Desperate Hours, The

Based on the novel and play by Joseph Hayes, which in turn was inspired by an actual event, The Desperate Hours is the prototypical "family-trap ped-by-criminals" drama. Escaped convicts Humphrey Bogart, Robert Middle ton and Dewey Martin, seeking an appropriate hid eout until they can mak e contact with their money supply, deliberately choose the suburban home of Fredric March and his family. The cold-blooded Bogart wants no trou ble with the police, and he knows he can cower a family with children in to cooperating with him. T he convict orders March, his wife Martha Scot t, and their children Richard Eyer and Mary Murphy, to go about their no rmal activities so as not to arouse suspicion. Young Eyer, upset that M arch won't lift a hand against Bogart, assumes that his father is a cowa rd. The authorities are alerted when March, at Bogart's behest, draws mo ney for the convict's getaway from the bank. Pushed to the break ing poi nt, March begins subtly turning the tables on the convicts. Bogart's cha racter in Desperate Hours was originally written for a much younger man, which explains why Paul Newman was able to play the part in the origina l Broadway production. The film was slate d to co-star Bogart with his o ld pal Spencer Tracy, but this plan fell through when the two actors cou ldn't agree on who would get t op billing. Desperate Hours was remade in 1991 with Mickey Rourke in the Bogart role.