Friday, March 28, 2025

TCM’s Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at 12:15 and 10 a.m. ET is Don Siegel’s Count the Hours (1953), with MacDonald Carey, Teresa Wright, and John Craven

By David in TN
friday, march 28, 2025 at 5:11:00 p.m. edt

TCM’s Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at 12:15 and 10 a.m. ET is Don Siegel’s Count the Hours (1953), with MacDonald Carey, Teresa Wright, and John Craven.

A lawyer (Carey) tries to save an innocent farm worker’s (Craven) life who is to be executed. Teresa Wright plays Craven’s wife.

David in TN: Not listed in any noir anthology. It is said to be one of Siegel’s lesser efforts. I’ve never seen it.

N.S.: I’ve never even heard of it.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A world premiere--after 72 years.Are you going to watch it,David or N.S.?

--GRA

Anonymous said...

It was on TV in the Olden Days- the NY Times' typically snide comment in the TV listings for COUNT THE HOURS was "

Anonymous said...

My comment got cut off in mid-sentence! COUNT THE HOURS- "You Will." Never saw it myself- from the plot description, might be very talky. It does have John Alton as cinematographer. Siegel can go either way- a great one or a dud.
I'll put it on my list to see someday, if I live long enough.

-RM

Anonymous said...

Found it on ok.ru, with a somewhat different plot description... (emphasis mine)

"Lawyer defends MIGRANT WORKER falsely accused of two murders"

UH-OH... I detect a lefty slant to this picture....

-RM

David In TN said...

Yes, I'm going to watch it.

David In TN said...

TCM's Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at Midnight and 10 a.m. ET is Richard Fleischer's The Narrow Margin (1952) with Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White, Don Beddoe, Paul Maxey.

Film Noir Guide: "McGraw plays a tough detective assigned to protect a mobster's widow who's traveling by train to testify against her late husband's cohorts. Noir icon Windsor is the woman McGraw is assigned to watch. Beddoe is his careless partner, and White is the classy lady who McGraw fears might be mistaken for Windsor."

"In a setting that's already claustrophobic, a corpulent passenger (Maxey) wanders suspiciously about the train, making corridor passage tricky. The hard-boiled McGraw and the sarcastic Windsor are believable in their obvious distaste for each other, and the suspense works well thanks to the menacing bad guys and the fast-paced plot filled with surprising twists. Remade in 1990 as Narrow Margin, with Gene Hackman and Anne Archer."

David In TN: One of the best film noirs, The Narrow Margin was on Noir Alley seven years ago.