To Catch a Thief (1955)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Michael Hayes (screenplay)
David Dodge (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

September 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

WANTED by the police in all the luxury-spots of Europe!... A catch for any woman!

Plot:

When a reformed jewel thief is suspected of returning to his former occupation, he must ferret out the real thief in order to prove his innocence.

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Burglar | Cat | Riviera | Jewelry

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Cary Grant	...	John Robie
Grace Kelly	...	Frances Stevens
Jessie Royce Landis	...	Jessie Stevens
John Williams	...	H.H. Hughson
Charles Vanel	...	Bertani
Brigitte Auber	...	Danielle Foussard
Jean Martinelli	...	Foussard
Georgette Anys	...	Germaine
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Adrian	...	Detective (uncredited)
John Alderson	...	Detective at the Costume Ball (uncredited)
Martha Bamattre	...	Kitchen Helper (uncredited)
René Blancard	...	Commissaire Lepic (uncredited)
Eugene Borden	...	French Waiter (uncredited)
Nina Borget	...	Frenchwoman (uncredited)
Margaret Brewster	...	Cold-cream Woman (uncredited)
Lewis Charles	...	Man with Milk in Kitchen (uncredited)
Frank Chelland	...	Chef (uncredited)
Wilson Cornell	...	Shepherd (uncredited)
Reinie Costello	...	Spanish Girl (uncredited)
William 'Wee Willie' Davis	...	Big Man in Kitchen (uncredited)
Dominique Davray	...	Antoinette (uncredited)
Louise De Carlo	...	Spanish Girl (uncredited)
Guy De Vestel	...	Detective (uncredited)
Gloria Dee	...	Persian Slave Girl (uncredited)
Kathleen Desmond	...	French Shepherdess (uncredited)
Lala Detolly	...	French Queen (uncredited)
Dolores Ellsworth	...	Persian Girl (uncredited)
George Ellsworth	...	Shepherd (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Woman at Costume Ball (uncredited)
Russell Gaige	...	Mr. Sanford (uncredited)
Steven Geray	...	Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Art Gilmore	...	Trailer Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Michael Hadlow	...	Monaco Policeman (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Sitting Next to John Robie on Bus (uncredited)
Gladys Holland	...	Elegant French Woman (uncredited)
Jeshurun Howard	...	Boy (uncredited)
Jean Hébey	...	Police Inspector Mercier (uncredited)
Beverly Ruth Jordan	...	French Shepherdess (uncredited)
Lorraine Knight	...	French Huntress (uncredited)
Bela Kovacs	...	Detective (uncredited)
Jeanne Lafayette	...	Frenchwoman (uncredited)
Donald Lawton	...	Detective (uncredited)
Eddie Le Baron	...	Frenchman (uncredited)
Roland Lesaffre	...	Claude (uncredited)
Edward Manouk	...	Kitchen Helper (uncredited)
Jonathan Marlowe	...	Prince (uncredited)
Jerri McKenna	...	French Princess (uncredited)
Don Megowan	...	Detective at Costume Ball (uncredited)
Louis Mercier	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Alberto Morin	...	Detective (uncredited)
George Nardelli	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Paul Newlan	...	Vegetable Man in Kitchen (uncredited)
Barry Norton	...	Frenchman (uncredited)
George Paris	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Manuel París	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Joan Patti	...	Spanish Girl (uncredited)
Leonard Penn	...	Monaco Policeman (uncredited)
Albert Pollet	...	Croupier (uncredited)
John Powell	...	Boy (uncredited)
Loulette Sablon	...	Frenchwoman (uncredited)
Cosmo Sardo	...	Frenchman (uncredited)
Otto F. Schulze	...	Chef (uncredited)
Lal Singh	...	Maharaja (uncredited)
Adele St. Mauer	...	Woman with Birdcage on Bus (uncredited)
Marie Stoddard	...	Mrs. Sanford (uncredited)
Aimee Torriani	...	Woman in Kitchen (uncredited)
Philip Van Zandt	...	Jewelry Clerk (uncredited)
Geni Whitlow	...	Persian Slave Girl (uncredited)
Phyllis Young	...	Spanish Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
John Michael Hayes		(screenplay)
David Dodge		(novel)
Alec Coppel		contributing writer (uncredited)

