Dial M for Murder (1954)

A tennis player frames his unfaithful wife for first-degree murder after she inadvertently hinders his plan to kill her.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Frederick Knott (screen play), Frederick Knott (adapted from his play)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings

Top Rated Movies #156 | Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ray Milland	...	Tony Wendice
Grace Kelly	...	Margot Wendice
Robert Cummings	...	Mark Halliday
John Williams	...	Chief Inspector Hubbard
Anthony Dawson	...	Charles Swann
Leo Britt	...	The Storyteller
Patrick Allen	...	Detective Pearson
George Leigh	...	Detective Williams
George Alderson	...	First Detective
Robin Hughes	...	Police Sergeant O'Brien

Storyline

In London, wealthy Margot Mary Wendice had a brief love affair with the American writer Mark Halliday while her husband and professional tennis player Tony Wendice was on a tennis tour. Tony quits playing to dedicate to his wife and finds a regular job. She decides to give him a second chance for their marriage. When Mark arrives from America to visit the couple, Margot tells him that she had destroyed all his letters but one that was stolen. Subsequently she was blackmailed, but she had never retrieved the stolen letter. Tony arrives home, claims that he needs to work and asks Margot to go with Mark to the theater. Meanwhile Tony calls Captain Lesgate (aka Charles Alexander Swann who studied with him at college) and blackmails him to murder his wife, so that he can inherit her fortune. But there is no perfect crime, and things do not work as planned.

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Plot Keywords:

blackmail | murder | tennis player | love letter | key | 

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Taglines:

It Holds You Spellbound with Suspense!

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dial 'M' for Murder

Filming Locations:

Stage 20, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,562, 11 April 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,562, 11 April 1999

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,080,000, 31 December 1954

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Alfred Hitchcock wanted Cary Grant to star, but Warner Brothers felt that he would be miscast as a villain.

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Goofs

When Tony dials the first phone call in the movie, it's clear from the sound and his finger movements that the fourth digit is smaller than the third, perhaps a 4. But from the immediately following dialogue, the number should be HAMpstead 7899, i.e. 426-7899.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Margot Mary Wendice: let me get you another drink. Mark, before Tony comes I ought to explain something.
Mark Halliday: Yes, I've been waiting for that.
Margot Mary Wendice: I haven't told him anything about us.

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Crazy Credits

The title is shown on a background of a British telephone dial; its MN/6 marking is replaced by a single large M which forms the single M of the title.

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Alternate Versions

Released in Japan in the short-lived VHS format in 3-D. This disc has been widely copied to make VHS bootleg tapes, DVDs and blue-ray discs.

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Connections

Referenced in One of My Wives Is Missing (1976)

User Reviews

One Room Thriller

I had forgotten that most if not all of it happens in one single room. The planning of it is a display of extraordinary craftsmanship. Not a lagging moment. I was riveted to the, let's face it, preposterous plot from beginning to end. Ray Milland is a credible monster in elegant and civilized clothing. Grace Kelly, a peach as the unfaithful wife who stays home to cut newspaper clippings of her husband's past glories. Yeah, right. Robert Cummings has always been a mystery to me. A popular leading man with a long career. He only exudes a campy, if lightweight vibe that almost works in comedies and when he's in a supporting role - My Geisha and What A Way To Go with Shirley MacLaine are good examples. Here as Grace Kelly's secret lover, I don't know what to say. John Williams. very funny again as the Scotland Yard inspector, the same character to a T he played in Midnight Lace with Doris Day or was it his twin brother? In any case, no Hitchcock fan can afford to miss this filmed play, filmed by one of the undisputed greats.