The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

Released Sep 22, 1960

2h 3m

Drama

List

80%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

86%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

Rubin Flood (Robert Preston) is going through a rough patch. He lost his job as a traveling salesman, and his increasingly distant wife, Cora (Dorothy McGuire), blames him for the family's financial troubles. His daughter (Shirley Knight), seeks refuge in the arms of a Jewish delinquent (Lee Kinsolving), while his son (Robert Eyer) remains firmly attached to his mother. As Rubin tries to keep his family together, he meets an attractive woman (Angela Lansbury) who arouses Cora's suspicion.

Read More

Read Less

Variety Staff

Variety

The film is well cast and persuasively acted.

Feb 23, 2012

Full Review

Gerri Major

Jet Magazine

It is a dramatic and moving drama of the fears and feelings of insecurity that beset average people.

Jan 17, 2024

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Dorothy McGuire and Robert Preston are a married couple plagued by a number of honestly observed domestic problems in a long but interesting drama...

Dec 2, 2019

Full Review

Dwight MacDonald

Esquire Magazine

There are a few moving scenes, but after two hours of it have wobbled past, one feels one has had more than enough of family life as hopped up and smoothed down by Mr. Mann.

Jul 12, 2019

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

This version of William Inge's family melodrama is verbose and lacks subtlety, but the acting is good, especially Shirley Knight who received her Oscar nomination.

Rated: B-

Apr 7, 2011

Full Review

Read all reviews

steve d

The acting is strong but the narrative is messy.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Such an important underrated film... exceptional performances all around, profound and riveting... and it hasn't lost it's edge with time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very good but dated film starring Robert Preston as a husband and father who loses his job and struggles to supporting his family and his wife Dorothy McGuire fears he is cheating on him. The acting is great all around, Prestonand McGuire were great together. The whole Jewish hate storyline took up too much time, but oh well. Angela Lansbury was excellent in it, especially her seen with McGuire, I wish she was in it more. Not quite sure why Shirley Knight got nominated for this, but whatever. It's a good movie,

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Such an important underrated film... exceptional performances all around, profound and riveting... and it hasn't lost it's edge with time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Good cast weird setting.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

it is safe to say that inge did for the midwest what williams and faulkner did for the south. he exposed us as sick, repressed creatures that don't like our children very much. thank you william inge. this is my favorite piece of his because it's the one where you can feel some compassion for the men as well as for the women. bud loomis was an idiot, as was hal in picnic. but i am with ruben fllod as he takes back his house. and i am with dorothy mcguire's cora as she shows her husband that she still loves him, though he shames her. and as she shows her daughter reenie compassion over losing her first true love. and that character, sammy, is inge's only attempt to show a gay man in his play--albeit a suicidal one. good, good movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Delbert Mann

Director

Robert Preston

Rubin Flood

Dorothy McGuire

Cora Flood

Eve Arden

Lottie Lacey

Angela Lansbury

Mavis Pruitt

Shirley Knight

Reenie Flood

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

A Summer Place

83%

70%

A Summer Place

Giant

88%

87%

Giant

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

100%

85%

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

The Damned Don't Cry

80%

75%

The Damned Don't Cry

Hotel

100%

43%

Hotel

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Rubin Flood (Robert Preston) is going through a rough patch. He lost his job as a traveling salesman, and his increasingly distant wife, Cora (Dorothy McGuire), blames him for the family's financial troubles. His daughter (Shirley Knight), seeks refuge in the arms of a Jewish delinquent (Lee Kinsolving), while his son (Robert Eyer) remains firmly attached to his mother. As Rubin tries to keep his family together, he meets an attractive woman (Angela Lansbury) who arouses Cora's suspicion.

Director: Delbert Mann
Producer: Michael Garrison
Screenwriter: Harriet Frank Jr., Irving Ravetch
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 1960, Original
Runtime: 2h 3m