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1952 was just before Marilyn became Marilyn and 10 short years before her death. Look at her character here and look at her performance. She plays a psychopath. brilliantly. Look into her eyes and tell me if she's not totally there. Dangerous and tender. Thorough and insane. I know I had seen this film before but the truth is I didn't remember. Another plus is an early glimpse at the wonderful Anne Bancroft, billed above Marilyn here. For film buffs this movie is a total must.

Marilyn Monroe and Richard Widmark star in this early Monroe star vehicle. This is one film you'd never see being made today, due to the new child-care sensibilities.

Jim Backus and Lorene Tuttle leave their child with a complete stranger while they go out for an evening. The stranger is Monroe, complete with wrist scars, who is the niece of the elevator man in the hotel where the couple is staying.

Mid-evening, she picks up with Widmark, who is more upset about his lounge singer girlfriend (Anne Bancroft) breaking up with him than he thought he would be - he and Monroe flirt from their respective rooms. Widmark goes to the room, expecting a night of fun.

Instead he and the hapless child get a night of terror, with Monroe believing Widmark is her dead pilot boyfriend and nearly killing not only the little girl but her uncle as well. Turns out, Marilyn's been institutionalized and her uncle (Elisha Cooke, Jr.) thought she was "nearly well."

Monroe is very good in this - very beautiful, of course, as well as vulnerable and believable. The wild look in her eyes when she scolds the little girl is downright scary.

One thing that has always bothered me about Monroe doing drama is her very excellent diction which always sounds studied and unnatural. It's a distraction in this film as well.

However, she's so watchable in everything - the camera just adored her - I have to believe that as she lived and aged, she would have had more chances at drama.

Widmark is excellent as the apparent cynic who proves to have more to him than his girlfriend thought - in fact, his character was much better with the child than Monroe's.

Bancroft's role is small and belies her future dramatic appearances; and there is a cameo by "Honeybee Gillis," Joan Blondell's sister Gloria, as a photographer.

Marilyn without the Strasbergs, without the Russian drama coach, without the Method, without the hours locked in her trailer shaking with stage fright. And it is her best ever acting job. This is the ONLY film that really taps into the 'off-kilter' and wounded quality of MM and uses it as an indispensable element of the movie. Elisha Cook's little turn as an elevator operator and his repartee with M.M. is a memorable minor moment and one of many such delights scattered throughout. I've heard that Richard Widmark was very nice to Marilyn and helpful on the set. Of course with 40 or 50 takes for even short scenes, a Billy Wilder can put up on the screen a dazzling Sugar Kane in Some Like It Hot but this is the real Marilyn not just her sheer 'luminescent beauty'. Even by the time she made Niagara, something was lost already, though she was very good in that.

This is an odd film, if only for its credits. It was written by Daniel Taradash, a first-rate screenwriter who the next year would write the screenplay for From Here To Eternity. The director, Englishman Roy Ward Baker, had a varied and eclectic career, mostly in his native country, where he directed, among other films, A Night To Remember and Quatermass and the Pit. Screen sexpot Marilyn Monroe plays a psychotic babysitter who encounters a tough-minded and cynical airline pilot and causes him to change his outlook. Miss Monroe was not known for doing drama, which she plays here, in black and white no less, and is excellent. But that this was one of her first starring roles she seems a peculiar choice to play the troubled young woman. Richard Widmark, often a bad guy, is here only partly bad, and is proficient but rather dull and, for him, colorless. Dramatic actress Anne Bancroft plays a singer, and Widmark's girl, a role one might have expected Marilyn to play. And so it goes.

The movie is compelling, if never really entertaining, and seems at times as confused as Monroe's babysitter as to what sort of film it wants to be. It is a bit of a psychological drama, a bit of a thriller. filmed like a noir, studio-bound, which makes it also unrealistic, it is in many respects a mess, but a watchable one. The central set of the hotel in which nearly all the action takes place, is impressive, as are the various characters who either live, visit or work there, who at times seem like inhabitants of an enormous cave or reef, and as such denizens of the place rather than employees or guests. There is a nice sense of how dull night life can be in the heart of a supposedly exciting city (New York). There are no especially good or bad people in the film; just those who understand Monroe's plight, and empathize with her, and those that don't. Young Marilyn more than rises to the dramatic occasion, however, and gives a fine performance, far more worthy than the script, and more animated than her co-stars, and in the end steals the film and our hearts.

