Film Spotlight: Don’t Bother to Knock (1952)

An American psychological film noir thriller starring Richard Widmark, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Bancroft & Elisha Cook Jr. and directed by Roy Ward Baker. When troubled Nell (giving an underrated performance by Monroe) is hired to babysit for the Joneses at a New York hotel, suppressed emotions and danger come to head when she meets catches the eye of fellow hotel guest Jed (Widmark) whose trying to win back his love (Bancroft in her first film role).

Marilyn Monroe & Richard Widmark

“I liked Marilyn, but she was God-awful to work with. Impossible, really. She would hide in her dressing room and refuse to come out. Then, when she finally would show up, she was a nervous wreck. It was all a result of fear. She was insecure about so many things and was obviously self-destructive. She was a wounded bird from the beginning. She had trouble remembering lines. But none of it mattered. With a very few special people, something happens between the lens & the film that is pure magic. And she really had it."- Co-Star Richard Widmark.

Anne Bancroft

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