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Dial M for Murder Overview:

Dial M for Murder (1954) was a Crime - Mystery Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Alfred Hitchcock.

SYNOPSIS

Hitchcock's intriguing cinematic adaptation of Frederick Knott's play about a woman who slowly comes to realize that her husband is trying to murder her for her money. She foils an intruder with a sharp pair of scissors in a scene even more electrifying in the original 3-D.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Dial M for Murder BlogHub Articles:

Review: Dial M for Murder (1954)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Apr 6, 2018 From 4 Star Films

Dial M for Murder is talky and more dialogue-driven than a great many Hitchcock films but that’s partly because the environment is more conducive to that kind of storytelling as much as the fact that this murder story is adapted from a popular British stage production. Like Rope (1948) or eve... Read full article

THE FAVORITE FILM AND TV HOMES BLOGATHON: Dial M for Murder (1954)

on May 5, 2017 From Caftan Woman

Phyllis Loves Classic Movies and Love Letters to Old Hollywood are hosting The Favorite Film and TV Homes Blogathon running from May 5th to 7th. This is going to be fun. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 I am one who ascribes to the thoughts of the private consulting detective Sherlock Holmes when he remar... Read full article

THE FAVORITE FILM AND TV HOMES BLOGATHON: Dial M for Murder (1954)

By Caftan Woman on May 5, 2017 From Caftan Woman

Phyllis Loves Classic Movies and Love Letters to Old Hollywood are hosting The Favorite Film and TV Homes Blogathon running from May 5th to 7th. This is going to be fun. Day 1 I am one who ascribes to the thoughts of the private consulting detective Sherlock Holmes when he remarked to his f... Read full article

Ticklish Business – Dial M for Murder (1954)

on Feb 21, 2017 From Journeys in Classic Film

Peter of the Podstalgic podcast joins me to talk about Grace Kelly’s career and her performance in the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock drama, Dial M for Murder. NEXT TIME: Special guest Danita Steinberg and I talk about 1962’s Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Listening via iTunes? Please consider l... Read full article

"My Letter, Her Stocking, and No Key": Dial M for Murder (1954)

By Michaela on Aug 10, 2016 From Love Letters to Old Hollywood

Poster art is fascinating to look at. With just a few images and a few words, it has to tell you what a film is all about. Sometimes it can be disastrous or laughable, thanks to an awful portrayal of what an actor looks like or a cheesy tagline (my favorite: "Baby-faced savage in a jungle of intrigu... Read full article

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Dial M for Murder Quotes:

Margot Mary Wendice: Why did you bring me here?
Chief Insp. Hubbard: Because you were the only other person who could possibly have left that key outside. I had to find out if you knew it was there.
Margot Mary Wendice: Suppose I had known?
Chief Insp. Hubbard: You didn't.
Tony Wendice: As you said Mark, it might work out on paper, but congratulations, Inspector. Oh, by the way... How about you, Margot?
Margot Mary Wendice: Yes, I could do with something.
Tony Wendice: Mark?
Mark Halliday: So could I.
Tony Wendice: I suppose you're still on duty, Inspector.
Chief Insp. Hubbard: There is evidence however that he was blackmailing you.
Tony Wendice: Blackmail?
Mark Halliday: Yes, I'm afraid it's true, Tony.
Chief Insp. Hubbard: And you suggest that he came in by the window. And we know that he came in by that door.
Margot Mary Wendice: But he can't have come in that way. That door was locked. And there are only two keys. My husband had his with him, and mine was in my handbag. Here.
Chief Insp. Hubbard: You could have let him in.
Chief Insp. Hubbard: Good morning, Sir. I'm Chief Inspector Hubbard, in charge of criminal investigation of this division.
Tony Wendice: Oh, I think we gave your sergeant all the necessary information.
Chief Insp. Hubbard: Yes, I've seen his report of course, but there are a few things I'd like to get firsthand.
Chief Insp. Hubbard: So yesterday afternoon, I went to the prison and asked to see your handbag. While I was doing this, I managed to lift your latchkey. Highly irregular, of course, but my blood was up.
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Dial M for Murder Facts
Filmed in 3D, which explains the prevalence of low-angle shots with lamps and other objects between us and the cast members. There was only a brief original release in 3D, followed by a conventional, "flat" release; The New York Times review mentioned it opened with the "flat" release at the Paramount in New York. The 3D version was reissued in 1980.
Shot in 36 days: August 5-September 25 1953.
Adapted from a Broadway play that opened at the Plymouth Theater in New York on October 29, 1952 and ran for 552 performances. In the original production, Maurice Evans played Tony Wendice. In this film, John Williams and Anthony Dawson recreate their stage roles of Chief Inspector Hubbard and Captain Lesgate. J. Pat O'Malley later replaced Williams as Hubbard.
John Williams won the 1953 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actor in a Drama for "Dial M for Murder" as Inspector Hubbard and recreated the role in the movie version.
In a television interview Ray Milland said that he had fluffed his lines in a particular scene in the movie and ruefully apologized to the director. Alfred Hitchcock, he said, stared at him stonily for few seconds and then said: "I wound it up, put it on the floor, and it wouldn't go."
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