Strangers on a Train (1951)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Raymond Chandler (screen play) and
Czenzi Ormonde (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

30 June 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

A girl in love with young America's idol--and a good-looking stranger in search of sensation--that's how it all began..! Warner Bros. bring a pounding new tempo to motion picture entertainment!

Plot:

A psychotic socialite confronts a pro tennis star with a theory on how two complete strangers can get away with murder...a theory that he plans to implement.

Plot Keywords:

Tennis | Stranger | Murder | Train | Divorce

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Farley Granger	...	Guy Haines
Ruth Roman	...	Anne Morton
Robert Walker	...	Bruno Antony
Leo G. Carroll	...	Sen. Morton
Patricia Hitchcock	...	Barbara Morton
Kasey Rogers	...	Miriam Joyce Haines (as Laura Elliott)
Marion Lorne	...	Mrs. Antony
Jonathan Hale	...	Mr. Antony
Howard St. John	...	Police Capt. Turley
John Brown	...	Prof. Collins
Norma Varden	...	Mrs. Cunningham
Robert Gist	...	Det. Leslie Hennessey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joel Allen	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Murray Alper	...	Boatman (uncredited)
Monya Andre	...	Dowager (uncredited)
Brooks Benedict	...	Tennis Umpire (uncredited)
Al Bridge	...	Tennis Judge (uncredited)
John Butler	...	Blind Man (uncredited)
Leonard Carey	...	Anthonys' Butler (uncredited)
Edward Clark	...	Miriam's Boss (uncredited)
Jack Cushingham	...	Fred Reynolds (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	Detective at Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
John Doucette	...	Det. Hammond (uncredited)
Roy Engel	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Tommy Farrell	...	Miriam's Boyfriend (uncredited)
Sam Flint	...	Train Passenger Requesting Light (uncredited)
Edward Hearn	...	Lt. Campbell (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	Carnival Game Proprietor (uncredited)
Harry Hines	...	Man Under Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Boarding Train Carrying a Double Bass (uncredited)
Mary Alan Hokanson	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Edna Holland	...	Mrs. Joyce (uncredited)
J. Louis Johnson	...	Mortons' Butler (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Detective at Carnival (uncredited)
Perc Launders	...	Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Louis Lettieri	...	Boy with Balloon (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Policeman at Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
Charles Marsh	...	Bystander at Drain (uncredited)
Paul McGuire	...	Man on Train (uncredited)
David McMahon	...	Bystander at Drain (uncredited)
Charles Meredith	...	Judge Donahue (uncredited)
Ralph Moody	...	Seedy Man at Carnival (uncredited)
Roland Morris	...	Miriam's Boyfriend (uncredited)
Odette Myrtil	...	Madame Darville (uncredited)
Barry Norton	...	Tennis Match Spectator (uncredited)
Paul Panzer	...	Bystander at Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
Minna Phillips	...	Dowager (uncredited)
Georges Renavent	...	Monsieur Darville (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway	...	Bystander at Merry-Go-Round Wreck (uncredited)
Dick Ryan	...	Minister (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Cop (uncredited)
Janet Stewart	...	Girl (uncredited)
Shirley Tegge	...	Girl (uncredited)
Laura Treadwell	...	Mrs. Anderson (uncredited)
Joe Warfield	...	Soda Jerk (uncredited)
Howard Washington	...	Waiter on Train (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Bill (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Bystander at Drain (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Raymond Chandler		(screen play) and
Czenzi Ormonde		(screen play)
Whitfield Cook		(adaptation)
Patricia Highsmith		(from the novel by)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Alfred Hitchcock	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Robert Burks		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William H. Ziegler		(film editor) (as William Ziegler)

Art Direction by
Ted Haworth		(as Edward S. Haworth)

Set Decoration by
George James Hopkins

Costume Design by
Leah Rhodes		(wardrobe by)

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup artist
Bill Phillips	....	makeup (uncredited)
Myrl Stoltz	....	hairdresser (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mel Dellar	....	assistant director (uncredited)
C. Carter Gibson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Armor Marlowe	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Dolph Thomas	....	sound

Special Effects by
Hans F. Koenekamp	....	special effects (as H.F. Koenekamp)

Stunts
Paul Baxley	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bud Graybill	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Norman C. McClay	....	best boy (uncredited)
Harold Noyes	....	grip (uncredited)
Charles O'Bannon	....	gaffer (uncredited)
William Schurr	....	second camera (uncredited)
Leonard J. South	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert O'Dell	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Margaret Ross	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)

Music Department
Ray Heindorf	....	musical director

Other crew
Barbara Keon	....	production associate
Jack Cushingham	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Rita Michaels	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (presents) (produced by) (A Warner Bros.-First National Picture)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1951) (USA) (theatrical) (distributed by)
• Sociedade Importadora de Filmes (SIF) (1952) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1952) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Films (1952) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Motion Picture Export Association (MPEA) (1952) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Films (1962) (Finland) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1974) (Finland) (TV) (1985) (1998)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1981) (Finland) (TV) (1992) (2008)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1984) (Finland) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• TV3 (1989) (Finland) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS) (UK version)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS) (US version)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2001) (Finland) (DVD) (1-disc edition)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (UK and US versions)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2002) (Finland) (DVD) (2-disc edition)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (two-disc special edition)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD) (6-disc Alfred Hitchcock Prestige Collection)
• Turner Classic Movies (TCM) (2008) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Bros. (195?) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Varus Video (19??) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The  acknowledgement: Mr. Granger appears by arrangement with (as Samuel Goldwyn)

Also Known As:

"Alfred Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train'" - USA (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some violence and tension (new rating) (re-issue) (1996)

Runtime:

101 min | Portugal:96 min (cut version) | 103 min (preview version) | West Germany:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #14946) | USA:PG (new rating) (re-issue) (1996) | Argentina:13 | Norway:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Spain:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 (DVD) | West Germany:16 (nf) | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) (2004) | South Africa:PG | Brazil:16 | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1951) | Italy:16+

Filming Locations:

West Side Tennis Club - 1 Tennis Place, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Raymond Chandler is credited as the main author of the script, but it was almost completely written by Czenzi Ormonde who was credited as second author.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Guy is having a conversation with Professor Collins man on the train, the drunk's legs switch from being crossed to uncrossed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bruno Anthony:I beg your pardon, but aren't you Guy Haines?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hitchcock (2012)

Soundtrack:

Baby Face

The Movie Is A Major Improvement Over The Book

Usually, it is the other way around, but in this case, the movie is a major improvement over the original book.

I had seen this wonderful movie at least a dozen times, before I managed to find a copy of the book it was taken from....the book has the same title and was written by Patricia Highsmith.

I scoured the used bookstores for years, before I finally found a copy, and because the movie was SO good, I could not wait to begin reading the story in its original version.

I was never so disappointed!

Not because the book is unreadable...but because Hitchcock made such vast improvements over the book that the book simply does not come close to measuring up to the movie version.

That said, let me now comment on Robert Walker's amazing performance as Bruno Antony.

This was Robert Walker's last completed performance...he died while shooting his final film, "My Son John," in August, 1951.

This role as Bruno was the performance of his career!

Perfect in every way.

The movie has been around now for nearly half a century. I see it every time it is shown on television, and I also watch the tape I have of it occasionally.

Robert Walker's performance only seems to improve with each new viewing.

I can not recommend this movie highly enough.

If Hitchcock and Robert Walker can read me, up there in heaven, let me congratulate them both on an absolutely superlative job!