Stage Fright (1950)

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

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Whitfield Cook (screen play), Alma Reville (adaptation)

Stars:

Marlene Dietrich, Jane Wyman, Richard Todd

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jane Wyman	...	Eve Gill
Marlene Dietrich	...	Charlotte Inwood
Michael Wilding	...	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

Storyline

Jonathan Cooper is wanted by the police who suspect him of killing his lover's husband. His besotted friend Eve Gill offers to hide him and Jonathan explains to her that his real lover, actress Charlotte Inwood is the real murderer. Eve decides to investigate for herself, but when she meets the detective in charge of the case, she truly falls in love.

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Plot Keywords:

frame up | police | actress | love | friend | 

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Taglines:

Love held its breath as sudden terror held the stage!

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die rote Lola

Filming Locations:

Mayfair, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,437,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,012,000, 31 December 1950

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,012,000, 31 December 1952

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted to cast Tallulah Bankhead for the role of Charlotte Inwood. But the studio suggested casting Marlene Dietrich instead.

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Goofs

Eve reports back to her father in a call box having been unable to gain entrance to the murder house. "Oh don't be ridiculous father, the police won't let anyone near the place" - she actually mouths "near the house".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Eve Gill: Any sign of the police?
Jonathan Cooper: No, no sign. Looks like we're getting away with it.
Eve Gill: Good.
Jonathan Cooper: How far is it to your father's boat?
Eve Gill: Two hours, with luck. You're luck seems to be very good. Touching wood.

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Alternate Versions

A French VHS released in the nineties contained two versions of the film: one dubbed, the other subtitled. Beside this difference numerous edits were made in the dubbed version. Many scenes were shortened such as the talk between Eve and her father outside the boathouse in the night, Eve's attempt to disguise herself as a maid... However, and more importantly, this version contained two longer scenes not present in any copy released on VHS or DVD so far.

• The first one is an extension of the bar discussion scene between the maid and the other patrons, right before Eve asks Wilfred Smith "Don't you think she's talking too much?" The dialog is dubbed in French.
• The second scene is a slightly but magnificent longer version of Marlene Dietrich singing "The Laziest Gal in Town". The complete song runs 4 minutes instead of 3.37 in the edited version. The cut occurs after the first "it's not 'cause I couldn't" in the lyrics.

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Connections

Featured in Marlene Dietrich: Shadow and Light (1996)

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Soundtracks

La Vie en Rose
Music by Louiguy
Lyrics by Édith Piaf
Performed by Marlene Dietrich

User Reviews

Mavis or is it Phyllis?

This movie gets a very much undeserved amount of flack for being a lessor work of Hitchcock. I can see why it might not appeal to some people, being character driven rather than having children being chased by rampant birds or someone being attacked by a serial killer in an old lady's wig. The performances here are all excellent especially Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrich as Charlotte Inwood, perhaps the laziest girl in town but also the most flamboyant. The secondary characters are also in fine form and make memorable impressions that adds to the enjoyment factor of this film. I don't know why some people feel tricked after watching the movie, seeing and believing are two different things, especially in an Alfred Hitchcock movie!