Just when Charlotte “Charlie” Newton, is feeling especially frustrated by the lack of excitement in her small town in California, she receives wonderful news: Her uncle and namesake, Charlie Oakley, is coming to visit. Soon after Uncle Charlie arrives, however, Charlotte’s admiration for him turns to suspicion.
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
- Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Newton: Teresa Wright
- Uncle Charlie Oakley: Joseph Cotten
- Jack Graham: Macdonald Carey
- Joseph Newton: Henry Travers
- Emma Newton: Patricia Collinge
- Herbie Hawkins: Hume Cronyn
- Fred Saunders: Wallace Ford
- Ann Newton: Edna May Wonacott
- Roger Newton: Charles Bates
- Station Master: Irving Bacon
- Pullman Porter: Clarence Muse
- Waitress Louise Finch: Janet Shaw
- Catherine: Estelle Jewell
- Mrs. Phillips (uncredited): Virginia Brissac
- Mrs. Potter (uncredited): Frances Carson
- Mr. Norton – Traffic Cop (uncredited): Earle S. Dewey
- Doctor’s Wife on Train (uncredited): Sarah Edwards
- Doctor on Train (uncredited): Edward Fielding
- Dr. Phillips (uncredited): Vaughan Glaser
- Man on Train Playing Cards (uncredited): Alfred Hitchcock
- Ballroom Dancer (uncredited): Shep Houghton
- Mrs. MacCurdy (uncredited): Ruth Lee
- Mrs. Cochran – Librarian (uncredited): Eily Malyon
- Teen at Crosswalk (uncredited): John McGuire
- Shirley (uncredited): Shirley Mills
- Mrs. Martin – Landlady (uncredited): Constance Purdy
- Margaret Green (uncredited): Isabel Randolph
- Rev. MacCurdy (uncredited): Grandon Rhodes
- Detective (uncredited): Byron Shores
- Mr. Green – Bank President (uncredited): Edwin Stanley
- Mrs. Henderson – Clerk at Telegraph Office (uncredited): Minerva Urecal
Film Crew:
- Editor: Milton Carruth
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Art Direction: Robert F. Boyle
- Screenplay: Alma Reville
- Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
- Costume Design: Adrian
- Set Decoration: Russell A. Gausman
- Screenplay: Sally Benson
- Music: Charles Previn
- Costume Design: Vera West
- Sound Director: Bernard B. Brown
- Art Direction: John B. Goodman
- Director of Photography: Joseph A. Valentine
- Other: Dorothea Holt
- Set Decoration: Edward R. Robinson
- Thanks: Thornton Wilder
- Producer: Jack H. Skirball
- Assistant Director: William Tummel
- Visual Effects: John P. Fulton
- Original Story: Gordon McDonell
- Other: Adele Cannon
- Sound: Robert Pritchard
- Assistant Director: Ralph Slosser
Movie Reviews:
- John Chard: Merry Widow Murderer – Hitchcock style!
Shadow Of A Doubt was believed to have been Hitchcock’s own favourite movie, the one that he was most proud of as he felt his critics hadn’t got any justifiable ammunition to shoot him down with. The film stands out because it doesn’t have the tongue in cheek dark humour traits that light up most of the maestro’s classics. The cheeky bonus is that of having the central premise of the main protagonist being a hero of the people. His family all adore him, where he is on the surface a man that all men want to be, and it’s here that Hitchcock moulds a chilling filmic arc, in fact, it’s a masterstroke of filmic manipulation.
The plot involves Uncle Charlie returning to his adoring family in Santa Rosa after avoiding his apprehension for the murder of a widow. His niece Charlie treats Uncle as a hero, she worships the ground he walks on, but as the detectives close in, niece Charlie starts to piece together things and suspects herself that Uncle may just in fact be The Merry Widow Murderer. We are then pitched into the cat & mouse story and become privy to Uncle Charlie’s switch from debonair handsome hero, into that of the devil incarnate. The reoccurring theme of The Merry Widow Waltz adds to the uneasy feel, while the relationship between Uncle & Niece is one that I’m sure Hitchcock was revelling in. Make no bones about it, it’s in itself bordering on being unhealthy, and it’s something that helps make this a more edgier thriller than other genre pieces of the era.
Joseph Cotten is special as Uncle Charlie, his duality acting hits the spot on both fronts, whilst Teresa Wright is beguiling as the niece because she really makes the character infectious. Thus it’s with these two great performances that the pics final reel brings socko results. Screenplay is written by the wonderfully talented Thornton Wilder, and with the master directing with swagger in tow, this rounds out as a triumphant classic that shouldn’t be missed by fans of such terminologies. 10/10