release in 1948, the millionaire Howard Hughes had taken over the studio and refused to release it, saying it wouldn't make any money and that Bobby Driscoll wasn't much of an actor. However, in 1949, he was persuaded to release it and it became a critical and financial success, earning many times its production costs, with Driscoll being awarded the Juvenile Oscar for his outstanding performance in it. Driscoll was under contract with Walt Disney, which "loaned" him to RKO for this film. Reception Critical response When the film was first released, The New York Times lauded the film: Decades later, in 2003, critic Dennis Schwartz discussed the noir aspects of the film as well as its depiction of the challenges facing parents living in the inner city in the mid-20th century: TV Guide in its 2008 assessment also praised the thriller, especially Tetzlaff's highly effective composition of scenes and his direction of the camera: Awards Wins Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Edgar, Best Motion Picture, Mel Dinelli and Cornell Woolrich; 1950. Honors Academy Honorary Award: Juvenile Oscar, "Outstanding Juvenile Actor of 1949", Bobby Driscoll; 1950. Nominations Academy Awards: Oscar, Best Film Editing, Frederic Knudtson; 1950. British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Film Award, Best Film from any Source, USA; 1950. Writers Guild of America: WGA Award (Screen), Best Written American Drama, Mel Dinelli; 1950. Adaptations The film has been remade three times: The Boy Cried Murder (1966) Cloak & Dagger (1984) Witness to a Killing References External links 1949 films 1940s psychological drama films 1940s psychological thriller films American black-and-white films American psychological drama films American psychological thriller films American heist films Edgar Award-winning works Film noir Films based on works by Cornell Woolrich Films based on short fiction Films directed by Ted Tetzlaff Films scored by Roy Webb RKO Pictures films 1940s heist films Films set in New York City 1949 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films