DramaCrimeThriller

House of Strangers

- A powerhouse of emotion.

Gino Monetti is a ruthless Italian-American banker who is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of the sons take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that stays loyal to his father.

Release Date : 1949-07-01

Language :EnglishItalian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : 20th Century Fox

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Gino Monetti

Original Name : Edward G. Robinson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Irene Bennett

Original Name : Susan Hayward

Gender : Female

Character Name : Max Monetti

Original Name : Richard Conte

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joe Monetti

Original Name : Luther Adler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pietro Monetti

Original Name : Paul Valentine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tony Monetti

Original Name : Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maria Domenico

Original Name : Debra Paget

Gender : Female

Character Name : Helena Domenico

Original Name : Hope Emerson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Theresa Monetti

Original Name : Esther Minciotti

Gender : Female

Character Name : Elaine Monetti

Original Name : Diana Douglas

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lucca

Original Name : Tito Vuolo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Construction Worker (uncredited)

Original Name : Fred Aldrich

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chorus Dancer (uncredited)

Original Name : Maxine Ardell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Original Name : Al Bain

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prosecutor (uncredited)

Original Name : David Bauer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man on Street (uncredited)

Original Name : Eumenio Blanco

Gender : Male

Character Name : Italian Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Lelia Goldoni

Gender : Female

Character Name : Waiter (uncredited)

Original Name : Sid Tomack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Applicant (uncredited)

Original Name : Argentina Brunetti

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bartender (uncredited)

Original Name : John Butler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Original Name : Steve Carruthers

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Michael Stark

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Eumenio Blanco

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Dolores Castle

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Geza De Rosner

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Franklyn Farnum

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Tommy Garland

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Kit Guard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Restaurant Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Stuart Hall

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Donna Hamilton

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Marjorie Holliday

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Frank Jaquet

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Michael Jeffers

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Geraldine Jordan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Danny (uncredited)

Original Name : John Kellogg

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Kay Koury

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Carl M. Leviness

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : George Magrill

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Peter Mamakos

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Howard M. Mitchell

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Ernesto Molinari

Gender : Male

Character Name : Architect (uncredited)

Original Name : Roger Moore

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Ann Morrison

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Charles Morton

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Emma Palmese

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Jack Perry

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Joe Ploski

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Harry 'Snub' Pollard

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Bernard Sell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minor Role (uncredited)

Original Name : Mario Siletti

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Petra Silva

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Stephen Soldi

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Arthur Space

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Robert St. Angelo

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Theresa Testa

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Guy Thomajan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minor Role (uncredited)

Original Name : Philip Van Zandt

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Vicki Vann

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man Next to Gino at Fight (uncredited)

Original Name : Herb Vigran

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Rhoda Williams

Gender : Female

Character Name : Man Outside Office (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Gordon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Wilcox

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Maria Haro

Gender : Female

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

It's still being done you know, outside the jungle. House of Strangers is directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and adapted to screenplay by Phillip Yordan from Jerome Weidman's novel I'll Never Go There Any More. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Susan Hayward, Richard Conte, Luther Adler, Paul Valentine and Efrem Zimbalist. Plot finds Robinson as Gino Monetti, an Italian American banker who whilst building up the family business has ostracised three of his four sons. When things go belly up for Gino and the bank, the three sons turn against their father, the other, Max (Conte), stays loyal but finds himself set up for a prison stretch. Untimely since he's started to fall in love with tough cookie Irene Bennett (Hayward). Jerome Weidman's novel has proved to be a popular source for film adaptation, after this 20th Century Fox produced picture came the Western version with Broken Lance in 1954 (Yordan again adapting), and then Circus set for The Big Show in 1961. While its influence can be felt in many other, more notable, crime dramas along the way. The divided clan narrative provides good basis for drama and lets the better actors shine on the screen with such material. Such is the case with House of Strangers, which while hardly shaking the roots of film noir technically, does thematically play out as an engrossing, character rich, melodrama. Propelled by a revenge core peppered with hate motives instead of love; and dabbling in moral ethics et al, Mankiewicz spins it out in flashback structure. The primary focus is on Max and Gino, with both given excellent portrayals by Conte and Robinson. Gino is a driven man, very dismissive towards three of his boys (Adler standing out as Joe) who he finds easy to find fault with. But Max is spared the tough love, Gino admires him and sees him very much as an equal, which naturally irks the other brothers something rotten. This all comes to a head for the final quarter where the pace picks up and the tale comes to its prickly, if not completely satisfactory, ending. In the mix of family strife we have been privy to Max's burgeoning relationship with Irene (Hayward sassy), which positively simmers with sexual tension, or maybe even frustration? This in spite of the fact he is engaged to be married to the homely innocent Maria (Debra Paget). So with dad Gino proving to be, well, something of an ungrateful bastard, and Max cheating on his intended, clearly this is not a film about good old family values coming to the fore! Then there's the small matter of brother betrayal and the case of the foolish decision making process, all elements that keep the viewer hooked till the last. 7/10