I Saw What You Did
Encyclopedia
I Saw What You Did is a Universal Pictures
feature film
starring Joan Crawford
and John Ireland
in a tale of murder. The screenplay by William P. McGivern
was based upon the 1964
novel
Out of the Dark
by Ursula Curtiss. The film was directed and produced by William Castle
, and co-produced by Dona Holloway. The 2002 widescreen DVD release used the film's original 1965 poster title "I Saw What You Did" And I Know Who You Are!.
) and disposed of her body in the woods. Believing his crime is known, he decides to track down the girls and silence them. Neighbor Amy Nelson (Joan Crawford) is in love with Marak and has been trying to woo him away from his wife. She inadvertently saves Libby from being killed and is stabbed to death by Marak. He then closes in on the girls but their parents and the police arrive in time to stop him from committing another homicide. Others in the cast include Patricia Breslin
, John Archer
, and John Crawford
.
!" and, in an early trailer for the film, Castle advised the audience that a section of the theater would be installed with seat belts for audience members "who might be scared out of their seats". The advertised gimmick was abandoned prior to the release of the film and never actually used.
Variety commented, "[The film] is a well-produced, well-acted entry in the suspense-terror field...[the] slightest gesture or expression of [Crawford] conveys vivid emotion."
This was remade for TV in 1988 with Robert Carradine
, David Carradine
, Tammy Lauren
and Shawnee Smith
.
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
starring Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
and John Ireland
John Ireland (actor)
John Benjamin Ireland was an actor and film director.-Biography:Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he was raised in New York City from the age of 18. He started out in minor stage roles on Broadway...
in a tale of murder. The screenplay by William P. McGivern
William P. McGivern
William Peter McGivern was an American novelist and television scriptwriter. He published more than 20 novels, mostly mysteries and crime thrillers, some under the pseudonym Bill Peters...
was based upon the 1964
1964 in literature
The year 1964 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Jean-Paul Sartre becomes head of the Organization to Defend Iranian Political Prisoners....
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Out of the Dark
Out of the Dark (1964 novel)
Out of the Dark is a thriller novel by Ursula Curtiss, about how a prank call by a couple of teenagers ends up with a murderer on their trail....
by Ursula Curtiss. The film was directed and produced by William Castle
William Castle
William Castle was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Castle was known for directing films with many gimmicks which were ambitiously promoted, despite being reasonably low budget B-movies....
, and co-produced by Dona Holloway. The 2002 widescreen DVD release used the film's original 1965 poster title "I Saw What You Did" And I Know Who You Are!.
Plot and cast
When two mischievous teens, Kit (Sara Lane) and Libby (Andi Garrett) are home alone with Libby's younger sister, Tess (Sharyl Locke), they begin randomly dialing telephone numbers and telling whoever answers: "I saw what you did, and I know who you are." One call is placed to Steve Marak (Ireland), a man who has recently murdered his wife (Joyce MeadowsJoyce Meadows
Joyce Meadows is a Canadian-American actress. From 1960-1961, she co-starred as Stacy in the syndicated western series Two Faces West with Charles Bateman and Francis De Sales...
) and disposed of her body in the woods. Believing his crime is known, he decides to track down the girls and silence them. Neighbor Amy Nelson (Joan Crawford) is in love with Marak and has been trying to woo him away from his wife. She inadvertently saves Libby from being killed and is stabbed to death by Marak. He then closes in on the girls but their parents and the police arrive in time to stop him from committing another homicide. Others in the cast include Patricia Breslin
Patricia Breslin
Patricia Rose Breslin was an American actress known for her guest roles in various television series in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
, John Archer
John Archer
-People:*John Archer *John Archer *John Archer , British politician, first person of African descent elected to public office*John Archer , former U.S...
, and John Crawford
John Crawford (actor)
John Crawford was an American actor.Crawford was born Cleve Allen Richardson in Colfax, Washington. In films from the 1940s, Crawford appeared in bit parts for many years before playing leads in several films in the UK in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
.
Production notes
Advertisements for the movie read, "William Castle warns you: This is a motion picture about UXORICIDEUxoricide
Uxoricide is murder of one's wife. It can refer to the act itself or the man who carries it out.- Known or suspected uxoricides:...
!" and, in an early trailer for the film, Castle advised the audience that a section of the theater would be installed with seat belts for audience members "who might be scared out of their seats". The advertised gimmick was abandoned prior to the release of the film and never actually used.
Reception
Saturday Review noted, "Unfortunately, there is little for the eye, ear, or mind in [the film]...The call, from teen-age pranksters [Lane and Garrett] probably seemed like a good "gimmick" on which to base an entire film. It isn't."Variety commented, "[The film] is a well-produced, well-acted entry in the suspense-terror field...[the] slightest gesture or expression of [Crawford] conveys vivid emotion."
This was remade for TV in 1988 with Robert Carradine
Robert Carradine
Robert Reed Carradine is an American actor. The youngest of the Carradine family of actors, he made his first appearances on television western series such as Bonanza and his older brother David's Kung Fu. Carradine's first film role was in the 1972 film The Cowboys opposite Roscoe Lee Browne and...
, David Carradine
David Carradine
David Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
, Tammy Lauren
Tammy Lauren
Tammy Lauren is an American actress who has appeared in film and television. She starred in Wishmaster, portraying Alexandra Amberson, a young woman who accidentally awakens the Djinn, a powerful spirit more commonly known as a genie.-Career:To date, Wishmaster is the only feature film in which...
and Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker....
.