Don't Bother to Knock (1952)

★★★★★ · A Treat. · Jeanne James · 2024-05-08

Internet Archive is such a treat. I found audio books first, then archive footage of volcanos in Hawaii and so much more. Now I've found the classic films and this is something I've not seen for decades and searched for all over the internet. It's such a treat to see movies, some not seen since childhood. This classic is the result of Monroe's fight to be taken seriously as an actress. She still couldn't be given straight roles after giving an excellent performance of a dangerously distressed woman who'd lost her true love. Sad and a bit scary. Not long enough to give the full tension that…

★★★★ · No You Don't Understand-- · WhitmanSampler · 2025-09-11

If I tell a stranger there's a Marilyn Monroe movie called "Don't Bother To Knock" with no other context, they will think it's a frothy technicolor comedy wherein some guy walks in Marilyn Monroe as one of her Fantasy Girl roles. They will not think it's a thriller, they will not believe Ms. Monroe has the skills to give the chills; they will be Jed walking blindly into a stranger's hotel room thinking he's going to get lucky. (I mean, I got lucky: I don't think this movie would be as interesting as it wasn't a) an out-of-the-box role for Marilyn Monroe, and b) Marilyn Monroe giving it her…

★★★ · Great Cast - Wee bit morose. · princeofwaldo · 2024-06-14

Eisha Cook is soooo totally in character. Ditto Widmark and Bancroft. But Monroe, --what a departure from her stereotypical persona! In addition, Jim Backus and other supporting character acting that is first-rate all the way. Recommended, but not one you'll likely want to see more than once.