Stage Fright (1950)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Whitfield Cook (screenplay)
Alma Reville (adaptation)

Release Date:

15 April 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Every time I'm beginning to think what color your eyes are, you disappear!

Plot:

A struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence when he's accused of murdering the husband of a high society entertainer.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Actress | Singer | Detective | Dressing Room

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jane Wyman	...	Eve Gill aka Doris Tinsdale
Marlene Dietrich	...	Charlotte Inwood
Michael Wilding	...	Inspector Wilffred O. 'Ordinary' Smith
Richard Todd	...	Jonathan Cooper
Alastair Sim	...	Commodore Gill (as Alistair Sim)
Sybil Thorndike	...	Mrs. Gill
Kay Walsh	...	Nellie Goode
Miles Malleson	...	Mr. Fortesque (as Miles Mallison)
Hector MacGregor	...	Freddie Williams
Joyce Grenfell	...	'Lovely Ducks'
André Morell	...	Inspector Byard (as Andre Morell)
Patricia Hitchcock	...	Chubby Bannister
Ballard Berkeley	...	Sergeant Mellish

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (2004) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A (video rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

First cinema film of Lionel Jeffries.

Goofs:

Continuity: The way that Johnny carries Charlotte's blue dress changes between shots.

Quotes:

Det. Insp. Wilfred 'Ordinary' Smith: I once had a cousin who had an ulcer and an extremely funny face, both at the same time. Everybody laughed at him when he was telling his symptoms. His name was Jim.
Eve Gill: That must've been terrible!
Det. Insp. Wilfred 'Ordinary' Smith: Oh, I don't know, Jim is quite a common name.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Destination Hitchcock: The Making of 'North by Northwest' (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Laziest Gal in Town

A solid, entertaining Hitch flick

Often considered to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser known films, "Stage Fright" has unfortunately gotten a bad wrap. Even mediocre Hitchcock is better than most movies ever get, though. And this one is a solid, entertaining picture. With an eclectic cast one doesn't expect to see together, each diverse actor provides a little something for everyone. And with Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Todd and Michael Wilding how can you go wrong?

Wyman convincingly plays a drama student who gets involved over her head in a purely Hitchcockian case of murder. When her ex-lover Todd is suspected of killing Dietrich's husband, Wyman hides him and helps him allude the police. Meanwhile, Wyman disguises herself as Dietrich's maid to help find evidence to save Todd's freedom. Wyman falls into a dangerous trap, and danger surrounds her.

Disappointingly underdeveloped as it starts, "Stage Fright" eventually turns into a first-rate thriller. While Wyman has been better, Dietrich is hilariously catty and Todd is wickedly suspicious. This is undoubtedly a Hitchcock film all the way around, but adding a nice twist to the formula is a soaring, romantic soundtrack. A seriously satisfying film, "Stage Fright" hits most of the right notes.