The Wrong Man (1956)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Maxwell Anderson (novel)
Angus MacPhail (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 December 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

The police were convinced... The witnesses were positive ...Yet he was... THE WRONG MAN

Plot:

True story of an innocent man mistaken for a criminal.

Plot Keywords:

Nervous Breakdown | Liquor Store | Father Son Relationship | Mother Son Relationship | Brother Sister Relationship

Cast

Henry Fonda	...	Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero
Vera Miles	...	Rose Balestrero
Anthony Quayle	...	Frank D. O'Connor
Harold J. Stone	...	Det. Lt. Bowers
John Heldabrand	...	Tomasini
Doreen Lang	...	Ann James
Norma Connolly	...	Betty Todd
Lola D'Annunzio	...	Olga Conforti, Manny's Sister
Robert Essen	...	Gregory Balestrero
Dayton Lummis	...	Judge Groat
Charles Cooper	...	Det. Matthews
Esther Minciotti	...	Mama Balestrero
Laurinda Barrett	...	Constance Willis
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Eugene 'Gene' Conforti
Kippy Campbell	...	Robert Balestrero

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:PG (1988) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:A (1957) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Peru:14 | USA:Approved (PCA #18117) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue subway station, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The "right" man (the real culprit) can be seen several times during the film: outside the Stork Club, in the Victor Moore Arcade and near one of the liquor stores where the police take Manny.

Goofs:

Continuity: Manny walks in the corridor of the prison carrying the pillow with nothing on it. When he is inside the cell a cannikin appears on the pillow.

Quotes:

Lt. Bowers: An innocent man has nothing to fear, remember that.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Guilt Trip: Hitchcock and 'The Wrong Man' (2004) (V)

True story-authentic locations

Based pretty much on the actual events & people of a miscarriage of justice that took place in Queens County, New York in the early 50's. The names of most of the people who took part in the event are unchanged in the movie and the location shots where the actual events took place add a touch of dark realism to the movie. The basic plot revolves around a musician who worked at the world famous Stork Club who was mis-identified by witnesses and arrested because he resembled an armed robber. Hitchcock dwells on the slow descent into helplessness and powerlessness that a citizen endures as he wends his way through the NYC (or any other) criminal justice meat grinder. There are chilling shots of his transport , by paddy wagon, into the Ridgewood Felony court and the Long Island City House of Detention. The lawyer he hired, Frank O'Connor, (his real name) went on to become District Attorney of Queens county and was later heavily involved in the infamous Kitty Genovese case. Not your typical Hitchcock film but one well worth seeing if for no other reason than to see one of Henry Fonda's better performances as the quietly stunned Christopher Emmanuel (Manny) Balestrero who sees his life, career and family endangered by forces he has little control over.