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:

The portrait that hangs on the wall of Charlie's room to the right of her door is one drawn by Willy Pogany of actress Mary Philbin, who was a leading lady at Universal just 20 years before.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Charlie examines the ring at the library, the manner the ring is held in the closeup is not the same as immediately before or after.

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 Stoker (2013)

Soundtrack:

The Merry Widow Waltz

The Master at his best.

I own the Hitchcock collection (14 films in toto), and while this isn't my favourite of the bunch ('Psycho' is one of my favourite movies of all time, and 'Birds' never gets old), I like to watch it every now and again to remind myself what it means to make a "suspense film", and why Hitchcock was and always will be the master of this craft.

To give away even the slightest story detail would ruin it for new viewers, because it is essential that everyone begin with the wrong impressions of the major characters. This allows Hitch to pull off his famous 'twists' throughout the course of the movie, hitting you every now and then with something you simply weren't expecting.

One of my favourite elements in the movie is the ongoing dialogue between Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn, avid mystery readers who are constantly discussing the best ways to murder each other. Apart from being a bit of comic relief in an otherwise very dark film, it also demonstrates how lightly people think of murder and murderers...until they encounter them face-to-face.

My advice then, if you want to see this movie, is not to learn anything about it beforehand. Going in with no knowledge will increase the movie's initial impact, and will help you to appreciate why Hitchcock was the 'Master of Suspense'. This is a taut thriller with no gratuitous violence, foul language, or mature situations.

(Hitch considered it 'a family film'.)

Enjoy!