I had not a seen a movie with the greatest myth of the big screen for a long time. I had read very little about Roy Baker's "Don't bother to knock", so I was free of prejudices when watching the movie. I felt like watching Marilyn just acting. Happily, it was a pleasant experience. I think Marilyn reacted more than acted to a plot that brought her back to her sad childhood. That is why the viewer can almost feel her emotions as real ones which is something that makes the weird and a bit slow story be much more credible. From the rest of the cast, Richard Widmark shines in spite of having to portray a rather lame, superficial character with few redeeming features. Above all, I will remember this film for portraying a different M.Monroe from the typical dumb-blonde-girl-with-strong-sex-appeal that too often the big studios wanted her to be.

If you really want to see true vulnerability, watch Marilyn Monroe in the 1952 "Don't Bother to Knock" opposite Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft. She plays a disturbed girl and at one point she comes down in the elevator, and when the door opens, her face alone will break your heart.

Anne Bancroft was interviewed about Marilyn and said that she had not been expecting the reaction she would have to that scene. She said when those elevator doors opened and Marilyn came out of the elevator, it stunned her and the rest of the cast and crew to watch her, she seemed so authentically confused and lost and vulnerable. Bancroft said it was the hardest scene she has ever had to watch, because you felt it was really happening to Marilyn herself.

She truly was a "candle in the wind".

This film doesn't receive a lot of attention. I grew up a fan of classic film, and I only saw this one once until tonight. Seeing it for the second time (I can't imagine there are any other major-release MM films I haven't seen over & over) I was extremely impressed by the quality of the performance Marilyn turned in. Hardcore fans seem to generally feel that her performance in "the Misfits" is her finest; the role had more depth than many she played, and seemed highly personal. I argue that she does just as fine a job in just as deep a role in "Don't Bother To Knock." It's my belief that MM was _ALWAYS_ versatile and talented, but that the American public fell so deeply in love with the breathless (& brainless) beauty role, that the studios typecast her until they weren't sure her looks alone would be enough to guarantee the volume of gross profits which they expected from Marilyn's films.

For those who think Marilyn Monroe was nothing more than a sex kitten, Don't Bother To Knock might throw you for a loop. Monroe delivers one of her best and most interesting performances as a mentally unhinged nanny babysitting a young girl in a hotel who starts to believe the man across the street is the love of her life who disappeared years ago.

Things build to a fever pitch and Monroe goes further and further off the deep end and other residents and people in charge threaten to destroy her fantasy. It's a slow burner, but once it gets cooking, it's very thrilling.

Excellent drama starring Marilyn Monroe in possibly her best role. She did this movie specifically to prove her worth as an actress, and she definitely succeeds at that point. Richard Widmark co-stars. After breaking up with his girlfriend (Anne Bancroft, in her debut), Widmark spots Monroe through her window across from his hotel room. He invites himself over there. She's babysitting, but she immediately lies about who she is and what she's doing. It turns out she's kind of a nutcase and has just recently returned from the mental hospital. She begins to mistake Widmark for a dead former boyfriend, and it seems as if the girl she's babysitting may be in danger. This is a tight little film, running at just under 80 minutes. Elisha Cook Jr. co-stars as Monroe's uncle. Widmark is every bit as impressive as Monroe. It's too bad Monroe didn't get to try her hand at more dramatic roles.

Airline pilot Jed Towers (Richard Widmark) gets dumped by lounge singer Lyn Lesley (Anne Bancroft) and she refuses to take him back. Elevator operator Eddie Forbes (Elisha Cook Jr.) gets his niece Nell Forbes (Marilyn Monroe) a babysitting job with one of the hotel tennants. Jed's wandering eye spots Nell dancing outside his rear window. She turns out to be troubled.

The four top names are simply blowing my mind. Of course, the most interesting is Monroe. It's early in her career. She is still not fully Marilyn. She is actually trying to do serious work playing a damaged character. It's some of her better acting work. It's a must for anyone who truly loves her.

Don't Bother To Knock finds airline pilot Richard Widmark flying with more than the safety of his passengers on his mind to New York. He's on a mission to confront Anne Bancroft who's given him a 'let's call it a day' letter. Anne works as a singer in a posh New York nightclub attached to one of the fancier hotels. After a nasty scene with Bancroft, Widmark's left with an itch to scratch.

The answer might be Marilyn Monroe across the courtyard looking real provocative and arousing Widmark's interest. He gives her a call and things might be going good. Then the little girl, Donna Corcoran, wakes up from the next room and Marilyn starts to act very weird indeed.

