Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright-1950

Stage fright is a movie that takes Alfred Hitchcock a slightly new direction in his thriller genre. I have to say it was a good direction. It is at once one of the more complex of the murder -mystery thrillers that he made, as well as one of the most entertaining.

By 1949 Hitchcock was well established in Hollywood. For this reason, he was able to gather this extraordinary cast together to make a truly entertaining movie. At the same time it is one of the most thrilling of his murder movies, as well as the most entertaining. Jane Wyman had, the year before, won an Academy Award for her performance in Johnny Belinda, Michael Wilding, already a big star in Britain, had already done Under Capricorn with Hitchcock the year before, and Richard Todd, another popular British actor (though Irish born), received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the Hasty Heart, also in 1950. Alistair Sim was receiving many roles, comedic and serious, and it would only be a year until he became the unforgettable Scrooge in A Christmas Carole. Marlene Dietrich was still a Hollywood icon, as she had been for decades. So, these actors were the best that could be found. And they performed magnificently.

For Fans at the time, though, this movie required a little more audience participation to understand the plot twists and turns, and the layers within the story. Not surprisingly, it was not as popular as some of Hitch’s other movies. There are perhaps some understandable reasons for this.

STRUCTURE

First, the structure of the film was brilliant, but somewhat outside the normal experiential range for audiences. In fact it is a reverse of our normal expectations. It starts out rapid paced, with fast transitions from scene to scene, slows down to a more careful scene production, and then finally slows down to stopping at the end. It is perfectly complete, a movie in three acts, and every plot detail becomes crystal clear by the finale. But to most movie audiences, it is the pace that seems to slow, as the twists of the plot actually demand more of your attention.

The opening scene is really the showing of the credits, where an elaborate curtain is raised before we are introduced to any of the characters. And then, of course, you must relate the opening to the ending, which is a bit of a shock.

The other problematic point is the deliberately false lead that sets us up for different expectations throughout this film. Given the previous themes that we have seen, this one is a surprise, and no one does shocking surprises better than the master, Alfred Hitchcock.

The theme of the movie is the stage, and in this case, life itself is the stage. Everyone in this movie is playing a part, and our hero, Eve, is playing several parts!

THE DIALOG

Stage Fright featured some of the best dialog of any of Hitchcock’s films, bar none. The screenplay credits go to Whitfield Cook, and the novel, Man Running, by Selwyn Jepson, is the original story on which the movie was based. Alma Reville for a change, gets credit for the adaptation as well. The exchanges between the characters are witty, clever, and revealing. Pay special attention to the verbal exchanges of Commodore Gill (Alistair Sim) . They are priceless and hilarious at times. Also pay attention to the words of Jonathon Cooper (Richard Todd) as they reveal all the clues you need to solve the mystery, practically from the opening scene.

The Music

Leighton Lucas gets the credit for the original music n this film, although there was some help from Cole Porter, in Marlene Dietrich’s rendition of The Laziest Gal in Town. The use of this song, by the way is not an accident, although it will draw today’s audiences into an immediate association with a similar character in Mel Brooks Blazing Saddles. The mimicry is unmistakable, whether this film or another Dietrich film is used to compare. The thematic music when used is edgy, and appropriate, and works well for this flick.

The Performances

They are all marvelous, as themselves and as the people they play to each other. I was particularly impressed with Wyman, Sim, and Todd, although I adored the others as well. Kay Walsh as the money grubbing maid is a hoot, Joyce Grenfell in a small but hilarious role is terrific, and Michael Wilding would have been a romantic favorite of any love-struck groupie of the day.


THE PLOT

Briefly, Jonathon Cooper runs to Eve Gill, an old friend (who he knows to be smitten with him) to help him escape to the country. He claims he is being falsely accused of killing the husband of his lover, a famous stage actress, Charlotte Inwood. She, he says, came to him to help her hide her blood stained dress, and then sent him back to get her a fresh outfit. He is in love with her , and does as she asks, but is seen by the maid as he is leaving. He is “hot” on the wanted lists, and Eve drives him to her father’s home on the dock.

