Sorry, Wrong Number is a 1948 American thriller and film noir directed by Anatole Litvak,[2] from a screenplay by Lucille Fletcher, based on her 1943 radio play of the same title.

[3] Lucille Fletcher's play originally aired on the Suspense radio program on May 25, 1943, essentially a one-woman show with Agnes Moorehead as Mrs. Stevenson.

Mrs. Stevenson, an imperious invalid, accidentally intercepts a phone call between two men plotting a murder for that evening.

[4] In 2014, the broadcast was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.

Through various telephone calls, she learns that the secretary met Henry that day with an attractive woman named Sally Lord and did not return to the office.

Leona recognizes the woman as Sally Hunt, a college friend in love with Henry, who at the time was poor and working in a drugstore.

Leona receives a message from Henry, stating he left town to complete some work he had forgotten about and will return on Sunday.

Henry tells Leona to leave the house; but, paralyzed by fear, she is killed by the intruder and the phone line goes dead.

As the police prepare to arrest Henry, he re-dials the phone, and the killer answers and replies: "Sorry, wrong number".

The film is shot in very dark light, with looming shadows and a circling camera used to maintain a high level of suspense.

[6] Hollywood's Production Code Administration initially objected to elements of Fletcher's screenplay, including its depiction of drug trafficking, and the script was significantly revised to win approval.

[1] Although not as well received as the radio play, with some critics noting the plot is too padded out, the movie adaptation is considered a classic of the film noir genre.