Stage Fright (1950)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Whitfield Cook (screenplay)
Alma Reville (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

15 April 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | 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:

Actress | Police | Friend | Singer | Love

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jane Wyman	...	Eve Gill (aka Doris Tinsdale)
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 (also 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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Adair	...	Rough Individual (uncredited)
Alfie Bass	...	Stage Hand With Microphone (uncredited)
Gordon Bell	...	2nd Chauffeur (uncredited)
Gerald Case	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Robert Cawdron	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Cyril Chamberlain	...	Detective Sgt. Loomis (uncredited)
Ann Codrington	...	Helper (uncredited)
Brenda Cowling	...	Plump RADA girl (uncredited)
Basil Cunard	...	Mr. Tippett (uncredited)
Nuna Davey	...	Masculine Woman (uncredited)
Petra Davies	...	RADA girl (uncredited)
Howard Douglas	...	3rd Chauffeur (uncredited)
Josephine Douglas	...	Valerie (uncredited)
Frank Duncan	...	News Photographer (uncredited)
Susanne Gibbs	...	Little Girl (uncredited)
Helen Goss	...	Miss Tippett (uncredited)
Everley Gregg	...	Charlotte Innwood's Dressmaker. (uncredited)
Irene Handl	...	Mrs. Mason, Gill's Maid (uncredited)
John Harvey	...	Inspector Loomis (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Staring at Eve on Street (uncredited)
Arthur Howard	...	Groves, Charlotte's Butler (uncredited)
Lionel Jeffries	...	Bald RADA student (uncredited)
Linda King	...	Garden Party Barker (uncredited)
Kenneth Kove	...	Meek Little Man (uncredited)
Joe Linnane	...	Liveried Doorman (uncredited)
Howard Marion-Crawford	...	1st Chauffeur (uncredited)
Sydney Moncton	...	Stage Manager (uncredited)
Edna Morris	...	Plump Woman (uncredited)
Colin Morton	...	Garden Party Barker (uncredited)
Reginald Purdell	...	Police Car Driver (uncredited)
Jean Shepherd	...	Fitter (uncredited)
Dennis Vance	...	2nd Detective (uncredited)
Digby Wolfe	...	Assistant Stage Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Whitfield Cook		(screenplay)
Alma Reville		(adaptation)
Selwyn Jepson		(novel)
James Bridie		additional dialogue (uncredited)
Ranald MacDougall		uncredited

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

Original Music by
Leighton Lucas

Cinematography by
Wilkie Cooper		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Edward B. Jarvis		(as E.B. Jarvis)

Casting by
Robert Lennard		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Terence Verity

Costume Design by
Milo Anderson		(uncredited)
Christian Dior		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Colin Garde	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Fred Ahern	....	production supervisor
Gerry Mitchell	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dennis Bertera	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Jack Martin	....	first assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bill Beavis	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Anthony Masters	....	chief draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Harold V. King	....	sound (as Harold King)
Leslie Hammond	....	sound recording mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric Besche	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Davis Boulton	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Chris Holden	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Dennis C. Lewiston	....	clapper loader (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alice McLaren	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Eve Catchpole	....	first assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Louis Levy	....	musical director

Other crew
Pamela Gayler	....	assistant continuity (uncredited)
Angela Martelli	....	continuity (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents) (A Warner Bros. First National Picture)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1950) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Christian Dior  costumes (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright (UK) (complete title)

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 (video rating) (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:

Marlene Dietrich demanded to be costumed exclusively by fashion design house Dior. Dior demanded a screen credit and Paramount demanded and received a 25% discount.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: 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".

Quotes:

Charlotte Inwood: He was an abominable man. Why do women marry abominable men?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Hitchcocks on Hitch (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Laziest Gal in Town

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.