the audience applauded

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I wanted to see a young Joanne Woodward and an older Mary Astor. Both two great actresses. But Joanne does not have a big role, she's killed before the half of the movie. And Mary has a small role, she's the mother of the character played by Robert Wagner. Which never was a favorite of mine, but he's a good actor. Here too he performs well the role of the disturbed criminal. A pleasure to see Virginia Leith, from "The Brain That Would not Die", very sexy in swimsuit beside the pool. Another nice surprise to see George Macready, from "Gilda", in the role of the father. The film it's not great, just watchable.

This is not your average 50's noir. Instead we have a low-down manipulative killer (Robert Wagner as Bud) set against the leafy backdrop of a college campus instead of the usual grimy cheapjack one. And from the clothes and cars down to the shotgun wedding ethic, it practically screams mid 1950s. Mary Astor is Bud's predatory mother who wants her son to marry into wealth and social position, and Joanne Woodward is Dorie, Bud's sweet and naive girlfriend who believes he really loves her and wants to marry her. But Dorie gets pregnant and dad is the unforgiving type, and Bud is afraid Dorie will be disinherited and Bud will become just another schlemiel working his way through college with a wife and baby in tow with no dough. Thus since Bud actually is in love with Dorie's dad's fortune, Dorie must go, and I don't mean to another college. But Bud is careful. He is clever and makes Dorie's death look like a suicide - poor girl never saw it coming. And since Bud has learned so much about Dorie's sister, Ellen, from Dorie, that is his next romantic stop. But like so many killers, Bud has overlooked some things. For one thing Dorie wrote Ellen right before her "suicide" saying that she had met somebody and was very happy. Thus Ellen is just not buying the suicide angle and goes looking for the truth, even though the killer is now her boyfriend! How will all of this work out? Watch and find out. George McReady is Dorie's and Ellen's rich father who is willing to believe the worst of anybody, especially his own children, and he is great as always. I recommend this one if it ever comes your way.

Seen for the first time close to sixty years after it was made this film fails to register on almost every level and it's yet another movie where a cast comprising several 'names' of the day appear to be reading from different hymn books. The starring role, a social-climbing sociopath, goes to Robert Wagner, a Fox contractee who'd been groomed for stardom via a series of 'pretty boy' roles until, presumably having attained some clout, he persuaded his studio to let him have a stab at something more substantial. Joanne Woodward, an excellent actress, who had slowly but surely carving a reputation, turned in arguably the worst performance of her career as the first victim, whilst Jeffrey Hunter doesn't really cut it as a pipe-smoking academic. If you think these last two were miscast get a load of George Macready as Daddy Gotrocks, father of both Joanne Woodward and Virginia Leith, the next prey in Wagner's sights. It's watchable but only just.

I enjoyed the movie as I always like watching everything Joanne Woodward starred in and had not seen this one before. Although it was not her best, it was an early role and she was quite young, as were the others. I was especially surprised when in the hotel lobby scene about 2/3 through the movie an extra, a woman walked past and then was seated at a booth and the blouse she was wearing was completely "see through" and all you could see was her bra. This was not customary for the 1950s when this was filmed and ones eye was totally taken off the stars and onto this "extra". I was surprised. Even though there were no surprises in the movie as everyone knew who the murderer was, I still enjoyed this 50s version that has been since remade.