Eve is an aspiring actress, studying at the R.A.D.A. (Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts) and she is determined to prove Jonathon’s innocence. First she tries to find out what the police know or suspect, and meets for the first time Wilfred O. Smith, who she calls 'Ordinary Smith'. Then, she tries to get the goods on Charlotte, who is blaming Jonathon for killing her spouse, by posing as a maid. Ordinary Smith has taken a shine to her, her father is trying to help, and Jonathon is in trouble, although she tries to point the police toward the not so grieving actress/widow as the murderer. She will have a bit of a hard time keeping all her roles in her personal melodrama straight!

And that, my friends is all you are going to hear from me.


Another surprise? This is meant to be a comedy, folks!

THE CAST

Jane Wyman as Eve Gill-Eve is a young girl in this movie, and Wyman pulls it off flawlessly, although she herself was 37 years old at the time. It is just a joy to watch as she plays a girl, then prepares the girl for each role she takes in ferreting out the guilty, and then slides back again into herself at unguarded moments. I enjoyed her looks of dismay when someone tells her she “needs to fix herself up” to look more attractive, or that “she doesn’t look like an actress.”. Bravo Jane. I much preferred her here to anything she did on television later, including Falcon Crest.

Marlene Dietrich-as Charlotte Inwood-Marlene does a good imitation of herself in this movie, adding to the spoof under- pinning of the entire movie, but she is chillingly believable as the ice cold actress, who calculates every aspect of her life. She is haughty and rude to servants, and flounces about with grand gestures and a fabulous wardrobe. She was 49 years old when this movie was made, and except for a little softening of the lens, pulls it off with style. I was impressed. I admit it. But her role within a role is INTENDED as part of the comedy. If you take her too seriously, then you’ve been had by the master. I really enjoyed the performing speak-singing thing she does, but she’d never make it to the top pop 50 today, would she?

Michael Wilding-as Det. Insp. Wilfred ‘Ordinary’ Smith-this guy was also interesting, but has the most straightforward, least conflicted character of the lot, and no place to go with his character. He has a wonderful scene with Wyman in the taxi, where they are talking and get so involved “making eyes” at each other, that they forget what they are talking about. I don’t blame Eve for dumping Jonathon for this guy, who was a romantic good guy dream! His best performance was yet to come in Torch Song, in 1953. He was Liz Taylor’s second husband.

Richard Todd-as Jonathon Cooper-was also a leading man in Britain during the forties, and his performance is edgy and intense, as it was meant to be, something that should strike you, the audience from the start. He was handsome, and attractive, if nothing else, for his self-sacrifice for the sake of his passionate love of Charlotte. That he abused his friendship with Eve, however, is never discussed, except by Eve’s worldly and witty father the Commodore. After Todd’s Oscar nomination, he never achieved as much, and did a lot of stage and character actor work thereafter. His final scene is one of the best in many movies I have seen. Superb.

Alistair Sim-as Commodore Gill. This person too is playing a part, The one he would like to be seen as, is a slightly illegal smuggler, a man with a slightly dangerous edge. But he also “plays” a dutiful husband to his wife when in front of others, although he is definitely separated from her in every possible way. He also plays the “audience” to Eve’s performance as “Doris the maid” and tells her point blank that she is creating a ‘ melodrama’ of her own life. He has some marvelous scenes, all worth watching.

Sybil Thorndike-as Mrs. Gill, Eve’s mother. She plays the “mother” and simply cannot see herself in any other role. This is a grand lady of the stage in Britain, as her accolades would proclaim. She was also a secret drinker, I do believe, as we see as she hides the brandy bottle . Her self-chosen role was the simplest, and the most desperate of this entire movie.

Kay Walsh as Nellie Goode. She was the maid who spotted Jonathon at the murder scene, a fact she planned to use to her own advantage. She also allows Eve to take her place as a maid to Charlotte (as a temporary) -for money. Then, she stoops to blackmail. This lady had been a dancer at first, and was married to David Lean the director until 1949.

Joyce Grenfell as Lovely Ducks. Her single scene is selling a chance to win a doll at an actor’s charity, and she is absolutely hilarious.

Pat Hitchcock-as Chubby Bannister- a girl in the acting class, a friend of Eve. A small role in one of two of his movies Hitch allowed his dauighter to perform in, although she was in several of his televison dramas.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION

This is a fantastic, well constricted Hitchcock classic. It is delightfully funny, holds a surprise or two, with a marvelous well performing cast of characters.