewis
Screenwriter
Mel Dinelli, Tom Lewis
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 2, 1951, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 16, 2016
Runtime
1h 14m
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