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Preview audiences for Witness for the Prosecution were asked to sign a pledge card. According to AFI Catalog, it read:
“I solemnly swear I will not reveal the ending of Witness for the Prosecution.”
Tyrone Power starred in the 1957 courtroom thriller alongside Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton, with Billy Wilder directing.
Nearly seven decades later, it sits at No. 68 on Rotten Tomatoes’ 300 Best Movies of All Time.
The site’s critics’ consensus had this verdict:
“Witness for the Prosecution combines a fascinating character study with a brilliantly unpredictable plot to produce a practically flawless Agatha Christie adaptation.”
Turns out, keeping that ending under wraps started with the cast.
How Billy Wilder Kept the Witness for the Prosecution Ending Secret
Studio publicity claimed Power and his co-stars didn’t learn the ending until the final day of shooting. The script’s final 10 pages were handed out then, per the AFI Catalog.
The film also carried a warning as the end credits rolled. An offscreen voice addressed audiences directly:
“The management of this theater suggests that for the greater entertainment of your friends who have not yet seen the picture you will not divulge to anyone the secret of the ending of Witness for the Prosecution.”
Even the posters urged moviegoers not to tell the ending. The secrecy may have cost Dietrich an Oscar nomination, per CrimeReads. The campaign hid the full scope of her performance from anyone who hadn’t seen it.
The film still earned six Oscar nominations, including best picture. It was also Power’s last completed film. He died of a heart attack the following year, during his next production.
Witness for the Prosecution holds a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 42 reviews.