Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

A young woman discovers her visiting "Uncle Charlie" may not be the man he seems to be.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Thornton Wilder (screenplay), Sally Benson (screenplay),

Stars:

Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Teresa Wright	...	Young Charlie
Joseph Cotten	...	Uncle Charlie
Macdonald Carey	...	Jack Graham
Henry Travers	...	Joseph Newton
Patricia Collinge	...	Emma Newton
Hume Cronyn	...	Herbie Hawkins
Wallace Ford	...	Fred Saunders
Edna May Wonacott	...	Ann Newton
Charles Bates	...	Roger Newton
Irving Bacon	...	Station Master
Clarence Muse	...	Pullman Porter
Janet Shaw	...	Louise
Estelle Jewell	...	Catherine

Storyline

Charlotte 'Charlie' Newton is bored with her quiet life at home with her parents and her younger sister. She wishes something exciting would happen and knows exactly what they need: a visit from her sophisticated and much traveled uncle Charlie Oakley, her mother's younger brother. Imagine her delight when, out of the blue, they receive a telegram from uncle Charlie announcing that he is coming to visit them for awhile. Charlie Oakley creates quite a stir and charms the ladies club as well as the bank president where his brother-in-law works. Young Charlie begins to notice some odd behavior on his part, such as cutting out a story in the local paper about a man who marries and then murders rich widows. When two strangers appear asking questions about him, she begins to imagine the worse about her dearly beloved uncle Charlie.

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Plot Keywords:

widow | visit | murderer | suspect | detective | 

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Taglines:

A Blast of DRAMATIC Dynamite exploded right before your eyes!

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shadow of Doubt

Filming Locations:

904 McDonald Avenue, Santa Rosa, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Skirball Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A box office failure when it was released in 1943. The box office rank was #81 for the year.

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Goofs

When Charlotte and Charlie cross the street to go to the bank, the street corner is empty. In the next shot, there are many people on the same corner.

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Quotes

Uncle Charlie: What's the use of looking backward? What's the use of looking ahead? Today's the thing - that's my philosophy. Today.

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Connections

Referenced in Back to 'Somewhere in Time' (2000)

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Soundtracks

"The Merry Widow Waltz"
(1905) (uncredited)
Music by Franz Lehár
In the score throughout the movie

User Reviews

Among the greatest Hitchock classics of the 40's

The ultimate master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock directed his fascinating masterpiece "Shadow of a doubt" at the age of 44 and it was a terrific improvement after the classic "Saboteur" which was definitely a great Hitch movie too, don't get me wrong here. Could it be more simple: this one just had a perfect story that really touched the audience and the whole wicked idea of finding out you have a killer uncle is most exciting when you think of it. It could happen to anybody, I'm sure. No wonder this was one of Hitchcock's own personal favorites. "Shadow of a doubt" may not be the finest Hitchcock-movie of the 40's, though. I admit I haven't seen all of them but I think "Rope" was ever better and "Spellbound" at least just as marvelous but it's safe to say this is one of the most stylish Hitchcock-movies of the decade. What a shame Joseph Cotten never became a bigger star because his powerful performance was one of the most memorable elements of the film.