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Shadow of a Doubt Overview:

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was a Crime - Film Noir Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Jack H. Skirball.

SYNOPSIS

In this enthralling story (and Hitchcock's personal favorite), an average small town receives a visit from the Merry Widow murderer. Cotten gives an intense, quiet performance as Wright's Uncle Charlie, whose visit she and her family eagerly anticipate. Fresh from his latest killing, Cotten charms his sister's family, especially Wright, who feels she and her worldly uncle have a special bond. But as his dark torment starts to surface, Wright is endangered when Cotten realizes she sees through him. A terrific script from Wilder perfectly establishes the small-town atmosphere (a particularly winning touch is the running dialogue between Travers and Cronyn, two mystery buffs who enliven their humdrum lives with a debate on techniques for the perfect murder), and the shadow cast by the presence of pure evil.

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

Shadow of a Doubt was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1991.

Academy Awards 1943 --- Ceremony Number 16 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best WritingGordon McDonellNominated
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Shadow of a Doubt BlogHub Articles:

HMWYBS: A Shadow Of A Doubt About Universal Studios (2)

By Anne Marie on Aug 7, 2013 From We Recycle Movies

I’m about to commit film geek blasphemy: I’m going to talk about an Alfred Hitchcock movie without mentioning the master of suspense himself. The only reason I know I can get away with this is because there is a talented group of bloggers over at The Film Experience who will examine Shadow Of A ... Read full article

HMWYBS: A Shadow Of A Doubt About Universal Studios (1)

By Anne Marie on Aug 7, 2013 From We Recycle Movies

I’m about to commit film geek blasphemy: I’m going to talk about an Alfred Hitchcock movie without mentioning the master of suspense himself. The only reason I know I can get away with this is because there is a talented group of bloggers over at The Film Experience who will examine Shadow Of A ... Read full article

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Shadow of a Doubt Quotes:

Uncle Charlie: The cities are full of women, middle-aged widows, husbands, dead, husbands who've spent their lives making fortunes, working and working. And then they die and leave their money to their wives, their silly wives. And what do the wives do, these useless women? You see them in the hotels, the best hotels, every day by the thousands, drinking the money, eating the money, losing the money at bridge, playing all day and all night, smelling of money, proud of their jewelry but of nothing else, horrible, faded, fat, greedy women... Are they human or are they fat, wheezing animals, hmm? And what happens to animals when they get too fat and too old?
Emma Newton: Don't whisper. When you whisper, anyone could hear you a block away.
Uncle Charlie: You think you know something, don't you? You think you're the clever little girl who knows something. There's so much you don't know, so much. What do you know, really? You're just an ordinary little girl, living in an ordinary little town. You wake up every morning of your life and you know perfectly well that there's nothing in the world to trouble you. You go through your ordinary little day, and at night you sleep your untroubled ordinary little sleep, filled with peaceful stupid dreams. And I brought you nightmares. Or did I? Or was it a silly, inexpert little lie? You live in a dream. You're a sleepwalker, blind. How do you know what the world is like? Do you know the world is a foul sty? Do you know, if you rip off the fronts of houses, you'd find swine? The world's a hell. What does it matter what happens in it? Wake up, Charlie. Use your wits. Learn something.
Uncle Charlie: Forty thousand dollars is no joke, not to him, I bet. It's a joke to me. The whole world's a joke to me.
Uncle Charlie: What's the use of looking backward? What's the use of looking ahead? Today's the thing - that's my philosophy. Today.
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Shadow of a Doubt Facts
Uncle Charlie arrived in Santa Rosa on August 22 or 23, 1942: the headlines in the paper were "Brazil Declares War", which had happened on August 22. However, there are also two clues that point to the film being set in pre-Pearl Harbor America (prior to Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked the United States in the Pacific, bringing the U.S. into World War II). In the first dinner scene after Uncle Charlie's arrival, he presents gifts to the Newton family, including a pair of photos of their parents to Mrs. Newton, his sister. She remarks that the photos were made in 1888, and her son exclaims "Fifty-three years ago!" That would make the year 1941, not 1942. Also, when Uncle Charlie and his niece visit her father's bank, there's a sign on a teller's cage urging customers to "Buy Defense Bonds!" U.S. government bonds were renamed "War Bonds" after Dec. 7, 1941; "Defense Bonds" were sold prior to that date. The "Brazil Declares War" headline probably reflects a news story contemporary with the shooting of the movie, but it's in the wrong time frame for the action of the story itself.
The portrait that hangs on the wall of Charlie's room to the right of her door is one drawn by Willy Pogany of actress Mary Philbin, who was a leading lady at Universal just 20 years before.
"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on May 24, 1943 with Joseph Cotten reprising his film role.
"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on June 21, 1948 with Joseph Cotten again reprising his film role.
The bridge in the opening of the movie is the Pulaski Skyway that carries U.S. Routes 1 and 9 between Jersey City N.J. and Newark N.J.
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