Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Thornton Wilder (screenplay) &
Sally Benson (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 January 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

A Blast of DRAMATIC Dynamite exploded right before your eyes!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Visit | Murderer | Suspect | Detective

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Bates	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Phillips (uncredited)
Frances Carson	...	Mrs. Potter (uncredited)
Earle S. Dewey	...	Mr. Norton - Traffic Cop (uncredited)
Sarah Edwards	...	Doctor's Wife on Train (uncredited)
Edward Fielding	...	Doctor on Train (uncredited)
Vaughan Glaser	...	Dr. Phillips (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man on Train Playing Cards (uncredited)
Ruth Lee	...	Mrs. MacCurdy (uncredited)
Eily Malyon	...	Mrs. Cochran - Librarian (uncredited)
John McGuire	...	Detective (uncredited)
Charles Metten	...	Teen at Crosswalk (uncredited)
Shirley Mills	...	Shirley (uncredited)
Constance Purdy	...	Mrs. Martin - Landlady (uncredited)
Robert Quarry	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Isabel Randolph	...	Mrs. Margaret Green (uncredited)
Grandon Rhodes	...	Rev. MacCurdy (uncredited)
Byron Shores	...	Detective (uncredited)
Edwin Stanley	...	Mr. Green - Bank President (uncredited)
Minerva Urecal	...	Mrs. Henderson - Clerk at Telegraph Office (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Thornton Wilder		(screenplay) &
Sally Benson		(screenplay) &
Alma Reville		(screenplay)
Gordon McDonell		(from an original story by)

Produced by
Jack H. Skirball	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Joseph A. Valentine		(director of photography) (as Joseph Valentine)

Film Editing by
Milton Carruth

Art Direction by
John B. Goodman

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(set decorations) (as R.A.Gausman)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(costumes)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Tummel	....	assistant director
Ralph Slosser	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Robert F. Boyle	....	associate art director (as Robert Boyle)
Edward R. Robinson	....	associate set decorator (as E.R. Robinson)
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	director of sound
Robert Pritchard	....	technician

Visual Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photography (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Adrian	....	gowns: Teresa Wright

Music Department
Charles Previn	....	musical director

Other crew
Adele Cannon	....	set continuity

Thanks
Thornton Wilder	....	we wish to acknowledge the contribution of, to the preparation of this production (as Mr. Thornton Wilder)

Production Companies

• Skirball Productions (presents)
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1943) (USA) (theatrical) (as A Universal Picture)
• Filmes Alcântara (1945) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures Inc. (1950) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV)
• MCA Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2001) (Germany) (VHS)
• New Star (2012) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Státní Pujcovna Filmu (194?) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2001) (Canada) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2006) (Canada) (DVD)

Other Companies

• David O. Selznick Productions Inc.  Alfred Hitchcock through the courtesy of (as David O. Selznick Productions, Inc.)

Also Known As:

"Shadow of Doubt" - USA (poster title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:PG (re-rating) (1984) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Ireland:PG | Peru:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1993) | USA:Approved (PCA #9011) (original rating) | UK:A (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Spain:13 | South Korea:15 (2004) | Brazil:14 | USA:TV-PG | Portugal:M/12 | West Germany:16 (nf) | UK:PG (tv rating)

Filming Locations:

904 McDonald Avenue, Santa Rosa, California, USA

Company:

Skirball Productions

Trivia:

"Shadow of a Doubt" was the script title but was listed as only a "temporary title" until a better title could be found.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When young Charlie is reading the newspaper in the library, the camera casts a shadow on her back.

Quotes:

Herbie Hawkins:He ran plunk right into the propeller of an airplane.
Joseph Newton:Ooh boy!
Herbie Hawkins:Cut him all to pieces. Had to identify him by his clothes. His shirts were all initialed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Telescope: A Talk with Hitchcock" (1964)

Soundtrack:

The Merry Widow Waltz

One of his very best - I've loved it since I was a child!

"Shadow of a Doubt" may only be listed as #181 on IMDb's "Top 250" list, but in my opinion it far outweighs some of the films higher up on that list and is one of Hitch's very best films.

Joseph Cotten plays Charlie, a crook on the run from the police. Left stranded and pursued, he decides to move in with his brother's family. His niece - who loves him and sees him as a sort of perfect role model - at first is excited that her Uncle Charlie is coming...but then things start to get strange. Charlie acts oddly and, at times, violent. She begins to become suspicious of her uncle as he becomes more suspicious of her own awareness.

The ending of "Shadow of a Doubt" is classic Hitchcock and some of the best stuff he's done. The entire film is taut and suspenseful, well-filmed and realistic. It manages to focus on family ties and the struggles within the family itself while it also juggles the whole theme of an outcast family member.

In the end, however, it's just a nail-biting thriller that - now over sixty years old - still reigns as one of the absolute best of its genre.