Cause For Alarm

Madness lurks in the upstairs bedroom of homemaker Ellen Brown's seemingly calm, well-manicured suburban home. There, her husband George descends into a dark world of dementia brought on by a heart condition. Ellen's life becomes a living hell as she tries to keep their marriage alive, accommodating his every need. Convinced that his pretty wife and his doctor are plotting to kill him, George concocts a list of evidence along with a letter for the district attorney disclosing his suspicions. Unknowingly, she mails the incriminating letter. During a fit of rage, George pulls a gun, but is killed in the ensuing struggle. When Ellen realizes the content of the letter she has mailed, she must find a way to retrieve it or face a murder charge.

Cause For Alarm!, dark and sinister in its theme, paints a powerful portrait of paranoia and fear in the unusually bright and cheerful setting of middle-class America. Tay Garnett, who also directed The Postman Always Rings Twice in 1946, delivers a taut suspenseful tale that is a dramatic tour-de-force for actress Loretta Young (in a role originally considered for Judy Garland). Although a successful box-office film for MGM at the time, Cause For Alarm! was one of Young's last movies before she launched a successful television career. Young and director Garnett would reunite for her series, "A Letter For Loretta," which earned her three Emmy awards. Look for a cameo performance by Our Gang member Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer.

• mystery