The House on Telegraph Hill (1951): Cast & Plot
The House on Telegraph Hill is a 1951 drama thriller directed by Robert Wise, starring Valentina Cortese as Victoria Kowelska, Natasha Lytess and Gordon Gebert. It runs 1 hour 33 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 33m (93 min)
- Director
- Robert Wise
- Original language
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English - Studio
- 20th Century Fox
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The House on Telegraph Hill About?
The premise of The House on Telegraph Hill without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Shame haunts the walls of the house, and betrayal rules its rooms. After surviving a concentration camp, Victoria Kowelska assumes a dead friend’s identity to secure passage to America. Her deception pulls her into a tangled web of mystery, greed and murder, forcing her to confront the dark past that lingers within the home.
The House on Telegraph Hill Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- impostor
- unreliable narrator
- post war america
- suspense thriller
- told in flashback
- taxi driver
- friend
- murder
- female pedal pumping
- electric bus
- boy in pajamas
- displaced persons camp
+38 more Show fewer
- love triangle
- villain comeuppance
- car out of control
- convertible sedan
- yellow cab
- pretending to be asleep
- telephone call from a phone booth
- dangling off a cliff
- playing catch
- chinese female singer
- new york city
- concentration camp survivor
- conflicting stories
- boy wearing a uniform
- woman wears a nightgown
- assumed identity
- leather gloves
- shadowy figure
- steam locomotive
- auto mechanic
- chinese restaurant
- liberation of a concentration camp
- stock footage
- woman hugs a boy
- streets of san francisco
- war refugees
- attempted murder
- adopted son
- telegram
- phone left off the hook
- jealous woman
- photo album
- army major
- overturned car
- carrying a sleeping boy
- dinner and dancing
- true identity revealed
- clandestine meeting
The House on Telegraph Hill Cast & Characters
Valentina Cortese leads the cast as Victoria Kowelska, with Natasha Lytess as Karin Dernakova and Gordon Gebert as Christopher. Directed by Robert Wise; 29 actors are credited in all.
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Director Robert Wise
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Valentina Cortese as Victoria Kowelska - Natasha Lytess as Karin Dernakova
- Gordon Gebert as Christopher
- William Lundigan as Major Marc Bennett
Also Starring in The House on Telegraph Hill
· 25 more- Richard Basehart Alan Spender
- Katherine Meskill Mrs. Whitmore
- Fay Baker Margaret
- Steven Geray Dr. Burkhardt
- Jeffrey Sayre Police Stenographer (uncredited)
- Harry Carter Detective Ellis (uncredited)
- Steve Carruthers Restaurant Guest (uncredited)
- Charles Wagenheim Man At Accident
- John Burton Mr. Whitmore
- Mario Siletti Tony, the Grocer
- Henry Rowland Sergeant, Interpreter (uncredited)
- Spencer Chan Chinese Cook (uncredited)
- David Clarke Mechanic
- Glen Walters Bit Role (uncredited)
- Don Kohler Chemist (uncredited)
- Geraldine Jordan Minor Role (uncredited)
Show all 29 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Tom McDonough Farrell
- Roger McGee G.I. (uncredited)
- Leslie K. O'Pace U.N.R.A Sergeant (uncredited)
- Sonia Charsky Bit Role (uncredited)
- Kei Thin Chung Kei - Houseboy
- Herbert Butterfield Joseph C. Callahan
- Tamara Schee Maria
- Ashmead Scott Inspector Hardy
- Mari Young Chinese Singer
More from Robert Wise
More films directed by Robert Wise, best-rated first: The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Sound of Music, The Haunting and The Body Snatcher.
The House on Telegraph Hill Plot Summary
What happens in The House on Telegraph Hill from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Viktoria Kowalska, a Polish woman who has lost everything in the German occupation, is imprisoned in the brutal Belsen concentration camp. There she befriends Karin Dernakova, a fellow prisoner who clings to the hope of reuniting with her young son, Christopher, who was sent to live in San Francisco with a wealthy aunt. As their world tightens around them, Karin’s quiet dream becomes Viktoria’s dangerous route to a new life.
Full summary
The whole story of The House on Telegraph Hill, scene by scene
The House on Telegraph Hill Trailers & Videos
The trailer of The House on Telegraph Hill.
How Well Do You Know The House on Telegraph Hill?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the Polish woman who survived Belsen and assumes a new identity?
Cars in The House on Telegraph Hill
15 cars on screen, including the 1950 Mercury Convertible and the 1946 Cadillac Series 62.
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1950 Mercury Convertible Important role -
1946 Cadillac Series 62 Minor role -
1946 De Soto De Luxe Minor role -
1946 De Soto Taxicab Minor role
The House on Telegraph Hill Also Known As
9 alternative titles, including “La Maison sur la colline” and “Ho paura di lui”.
- Also known as
-
- La Maison sur la colline
- Ho paura di lui
- Дом на телеграфном холме
- La casa de la colina
- Къщата на Телеграф Хил
- Trágica sospecha
- Terrível Suspeita
- 전신 언덕의 집
- 崖畔之屋
Seen The House on Telegraph Hill?
Movies Like The House on Telegraph Hill
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The House of Secrets, The House on Carroll Street and The House.
The House on Telegraph Hill FAQ: Cast & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The House on Telegraph Hill, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The House on Telegraph Hill?
The House on Telegraph Hill runs 1 hour 33 minutes (93 minutes).
When was The House on Telegraph Hill released?
The House on Telegraph Hill was released on May 12, 1951.
Who directed The House on Telegraph Hill?
The House on Telegraph Hill was directed by Robert Wise.
More films by Robert Wise Who is in the cast of The House on Telegraph Hill?
The House on Telegraph Hill stars Valentina Cortese as Victoria Kowelska, Natasha Lytess as Karin Dernakova and Gordon Gebert as Christopher, among 29 credited actors.
Does The House on Telegraph Hill have a post-credit scene?
No. The House on Telegraph Hill has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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