Just turned eighteen-years-old, attractive Natalie Wood (Elizabeth "Liz" Taggart) parks on "Lovers' Loop" to neck with older fiancé Richard Anderson (as Owen Clark). Hidden in the bushes, sexually repressed Raymond Burr (as Harold "Baby" Loftus) watches the action for awhile; then, he knocks Mr. Anderson out cold, and carries Ms. Wood off to a brickyard shack. Wood's father turns out to be policeman Edmond O'Brien (as Dan Taggart), who decides to hunt down Mr. Burr. Chief of police Brian Donlevy (as Ed Bates) helps. Burr's possessive mother Carol Veazie (as Mabel Loftus) provides clues to his mental state.
It's odd to see Wood and Burr in such a cheap, lurid picture - right up to the cut Burr notices on Wood's inner thigh. But, this was before he became "Perry Mason" and she was taken seriously as an actress. Wood is notably making acting gains herein; she is now obviously working on different appearances and mannerisms for her characterizations. Tabloid whisperers made much ado about a supposed off-screen "romance" between Burr and Wood; but, the real story was Wood's ability to attract many men from 1955-1961 (both on and off the screen) who weren't exclusively interested in the opposite sex. A tribute to Natalie's universal appeal.
**** A Cry in the Night (8/17/56) Frank Tuttle ~ Natalie Wood, Raymond Burr, Richard Anderson, Edmond O'Brien
It's odd to see Wood and Burr in such a cheap, lurid picture - right up to the cut Burr notices on Wood's inner thigh. But, this was before he became "Perry Mason" and she was taken seriously as an actress. Wood is notably making acting gains herein; she is now obviously working on different appearances and mannerisms for her characterizations. Tabloid whisperers made much ado about a supposed off-screen "romance" between Burr and Wood; but, the real story was Wood's ability to attract many men from 1955-1961 (both on and off the screen) who weren't exclusively interested in the opposite sex. A tribute to Natalie's universal appeal.
**** A Cry in the Night (8/17/56) Frank Tuttle ~ Natalie Wood, Raymond Burr, Richard Anderson, Edmond O'Brien