This one was one of Marilyn's first roles which exploited a little more than her beauty. She plays a troubled young lady who's just spent some time in a mental institution. Her uncle Elisha Cook, Jr., got her that job as a babysitter for Corcoran whose parents Jim Backus and Jeanne Cagney are at a banquet in the hotel. Truth be told the role was no stretch for Marilyn given her own sad history.

Widmark's not a particularly noble character here, but he's a decent enough man. He's just like millions of other men who when they lose their love, cure it with trying to love what's available. Anne Bancroft makes a nice screen debut here although I can't believe she sung those songs herself. If so, why didn't she do any more singing on screen?

Though the film gets melodramatic and the characters don't give you any real rooting interest, Don't Bother To Knock remains a landmark film for the careers of both Marilyn Monroe and Anne Bancroft.

This psychological suspense flick was one of Marilyn's first leading roles and gave the sexy star an opportunity to play a serious dramatic role. Viewers who have never seen the great Monroe in a serious part will be amazed. She really was a very gifted and versatile actress. Sincerely, if you have ever dismissed Monroe as just another pretty face, you should really see this film. If after that you're still not convinced, then rent BUS STOP.

Don't Bother to Knock was special for three reasons. Richard Widmark, who usually played villains, got to play the innocent hero and the love interest. Anne Bancroft made her screen debut as a lovely nightclub singer. And it was the only time Marilyn Monroe got to play a character as emotionally unhinged as she was in real life! I know that sounds harsh, but if you've read a dozen biographies on the blonde bombshell like I have, you'd know her emotional turmoil was just as memorable as her star power. If you've never seen her in a drama and want a change of pace, rent this thriller.

She stars as a woman recently released from a mental institution, emotionally raw, frightened, and incredibly insecure. Perhaps this role hit a little too close to home and Hollywood didn't want her to give a repeat performance, but I liked seeing her in the realistic part. Rather than giving her open-mouthed grin and rattling off a silly one-liner, she's constantly nervous. She puts on a black negligee and invites a total stranger to her hotel room, but mid-seduction she changes her mind and nearly has a mental collapse. She abuses her power as a babysitter by threatening and punishing the child so she can feel more powerful and in control, and at inconvenient times she hallucinates.

I'm building this up, but she doesn't give the performance of a lifetime. Marilyn Monroe wasn't known for being a great dramatic actress, and for good reason. She just didn't have the chops. I'm building this up because I always find it very interesting to see an actor or actress playing a part that reflects struggles in their personal life.

And I haven't even touched on the other two reasons for why this movie is special! I'm a huge Richard Widmark fan, and I always found him far too handsome and charming to keep playing bad guys. In this movie, compared to Marilyn, he's the innocent victim. His girlfriend is Anne Bancroft, a lovely, sweet, nightclub singer in a hotel lounge. They chat in between her numbers, but when he makes it clear he's not the marrying kind, he leaves the lounge and gets seduced by the busty blonde across the hall. It's not really fair to compare Anne to Marilyn, but it's still a great break for her debut. She gets the camera all to herself during her musical numbers, she holds her own against an established leading actor, and she shows audiences at home that she's respectable, strong, and has that rare commodity: self-respect. You can't make a better first impression than that, can you?

Don't Bother to Knock features Marilyn Munroe as a nutjob. Stretch, right? Her character is fresh off the funny farm and new to New York where her uncle Elisha Cook is an elevator operator. He gets her a gig babysitting for a couple who live in the hotel.

Richard Widmark wanders up to the room, fresh off being dumped by the absolutely smokin' Anne Bancroft in her big league debut.

It would spoil things to go further into the plot so let's focus on the performances. Marilyn could actually act, for one thing, although her trademark breathy shtick sneaks through a couple of times. She is absolutely convincing as a psycho. Widmark is solid as always. Bancroft is irresistible. And Cook steals the movie, acting-wise.

I don't know whether it's film noir, necessarily, but this movie is a first-rate psychological thriller. It's not super-deep so I'm not sure it would hold up to multiple viewings. But seen once it kept me entertained. Well, OK, I'd watch it again to see 20-year-old Bancroft. Consider me seduced, Mrs. Robinson.

On so many levels. Not just because of the character Marilyn Monroe played . . . but also because of the course she afterwards chose to take, as a performer.

In life, MM was never the dumb-blonde clown she so often portrayed on film. Yet she chose to follow that path of "marketability" from her earliest days -- perhaps because of advice -- "The only thing I had on was the radio," she famously said regarding her early calendar shoot (though that quote was delivered to her by her public relations handler).

Yet, in "Don't Bother to Knock," we have evidence of a talent far deeper and more affecting than anything she ever did, before or since.

