Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
August 16, 1940Release Date
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
August 16, 1940Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Stranger on the Third Floor is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, TCM, Fandango At Home
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Cast & Crew.
Peter Lorre
The Stranger
John McGuire
Michael Ward
Margaret Tallichet
Jane
Charles Waldron
District Attorney
Elisha Cook Jr.
Joe Briggs
Charles Halton
Albert Meng
Ethel Griffies
Mrs. Kane
Cliff Clark
Martin
Oscar O'Shea
The Judge
Alec Craig
Briggs' Defense Attorney
Otto Hoffman
Charles Evans
Bobby Barber
Giuseppe, the Italian Grocer (uncredited)
Lee Bonnell
Reporter (uncredited)
Harry C. Bradley
Court Clerk (uncredited)
Lynton Brent
Cabdriver at Nick's (uncredited)
Jack Cheatham
Detective (uncredited)
Harry Marker
Editor
Ray Cooke
Phil, Lunch Counterman (uncredited)
Robert Dudley
Postman (uncredited)
William Edmunds
Gardener (uncredited)
Jim Farley
Policeman at Accident (uncredited)
Betty Farrington
Woman Wanting Seat at Lunch Counter (uncredited)
Jack Gargan
Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Greta Granstedt
Housekeeper (uncredited)
John Harmon
Thin-Faced Man in Crowd (uncredited)
Dell Henderson
Detective (uncredited)
Max Hoffman Jr.
Charlie, the Third Cab Driver (uncredited)
Gladden James
Tom, a Reporter (uncredited)
Charles Judels
Nick Nanbajan, the Cafe Owner (uncredited)
Jane Keckley
Angry Awakened Landlady (uncredited)
Donald Kerr
Man Wanting Seat at Lunch Counter (uncredited)
Paul McVey
Detective Lieutenant Jones (uncredited)
Bruce Mitchell
Policeman in Court (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor
Policeman (uncredited)
Broderick O'Farrell
Minister in Dream Sequence (uncredited)
Bud Osborne
Bartender (uncredited)
Emory Parnell
Grilling Detective in Dream Sequence (uncredited)
Lee Phelps
Cab Driver Sitting on Cab (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgway
Customer at Nick's (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore
Mr. McLean, Jane's Boss (uncredited)
Dick Rush
Court Bailiff (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford
Truck Driver in Accident (uncredited)
Herb Vigran
Reporter Who Wins Cardgame (uncredited)
Bess Wade
Court Scrubwoman (uncredited)
Catherine Wallace
Woman (uncredited)
Robert Weldon
Reporter (uncredited)
Frank Yaconelli
Jack, Coffee Shop Owner (uncredited)
Frank Partos
Screenplay
Media.
Details.
Release DateAugust 16, 1940
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 4m
Budget$171,200
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
Stranger on the Third Floor is a 1940 American film noir directed by Boris Ingster and starring Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet, and Charles Waldron, and featuring Elisha Cook Jr. It was written by Frank Partos. Modern research has shown that Nathanael West wrote the final version of the screenplay, but was uncredited.
Stranger on the Third Floor is often cited as the first "true" film noir of the classic period (1940–1959), though other films that fit the genre such as Rebecca and They Drive by Night were released earlier. Nonetheless, it has many of the hallmarks of film noir: an urban setting, heavy shadows, diagonal lines, voice-over narration, a dream sequence, low camera angles shooting up multi-story staircases, and an innocent protagonist desperate to clear himself after being falsely accused of a crime.