HOUSE OF STRANGERS

In this powerful drama of betrayal and revenge, Gino Monetti (Edward G Robinson), the patriarch of a Lower East Side Italian family, is so infatuated with his success as a banker, he doesn’t notice the simmering hatred in his own house. Three of his four sons work with him at the bank, but his tyrannical treatment turns them against him. His favourite son, Max (Richard Conte), a lawyer, is double-crossed by the others (Luther Adler, Efrem Zimbalist Jr and Paul Valentine), and lands in prison for seven years. On his release, Max seeks vengeance against them, all the while ignoring his fiancée (Debra Paget) and the society woman (Susan Hayward) who also loves him. With its fine performances and absorbing story, House of Strangers is a fascinating portrait of family tensions.