Produced by
Alfred Hitchcock	....	producer

Original Music by
Lyn Murray		(music scored by)

Cinematography by
Robert Burks		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
George Tomasini		(edited by)

Art Direction by
J. McMillan Johnson		(as Joseph MacMillan Johnson)
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Arthur Krams

Costume Design by
Edith Head		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Bud Bashaw Jr.	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Harry Ray	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
William Davidson	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)
C.O. Erickson	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)
C.O. Erickson	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert Coleman	....	second unit director
Daniel McCauley	....	assistant director
Ralph Axness	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Paul Feyder	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Al Mann	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)
Joe Keller	....	props (uncredited)
Robert McCrillis	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cope	....	sound recordist
Harold Lewis	....	sound recordist
Howard Beals	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Paul Franz	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
George Swarthout	....	sound cable man (uncredited)
August Van Koughnet	....	stage engineer (uncredited)
Bill Wistrom	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	transparency projection shots
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
W. Wallace Kelley	....	photography: second unit (as Wallace Kelley)
Bill Avery	....	still photographer (uncredited)
George Gall	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
James Grant	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
Vic Jones	....	electrician (uncredited)
Gene Liggett	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
William Schurr	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Leonard J. South	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
Darrell Turnmire	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ed Fitzharris	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Grace Harris	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Other crew
Elsie Foulstone	....	dialogue coach
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Sylvette Baudrot	....	script supervisor: France (uncredited)
Claire Behnke	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Vincent McEveety	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount British Pictures (1955) (UK) (theatrical)
• Les Films Paramount (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1955) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Nederland NV (1956) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Paramount Films (1956) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Amazonas Film (1992) (Germany) (theatrical) (subtitled version)
• Seven Films (2011) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1964) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief" - USA (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some action violence, mild suggestive material and smoking (re-issue) (2013)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Canada:G (video rating) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Norway:12 (1955) | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 (nf) | Spain:T | Netherlands:6 | Ireland:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #17226) | Brazil:14 | Australia:PG | Netherlands:AL (orginal rating) | USA:PG (re-issue) (2013)

Filming Locations:

Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In an early shot, a newspaper article called "Europe's Lighter Side" by Art Buchwald speculates on whether "the Cat" is on the prowl again. Buchwald actually wrote a column by that title for the New York Herald Tribune's European edition early in his career. He left school and moved to Paris in 1948, seven years before this film was released.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the bus pulls up and Robie gets in, it is obvious that there is only one person sitting in the back row of seats. However in the next shot we see not only Robie and the lady with the birds but Hitchcock making his cameo.

Quotes:

Frances Stevens:I called the police from your room and told them who you are and everything you've been doing tonight.
John Robie:Everything? The boys must have really enjoyed *that* at headquarters!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Topaz': An Appreciation by Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin (2001) (V)

Cary Ain't Flattered

Cary Grant, former resistance hero and gentlemanly cat burglar, is now retired from the trade. But there's someone out there who's using all his old cat burglar tricks and putting him in one big jackpot. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but Cary ain't flattered. With the French Surete and the English insurance company breathing down his neck, he'd better find out who the culprit is and fast.

He's got one ally, John Williams of the insurance company who has a sense it ain't really Cary. He's also got to contend with spoiled rich girl Grace Kelly who's taken a fancy to him. How much help she is is a dubious proposition.

Unlike a lot of Alfred Hitchcock films this one doesn't have all that much mystery to it. In fact early on you should be able to figure out who's stealing Cary's tricks. But the color photography which won an Oscar of the French Riviera is breathtaking and Cary Grant and Grace Kelly play the whole thing with such style that you really don't care.

My favorite in the film is Jessie Royce Landis who is Kelly's mother. She's rich, but remembers when she was poor. She takes to Cary and sticks with him when Grace has doubts and gives her quite a lecture on men. She knows her subject well.

Sadly life imitated art in this one. Grace Kelly met her future husband Prince Rainier on the set and on the road where she takes Cary Grant for a speeding car ride is the same one she had the automobile accident that took her life a generation later.

But don't dwell on the morbid here. Appreciate To Catch A Thief for the fine entertainment it is.