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The Dark at the Top of the Stairs Photos

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960)

View All Photos (9)

Movie Info

Rubin Flood (Robert Preston) is going through a rough patch. He lost his job as a traveling salesman, and his increasingly distant wife, Cora (Dorothy McGuire), blames him for the family's financial troubles. His daughter (Shirley Knight), seeks refuge in the arms of a Jewish delinquent (Lee Kinsolving), while his son (Robert Eyer) remains firmly attached to his mother. As Rubin tries to keep his family together, he meets an attractive woman (Angela Lansbury) who arouses Cora's suspicion.

Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Delbert Mann
Producer:

Michael Garrison
Writer:

Harriet Frank Jr., Irving Ravetch
Runtime:

2h 3m
Production Co:

Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Cast & Crew

Robert Preston
Rubin Flood

Dorothy McGuire
Cora Flood

Eve Arden
Lottie Lacey

Angela Lansbury
Mavis Pruitt

Shirley Knight
Reenie Flood

Lee Kinsolving
Sammy Golden

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

All Critics (3) | Fresh (2) | Rotten (1)

Dorothy McGuire and Robert Preston are a married couple plagued by a number of honestly observed domestic problems in a long but interesting drama...

December 2, 2019 | Full Review…

Clyde Gilmour
Maclean's Magazine
There are a few moving scenes, but after two hours of it have wobbled past, one feels one has had more than enough of family life as hopped up and smoothed down by Mr. Mann.

July 12, 2019 | Full Review…

Dwight MacDonald
Esquire Magazine
This version of William Inge's family melodrama is verbose and lacks subtlety, but the acting is good, especially Shirley Knight who received her Oscar nomination.

April 7, 2011 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com