"the city morgue"...honestly, my bones froze when the guy on the phone told Barbara Stanwyck what number she was calling!
This movie is a spectacular example of a great movie that's as old as the hills, but is so well-written, so well-acted, and so well produced that it's SCARIER than pretty much anything coming out today.
Bravo to Stanwyck!
"the city morgue"
Agree. Stands the test of time IMO....one of the best films ever. I would hate to see this 'colorized', great use of black and white....
Read My Lips!!!!
I'm not the sort of person to get chills from a single line of dialogue, but yeah, that did it for me. And I even knew that it was going to be something jarring, but still.
The last line of the film ("Sorry, wrong number...") also gave me chills. I was really surprised at how jarring this movie was.
I knew exactly what he was going to say, and yet it still got to me.
Powerful movie.
May contain spoilers:
I watched the movie the other night..., enjoyed it as much as I always do. It never fails to grab me.
To revive an old thread: why did Waldo Evans give Leona the number of the city morgue? I'm wondering if anyone has any opinions on this or if I missed something. Evans did not, based on his previous behavior, his modest nature, strike me as a cruel man; and he was a reluctant criminal; yet he gave the number of the morgue to Leona, indeed repeated it. This was the number she should could...to get in touch with her husband!
If Evans were a different sort I can see why he would say such a thing: black humor, or something alone those lines. Yet he retained his good manners throughout his phone conversation with Leona, did not speak in a manner as to suggest he was pulling her leg. Or did he suspect that something else was up, maybe with the other gang members, that one of them was dead, and that maybe Henry would be at the morgue to identify the body.
After all, he (Evans) had just burned his own house down, the one on Staten Island. He knew the end was near as to the criminal activity he was engaging in; and that he and all his partners in crime were likely to get caught sooner or later. Or maybe he was himself given the wrong number. The title of the movie is, after all, Sorry, Wrong Number. I agree with others that the line about the city morgue is one of the most chilling moments in the movie.
I've just watched this on Netflix and came on here hoping for an answer to the question of why Evans would do this. It's a brilliant "dun dun duhh!!" moment cinematically, but as the previous poster points out, it makes no sense in terms of plot or characterisation. I'm just relieved it wasn't me being dense and that others thought the same.
It would have worked if it had been Morano or one of his "heavies" that said it, but not Evans.
I just finished watching it. Evans suggested that Mr. Stevenson might be found at Bowery 2-1000 because he too might be dead. Henry had been missing for a while, Leona hasn't heard from him. I think he figures it's very possible that things ended up where Henry lost his life. I didn't see it has a threat or joke.
shareNo, it's neither a joke nor a threat, just something that leads to maybe the most chilling moment in the entire movie. The intent is irrelevant. Waldo Evans disappears in a wisp of smoke. The phone number and the response that Leona gets when she dials it is all that matters.
shareI haven't seen this film in awhile (but I have seen it many times). If memory serves me right, he knew that he was in trouble and he was ready to kill himself. That way, his body would be at the morgue a few hours later (he probably thought of a way of having someone find him).
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💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍
Yes, this. The first time he gives her the message, the Bowery phone number is where he (Evans) can be reached after midnight, meaning Evans will be at the morgue. It's only later in the conversation when Leona tells him that Henry hasn't come home yet that Evans suggests that Mr. Stevenson might also be found at the Bowery number.
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"In your opinion?"
"Um, yes your honor, in my opinion."
Yes, it was a little confusing because Leona misunderstands and thinks Henry will be at that number.
Evans repeated for her at least twice that after midnight he, Evans, could be reached at that number.
Remember, Evans was trying to reach Henry, for whom he was leaving the message.
He seemed one of the few characters in the film who had morals. Maybe little Peter, Sally's kid, hadn't been corrupted yet.