Interesting crime drama from Columbia Pictures that stars John Drew Barrymore as Jess, a psychotic criminally minded teenager that leads two of his friends, Gil(Corey Allen)and Joey(Gerald Sarracini)into a not-so-well planned robbery. The trio force their way into and kill a well-to-do homeowner after robbing him. There are immediate problems right off the bat. Witnesses...a secretary, Linda Atlas(Betty Garrett)and her son Petey(Jerry Mathers). The young boy manages to escape the house and is mute after witnessing the shocking events. Linda's husband happens to be Detective Sgt. Tony Atlas(Phillip Carey);and he is a determined cop with the safety of his family on the line.Garrett actually shows the better acting. Although Barrymore is pretty flawless as a psycho teen. Carey is diligent and stoic. Rounding out the cast: Paul Picerni, Rusty Lane and Sam Gilman. William Asher directs.

Several years before this came out, Columbia had made an above average thriller called "The Night Holds Terror", a definite copy-cat of "The Desperate Hours" where a traveling businessman ends up giving a lift to a group of thugs who hold his family hostage, and here, it happens again, albeit with several dramatic changes. It's "All in the Family" for Philip Carey (who once played Archie Bunker's gay football player friend in a first season episode) and Betty Garrett (Archie's nemesis, Irene) who are separated due to her desire to go back to work. The opening scene has their son (Jerry Mathers, as different as Beaver as you can get!) spying his mother being thrown to the ground during a struggle with a group of thugs and the old man who has hired her for the day being killed. He runs off in a daze, is picked up by some truckers, and ends up in police custody where ironically his father is called in after another officer recognizes him. Garrett's whereabouts are a mystery to everybody who knows her, and it is only through some clever calculating that her location is discovered, hopefully in the nick of time.While this is a very enjoyable thriller, it seems like there is a lot of padding added to make this even get to its 72 minute running time, pretty short for a movie of the late 50's. That indicates that it was a second feature, a breed slowly dying out at this time, but there is enough action to keep it moving. The problem is the variety of existential characters added, from the drunken warehouse foreman whom the truckers dumped Mathers on and his awaiting wife (not to mention his mistress), and the dead old man's niece and her husband who obviously only keep in touch with him so they'll end up in his will. What is very interesting is how Garrett manages to manipulate the three men holding her hostage, gaining the sympathy of one of the men who knows that his partner (John Drew Barrymore, billed simply as John Barrymore Jr.) is a violent psycho. Of course, when you get the criminals arguing with each other, it is pretty obvious that they will eventually turn on each other. Carey ends up in a chase with the third thug, leading to an emotional scene with that gangster's mother and a chase on the apartment rooftop that leads to more clues but also leads to a violent finale.This was a far different role that Broadway musical legend Betty Garrett had ever played in, having been mostly in a handful of musical films like "On the Town", "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", and most recently, "My Sister Eileen". She only has one scene with husband and son Carey and Mathers, but obviously had worked with them for family photos which Carey finds still up when he visits his former home to find some clues. "One Life to Live" fans will be delighted to see the future Asa Buchannan in this major part, a reminder that he was once one of the busiest action/western stars in films, not just a future soap patriarch. Mathers is very touching (and convincing) as the mostly quiet kid, scared into silence by the violence he's witnessed. Yet, there's no confusion that this is none other than the future Beaver Cleaver from his very first shot, wearing cowboy gear, and clicking a toy gun. This is definitely worth a look for how 1950's thrillers of all types could engross you even though they could have easily been made for the then popular genre of Anthology shows which were all over the T.V. airwaves of the 1950's and 60's.

This film has the feel of a TV drama made into a B film. Saw it on cable recently as a curiosity since a young Jerry Matthews was in it. The drama, directed by William Asher, was a surprise. The film is a police drama where a young mother, working as a free lance secretary for a farm owner, gets tangled in a break in that ends badly. Her young son, playing innocently outside watches the whole thing. What young Petey witnesses produce in his little mind a trauma that makes him run from the scene until he is found by two truckers going to market.The movie was a product of the era in which takes place. Betty Garrett, as Linda, is perfect for the part. Also good was Phillip Carey, an actor that never had great opportunities in films. The scene stealer is Jerry Matthews, who played Beaver in the old series.

Starring Jerry Mathers as the shell-shocked child who witnesses an assault on his mother, Shadow On the Window is a decent 'B' film with a solid cast and a decent script. Jerry's dad, a police officer, is played stoically by Phil Carey and mom is Betty Garrett, decent as a woman under constant threat from three stereotypical teen bad boys. One of the boys is played by Corey Allen, who revisited the role in the similarly themed Key Witness (1960), and the others are John Drew Barrymore--apparently channeling the spirit of an evil Dobie Gillis--and lovable lunk Gerald Sarracini. Beach Party director William Asher displayed his serious side here, and cinematographer Kit Carson got some nice set-ups during the climactic chase scene across roof tops and through subway tunnels. I'd love to know where this was filmed--perhaps somewhere in the Imperial Valley of California?