Movie Review: Count the Hours! (1953)

Synopsis: When farmer Fred Morgan and his housekeeper, Sarah Watson, are murdered during a burglary, farmhand George Braden is arrested for the crime and to protect his wife, Ellen, signs a confession after 16 hours of interrogation. Doug Madison is asked to serve as Braden's defense attorney and initially declines until the pregnant Ellen convinces him of her husband's innocence. Madison remains determined to prove his client didn't commit murder, even after running out of money, having his girlfriend break up with him and Braden is convicted and sentenced to hang.

Who's in it? The movie stars MacDonald Carey, Teresa Wright, Edgar Barrier, Adele Mara and Delores Moran.

Review: I came across Count the Hours! a few nights ago and decided to add it to my library because I'm always game for a classic crime drama/mystery. I watched it this morning with no real expectations, but it turned out to be a great choice.

There are quite a few things I liked about this movie. One of the main ones was the mystery surrounding who killed Fred Morgan and his housekeeper. While I knew Braden (John Craven) was likely innocent, there was admittedly a lot of evidence working against him. This was especially true of Ellen (Wright) choosing to throw his gun in the lake, making it impossible to prove it wasn't the murder weapon.

This part of the story had a lot of emotional twist and turns as well. Each time Madison (Carey) seemed to find a way to clear his client's name, there would be yet another setback, whether it was finding the gun but still not being able to prove it wasn't the murder weapon or finding a better suspect in Max Verne (Jack Elam), only to find the district attorney has already investigated and cleared him. By the end of the movie, Braden practically had a noose around his neck with no clear indication he wasn't going to be hung.

I was also impressed with some of the side stories involving the female characters. Madison's relationship with Paula (Moran), for example, was intriguing because while she started out being supportive of her man, it was clear the case was taking a toll on her when she stopped being his priority and it was hard to fault her for eventually wanting to end things. 

Meanwhile, Verne's girlfriend, Gracie (Mara), was a bit of a wild card because while there was some loyalty toward him, the only thing she really cared about was having someone who was willing to buy her pretty things. I wasn't sure what kind of role she would ultimately have in the end, but her scenes were entertaining to watch.

Along similar lines, my only real complaint about the movie is it doesn't really do Ellen justice. I think the film was trying to show the toll her husband's hopeless situation took on her, starting out with her being strong and determined to prove his innocence before having the fight leave her. However, I felt like the dialog she is given and the way some scenes were filmed didn't necessarily make that clear and instead made her seem completely helpless, especially when compared to the other two women.

Final Opinion: This is a great crime drama that doesn't have as predictable of an ending as you probably would expect. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

My Grade: A

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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1953:

Movie Review: Invaders from Mars (1953)

Movie Review: The Blue Gardenia (1953)

Movie Review: Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)