Leona Stevenson (Barbara Stanwyck) is a bedridden heiress who has everything she wants in life — a swanky New York City apartment, a loving husband, Harry (Burt Lancaster), and more money than she could possibly spend. Late one night, she tries to call her husband at work, but instead overhears a conversation between two unknown men. To her horror, she realizes they are plotting to kill a woman somewhere in the city. Desperate, she contacts the police, but they don’t believe her. Can Leona save the woman before she meets her gruesome end?
Adapted from a hit radio play of the same name, Sorry, Wrong Number is a classic Hollywood thriller that’s equal parts engrossing and absurd. As Leona, Stanwyck always looks super glamorous, with impeccable makeup and perfectly coiffed hair, even when she’s supposed to be out of her mind with fear. The movie pads the story with some unnecessary flashbacks, but there’s no denying the killer ending — literally! Stanwyck earned her last Oscar nomination for her somewhat hysterical but always effective performance, and she works every facial muscle like her life depended on it — which, if you think about it, kinda does.
