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Stranger on the Third Floor

Play trailer Poster for Stranger on the Third Floor 1940 1h 4m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
When upstart journalist Michael Ward (John McGuire) testifies that he saw Joe Briggs (Elisha Cook Jr.) at the scene of a murder, Briggs is jailed and sentenced to death. Later, Michael's conscience and troubling dreams get the better of him. He tells his girlfriend, Jane (Margaret Tallichet), that he isn't certain Briggs is guilty. They begin to investigate, but unfortunately, the couple soon makes the acquaintance of an ominous, enigmatic man (Peter Lorre) who wants the case to stay closed.
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Stranger on the Third Floor

Critics Reviews

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Alberto Abuín Espinof 04/10/2020
Thanks to its performances, all perfect, and its staging, "Stranger on the Third Floor" is a discovery that still surprises more than seventy years later. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Parallax View 02/16/2011
... a paranoid murder thriller that, for all of its budgetary constraints, took viewers on a spiral of justified paranoia. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/27/2005
2/5
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 02/12/2005
B+
This low-budget B film is thought by many to be the first true film noir. Go to Full Review Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) 07/08/2004
4/5
Pretty creepy suspenser with unsettling Lorre performance. Go to Full Review Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 07/29/2002
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Ted B @Movieaddicted 07/03/2024 3.0 stars; According to TCM, this was one of the first film noir movies. It certainly fits that description to me. The underlying theme is how blind Lady Justice is. What happens when you send an innocent man to the electric chair? A real air of creepiness is added by Peter Lorre, the master of that art. The acting was acceptable for the most part, although a little overdone in some scenes. But that was the style in the early 1940s. A well-done thriller that holds up well, even by today’s standards. See more j f @LiberteBurrows 06/17/2024 Heck of a cast. But kind of middy, slight smell of hay. See more 12/17/2022 Controversial film, very much becomes "film noir" by the middle of it (probably the first one made). There are great moments and dud moments so it is difficult to rate, but it is unique and divergent enough (and short) to recommend. See more Russ G 10/27/2022 Pretty awful. Barely an hour long and there's 10 minutes in the middle that you can skip right over. Peter Lorre is usually in better than this dreck; the studio had to have held a gun to his head on this one. See more Ed M 11/02/2021 I love Peter Lorre but this movie is weak. See more deke p 01/13/2020 Kind of interesting. Film noir. Peter Lorre in it, younger. Never heard of until saw it on TV, Jan 2020. See more Read all reviews
Stranger on the Third Floor

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Cast & Crew

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Boris Ingster

Director

Peter Lorre

The Stranger

John McGuire

Michael "Mike" Ward

Margaret Tallichet

Jane

Charles Waldron

District Attorney

Elisha Cook Jr.

Joe Briggs

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Stranger on the Third Floor

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When upstart journalist Michael Ward (John McGuire) testifies that he saw Joe Briggs (Elisha Cook Jr.) at the scene of a murder, Briggs is jailed and sentenced to death. Later, Michael's conscience and troubling dreams get the better of him. He tells his girlfriend, Jane (Margaret Tallichet), that he isn't certain Briggs is guilty. They begin to investigate, but unfortunately, the couple soon makes the acquaintance of an ominous, enigmatic man (Peter Lorre) who wants the case to stay closed.
Director
Boris Ingster
Producer
Lee S. Marcus
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 16, 1940, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2012
Runtime
1h 4m
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