John Derek

Lee J. Cobb

Jody Lawrance

Erin O'Brien-Moore

Santos Ortega

Henry O'Neill

Carl Benton Reid

Peggy Converse

Jean Alexander

Dorothy Tree

Whit Bissell

Raymond Greenleaf

Onslow Stevens

Harry Cheshire

Percy Helton

Teddy Infuhr

Bill Walker

John Baer

Amanda Blake

Joseph Crehan

Paul Dubov

Al Eben

Elizabeth Flournoy

Chuck Hamilton

Mary Alan Hokanson

Robert Malcolm

Lou Marcelle

Paul Marion

Irene Martin

Louis Merrill

Harold Miller

Shirley Mills

Marta Mitrovich

Frank O'Connor

Joe Ploski

Jack Roberts

Fred F. Sears

George Spaulding

Helen Spring

Peter M. Thompson

Emmett Vogan

Jean Willes

Frances E. Williams

Robert B. Williams

Joy Windsor

Henry Levin

Francis M. Cockrell

Marie Baumer

Robert Lord

Al Clark

Burnett Guffey

James P. Cavanagh

Humphrey Bogart

William Kiernan

Helen Hunt

Clay Campbell

George Brooks

Jean Louis

George Duning

Andrew Solt

Crime

Drama

The Family Secret

Santana Pictures Corporation

United States of America

CinemaSerf

"David" (John Derek) returns home one night to the home of his parents just before they receive the terrible news of the death of his best friend after what appears to be a drunken brawl. His lawyer father "Howard" (Lee J. Cobb) smells a bit of a rat and right from the get-go, we are aware of precisely what happened - and family loyalties are soon to be tested. These strains only worsen when an illegal bookie - already of interest to the police - is charged with murder and his wife asks Cobb to save him from the chair. Thus far, it's all fairly simple, neat and tidy but sadly the plot now takes a few silly turns as "David", his would-be-girlfriend "Lee" (Jody Lawrence) and serendipity get hold of the plot and it really loses it's way. Had it just been left as a family drama, it might have worked better - but Henry Levin just didn't have enough story here to string this out for all but ninety minutes, and by the end the whole scenario was disappointing. Cobb looks largely disinterested in the whole thing and I'm afraid I felt much the same way.

English