Movie Screening & Discussion - Don't Bother To Knock

Join Marcus Renna in the Scott Room for a screening and discussion of the 1952 psychological thriller Don't Bother To Knock. Directed by Roy Ward Baker, written by Daniel Taradash, and starring Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe, Don't Bother To Knock is based on the 1951 novel Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong.

Jed Towers (Widmark) is an aloof airline pilot staying at a hotel in New York City. At the same hotel, Nell Forbes (Monroe) is working as a babysitter for Ruth and Peter Jones's daughter Bunny while they are attending an awards banquet in the hotel's ballroom. After settling Bunny in bed for the night, Nell is spotted messing around with Ruth's fine clothes and jewelry by Jed. They share a drink, and Nell tells a series of grandiose lies about her past, claiming to be a wealthy globe-trotter before revealing that her previous boyfriend was a pilot who died during World War II. When Bunny gets out of bed and ruins Nell's story, the babysitter is furious and orders the child to get out. The tension that evening ratchets up from there as a busybody hotel guest and Jed's own observations slowly show a far more disturbed past for Nell.

Although reviews for Don't Bother To Knock were mostly mediocre at the time of its release, critics have since praised it as some of Marilyn Monroe's best dramatic acting in film, playing surprisingly against type and giving a chilling and convincing portrayal of an obsessive and mentally unstable woman. Though it ultimately did not make the final list, Don't Bother To Knock was included among the nominees for the AFI's 2001 100 Years... 100 Thrills film list.

A taut, terse psychological thriller that quickly piles on unpredictable unease with a standout performance from Monroe.