"The Window" established Bobby Driscoll as one of the finest young actors to ever grace Hollywood. Disney "loaned" him to RKO for this film, and his performance as a frightened little boy astounded everyone. Bobby was given a Special Oscar for this performance, and there are those who believed he should have won Best Actor for this film.
The film is roughly based on the tale of the boy who cried wolf. It is the story of a boy who is given to lies. When he witnesses a real murder, the only ones who believe him are the murderers. As we step through the story, all of the pictures on this page can be expanded to greater detail.
Tommy wasn't a bad boy, but he did have a big imagination. In fact he had a reputation as a fibber. He told stories about shooting "bad guys," about moving to a ranch his parents were buying, in fact about all the things that a little boy can dream about.
Because of this, he was frequently in trouble. His parents wanted him to put his feet firmly on the ground and tell the truth. Tommy just wanted to be a little boy. Unfortunately, his reputation for imagination was going to cause major difficulties ... all because of a WINDOW.
It was a hot night, and Tommy wanted to sleep outside on the fire escape. His mother said it was all right, so he went outside. Even then, however, there was no breeze. In order to try to get cooler, Tommy climbed up a couple of levels and started to go to sleep on his neighbor's fire escape. This is when it happened.
Tommy heard a commotion inside. With a normal boy's curiosity, he looked in underneath the window blind ... and witnessed a murder. Terrified, he went back downstairs to tell his parents who refused to believe him because of his previous fibs. The more he tried to convince them that he really had seen a murder, the more trouble he was in. Tommy found himself literally a boy alone.
Realizing that his parents aren't going to believe him, Tommy takes to heart a statement his father makes ... "This is a job for the police." Tommy sneaks out of the house and goes to the police station. He tells the story to a detective who starts to believe him - until a patrolman who knows Tommy tells him about Tommy's imagination.
The detective tells Tommy that he's going to go investigate, then takes Tommy home and tells his mother about the latest story. Naturally, Tommy is in more trouble and feels even more alone. The detective, however, was struck with how serious Tommy was about his story and decides to check further. He goes to Tommy's neighbor's apartment and invents a story that lets him look around. A few things look strange to him, but he sees nothing that supports Tommy's story.
Tommy's mother has had enough. She takes Tommy to the neighbor's and tries to make him apologize for making up stories about them. Finally, Tommy has found someone who will believe him.
When a chance set of circumstances causes Tommy to be alone in his apartment, his neighbors capture him. After questioning convinces them that he did see the murder, they decide that Tommy should have an "accident." Knocking the boy out, they place him on the railing of the fire escape expecting him to fall and be killed. Unknown to them, however, the boy had regained consciousness shortly before they put him on the railing.
As he gets away, the film leads to an exciting climax. Bobby's performance as the terrified child is absolutely convincing. While I won't reveal the film's conclusion, I will recommend it to all film fans. There are those in Hollywood who doubt the ability of children to perform. Bobby Driscoll's work in "The Window" should demonstrate to any objective viewer that children can and do give stellar performances.
Bobby Driscoll
YES - Youth in Entertainment and Sports
A Minor Consideration
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For more information, please contact Michael Satterwhite (satterwh@insync.net)