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:

Miles Malleson was also working on Golden Salamander (1950) at the same time.

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 Mise-en-abyme (2006)

Soundtrack:

La vie en rose

Not a total Hitchcock misfire

STAGE FRIGHT (1950), whicch is usually dismissed as an Alfred Hitchcock failure, really has some fascinating things in it. As a whole, the film feels empty. The viewer knows they saw masterful construction work, but with lousy glue.

Richard Todd plays a Londoner wrongly accused of murdering his mistresses' husband. He is befriended by a young actress (Jane Wyman), her eccentric dad (Alister Sim, perfect as a daffy version of a Brit gentleman)

This film has arresting female characters (Marlene Dietrich is great as Todd's gal-pal. Patricia Hitchcock makes a top-grade debut in her father's films, and Kay Walsh is unforgettable as a blackmailer.)

The film begins in mid chase, has a terrific long take during a flashback, several other chases across and around stages and outdoor performances. The finale in a cluttered, noir-ish prop room is good stuff. What truly mars the film is the uninteresting sub-plot with detective Michael Wilding.