The Unsuspected is a 1947 American mystery film noir directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, Ted North, Constance Bennett, Joan Caulfield, and Hurd Hatfield.

In the suburban New York home of Victor Grandison (Claude Rains), a shadowy figure murders his secretary, Roslyn Wright (Barbara Woodell).

At his home, his niece Althea (Audrey Totter) is throwing a surprise birthday party for Victor.

She hopes it will take his mind off the combined loss of his secretary and his wealthy ward, Matilda (Joan Caulfield), who reportedly perished in a sinking ship en route to Portugal weeks earlier.

Althea is shocked by the arrival of a mysterious Steven Howard (Michael North), who claims to be married to Matilda.

Althea is making a play for Steve when Victor delivers the news that Matilda is alive and well and arriving the next day.

She regains consciousness, sees the note and the open bottle of pills Victor has strewn over it, but cannot make it past the door.

Victor introduces his broadcast as usual but is thrown off when Donovan enters the control booth and police surround the auditorium.

Warner Bros purchased the film rights prior to publication, and in May 1946, they announced that Michael Curtiz would direct.

[5][6] By then, Warner Bros had just signed a 14-picture contract with Michael Curtiz's production company, and The Unsuspected was the first of three movies under the new arrangement.

[10] Eventually, Dana Andrews was set to star as part of a package deal including Virginia Mayo and Cathy O'Donnell.

[12] Two weeks later, Andrews left the production after being dissatisfied with the size of his part in comparison to Rains' in which Curtiz refused to make changes.

[1][14] Curtiz had only agreed to take Mayo and O'Donnell in order to get Andrews, so his departure meant recasting their roles.

[11] On January 4, 1947, The New York Times announced that Joan Caulfield was being borrowed from Paramount to play Matilda, the role intended for Mayo.

[15] On January 15, 1947, The New York Times reported that Curtiz had signed Constance Bennett and Donald Crisp for "two major supporting roles".

[1] The New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther wrote: There is reasonable ground for suspicion that the people who made The Unsuspected thought that they were fashioning another Laura, popular mystery of a few years back...

But, beyond a brisk flurry of excitement and wickedness at the start, it bears little showmanly resemblance to that previous top-drawer effort in this line... (T)he yarn gets away temptingly.

Once launched, however, it starts leaking, pulling apart at the seams, and generally foundering in a welter of obvious contrivances and clichés... Claude Rains is intriguing as the fashionable radio ghoul and Michael North, a new young actor, looks good as the lad who 'breaks' the case.

The only source of the illumination in this dingy hotel room comes from a partially obscured flashing neon sign.