Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
- Starring:
- Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, (more)
- Director(s):
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG
- Format(s):
- DVD
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Synopsis of Shadow of a Doubt
Teresa Wright plays Charlie, a small-town high-schooler who enjoys a symbiotic relationship with her favorite uncle, also named Charlie (Joseph Cotten). When young Charlie "wills" that old Charlie pay a visit to her family, her wish comes true. Uncle Charlie is his usual charming self, but he seems a bit secretive and reserved at times. Too, his manner of speaking is curiously unsettling, especially when he brings up the subject of rich widows, whom he characterizes as "swine." When a pair of detectives (MacDonald Carey and Wallace Ford), posing as magazine writers, arrive in town and begin asking questions about Uncle Charlie, young Charlie's curiosity is aroused. Why, for example, has Uncle Charlie torn an article out of the evening newspaper? Rushing to the library, Young Charlie locates the missing item: the headline screams WHO IS THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERER? As the horrified Charlie reads on, the conclusion is inescapable: her beloved Uncle Charlie is a mass murderer, preying upon wealthy old women. And what happens next? Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville (Mrs. Hitchcock) based their screenplay on a story by Gordon McDowell, who in turn was inspired by real-life "Merry Widow Murderer" Earle Leonard Nelson. The casting, from stars to bit players, is impeccable; the best of the batch is Hume Cronyn, making his film debut as a wimpy murder-mystery aficionado. Lensed on location in Santa Rosa, California, The Shadow of a Doubt wasAlfred Hitchcock's favorite film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 68 mins
Complete Cast of Shadow of a Doubt
- Joseph Cotten - Charlie Oakley
- MacDonald Carey - Jack Graham
- Patricia Collinge - Emma Newton
- Wallace Ford - Fred Saunders
- Charley Bates - Roger Newton
- Clarence Muse - Pullman Porter
- Estelle Jewell - Girlfriend
- Sarah Edwards - Wife on Train
- Edward Fielding - Doctor on Train
- Vaughan Glaser - Dr. Phillips
- John McGuire - Detective
- Grandon Rhodes - Reverand MacCurdy
- Constance Purdy - Mrs. Martin
- Eily Malyon - Librarian
- Edwin Stanley - Mr. Green
- Teresa Wright - Young Charlie Newton
- Henry Travers - Joseph Newton
- Hume Cronyn - Herbie Hawkins
- Edna May Wonacott - Ann Newton
- Irving Bacon - Station Master
- Janet Shaw - Louise
- Minerva Urecal - Mrs. Henderson
- Shirley Mills - Young Girl
- Ruth Lee - Mrs. MacCurdy
- Virginia Brissac - Dr. and Mrs. Phillips
- Frances Carson - Mrs. Poetter
- Byron Shores - Detective
- Earle Dewey - Mr. Norton
- Isabel Randolph - Mrs. Green
- Director(s):
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Writer(s):
- Alma Reville, Joan Harrison, Thornton Wilder
- Producer(s):
- Jack H. Skirball
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG(Adult Situations, Questionable for Children)
- Categories:
- Mystery & Suspense
- 1990 - Library of Congress - U.S. National Film Registry
- 1943 - National Board of Review - Best Acting
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