Though then, and still, a B-movie, DBTK remains a highly disturbing piece of work from a remarkable natural actress who subsequently decided to pursue -- who knows, whether from instinct, advice or "the line of least resistance" -- a career based on superficial appearance rather than emotive depth.

Finally, of course, she morphed into the silly, slithering, sewn-into-her-Jean-Louis-gown "songstress" at President Kennedy's birthday party in Madison Square Garden in 1962, all drug-addled spray-netted helmet-haired breathiness and off-key baby-voiced "vocalizing." In DBTK, however, is ample evidence of the powerfully effective actress she could have been, had she taken a different road.

This is not to criticize the choices she made as a performer.

Doubtless, she would not be the legend she remains today, had she lived into her 60s or 70s.

But DBTK remains an archive of a complex and affecting screen acting talent, caught at the fork in her career's road, who chose surface over substance.

No matter how beguiling MM will always remain as a screen icon, there is this one and only proof of a talent even more devastating -- had she the guts or the advice to honor and follow it.

Sad, and disturbing, indeed.

"You bother me. I can't figure you out. You're silk on one side and sandpaper on the other." "I'll be any way you want me to be."

I went in to this not knowing much about it but thinking, man, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Bancroft, and Richard Widmark - what a cast! And they did not disappoint. Early on we get Bancroft crooning in a hotel lounge, Widmark (her soon to be ex-boyfriend) acting the cad, and Monroe arriving at a hotel room to babysit a little girl while her parents attend a party. Without spoiling it, the story then went to some seriously dark and unexpected places, and I was hooked. It's brisk at 76 minutes, but I liked its simplicity and pace. Monroe is fantastic here, displaying allure, vulnerability, creepiness, and a disturbed state of mind very well. This is definitely one of my favorite performances from her, and I wish she had gotten more parts like it. Touching on trauma from WWII and mental illness in sensitive ways were nice bonuses. The only thing I didn't like about it was the feel-good arc and resolution between Widmark and Bancroft, which was an unfortunate ending tacked on in the film and not present in the novella it was based on, Charlotte Armstrong's Mischief (1950). It was the only time the film seemed to take an expected, conventional route. This was just a quibble though, and there was something to be said for the strength of Bancroft's character and the transformation of Widmark's. I loved this little gem.

If any doubts linger about the star power that Marilyn Monroe could generate, Don't Bother To Knock should allay them. Her performance as Nell, the hotel babysitter with the badly scrambled psyche, is utterly riveting, so strong and eerily accurate it overwhelms everything else about the movie. While she for the most part persists in her breathy, Betty-Boop delivery, her posture and visage express unimaginable hurt.

Admittedly, this begs the question of whether it was a performance, or whether the part drew out of Monroe foreshocks of malaise which, we know with benefit of hindsight, would culminate, 10 years later, in her death by her own hand. (Another portrayal of an unstable woman the year before drew its power from an actress whose own personality would come to be fragmented as well: Vivian Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire).

The movie keeps its action within the confines of the McKinley, a Not-So-Grand Hotel in Manhattan whose lounge curiously sports a Wild-West theme. Amid the painted cowboys and cacti, chanteuse Ann Bancroft waits for airline pilot beau Richard Widmark, to whom she's just sent a Dear John letter.

But upstairs the real action commences. A couple in town for an awards banquet engages Monroe as baby-sitter through her uncle, self-important elevator operator Elisha Cook, Jr. Following their departure, it becomes clear that she may not have been the most prudent choice for watching over their young daughter. She starts nibbling the chocolates she lied about never eating and playing dress-up in the mother's gowns, perfume (`Liaison') and jewelry.

Through the open window, Widmark, on rebound, spots her vamping around and initiates a courtship of telephone calls and Venetian-blind signals. Finally, he shows up with a bottle of rye. Monroe enters into a psychic time-warm and mistakes him for the fiancé with whom she spent one night in a hotel (presumably reminiscent of the McKinley), the night before his plane went down in the Pacific. Soon the little girl is bound and gagged, and all hell breaks loose....

Don't Bother To Knock gets marginalized as a minor film – even a minor noir – but Daniel Taradash's script, facile in some of its microcosmic doings (like the side-story of Bancroft and Widmark), creates a strong and touching central character in Monroe. Though she was enjoyable in many of the funny/sexy roles that made her a legend, she may never have been more affecting than in her early roles in noir, also-starring in Clash by Night and starring in Niagara. But in Don't Bother To Knock she's unforgettable – a sad waif who kindles chaos wherever she walks.