performances of Margalo Gillmore and Irving Bacon along with the film's "quiet, sunny atmosphere of a pleasant residential street" in Los Angeles. However, in later decades the film was widely ignored (falling into the public domain) and the few retrospective reviews were less flattering. François Truffaut's short overview of Cause for Alarm! was kinder than many when he wrote, "But all those effects hit home, perfectly timed, and isn't that what counts?" 21st century reviews have tended towards Truffaut's take along with citing the film's suburban noir setting. Critic Craig Butler also cites the performances of Gillmore and Bacon, along with describing the cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg and score by André Previn as "huge pluses." Sean Axmaker calls Cause for Alarm! "An unusual entry into the film noir school of paranoia" which "trades the dark alleys and long shadows of urban menace for the sunny, tree-lined streets of middle-class domesticity" whilst noting, "Young's deadened narration adds an eerie mood of doom to the suburban setting." See also List of films in the public domain in the United States References External links Cause for Alarm! film trailer at Turner Classic Movies Media Room 1951 films 1950s thriller drama films American black-and-white films American thriller drama films 1950s English-language films Film noir Films about death Films directed by Tay Garnett Films scored by André Previn Films set in Los Angeles Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1951 drama films Melodrama films 1950s American films