Strangers on a Train (1951)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Raymond Chandler (screen play) and
Czenzi Ormonde (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

30 June 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A girl in love with young America's idol--and a good-looking stranger in search of sensation--that's how it all began..! Warner Bros. bring a pounding new tempo to motion picture entertainment!

Plot:

A psychotic socialite confronts a pro tennis star with a theory on how two complete strangers can get away with murder...a theory that he plans to implement.

Plot Keywords:

Tennis | Stranger | Murder | Train | Amusement Park

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Farley Granger	...	Guy Haines
Ruth Roman	...	Anne Morton
Robert Walker	...	Bruno Antony
Leo G. Carroll	...	Sen. Morton
Patricia Hitchcock	...	Barbara Morton
Kasey Rogers	...	Miriam Joyce Haines (as Laura Elliott)
Marion Lorne	...	Mrs. Antony
Jonathan Hale	...	Mr. Antony
Howard St. John	...	Police Capt. Turley
John Brown	...	Prof. Collins
Norma Varden	...	Mrs. Cunningham
Robert Gist	...	Det. Leslie Hennessey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joel Allen	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Murray Alper	...	Boatman (uncredited)
Monya Andre	...	Dowager (uncredited)
Brooks Benedict	...	Tennis Umpire (uncredited)
Al Bridge	...	Tennis Judge (uncredited)
John Butler	...	Blind Man (uncredited)
Leonard Carey	...	Anthonys' Butler (uncredited)
Edward Clark	...	Miriam's Boss (uncredited)
Jack Cushingham	...	Fred Reynolds (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	Detective at Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
John Doucette	...	Det. Hammond (uncredited)
Roy Engel	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Tommy Farrell	...	Miriam's Boyfriend (uncredited)
Sam Flint	...	Train Passenger Requesting Light (uncredited)
Edward Hearn	...	Lt. Campbell (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	Carnival Game Proprietor (uncredited)
Harry Hines	...	Man Under Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Boarding Train Carrying a Double Bass (uncredited)
Mary Alan Hokanson	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Edna Holland	...	Mrs. Joyce (uncredited)
J. Louis Johnson	...	Mortons' Butler (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Detective at Carnival (uncredited)
Perc Launders	...	Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Louis Lettieri	...	Boy with Balloon (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Policeman at Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
Charles Marsh	...	Bystander at Drain (uncredited)
Paul McGuire	...	Man on Train (uncredited)
David McMahon	...	Bystander at Drain (uncredited)
Charles Meredith	...	Judge Donahue (uncredited)
Ralph Moody	...	Seedy Man at Carnival (uncredited)
Roland Morris	...	Miriam's Boyfriend (uncredited)
Odette Myrtil	...	Madame Darville (uncredited)
Barry Norton	...	Tennis Match Spectator (uncredited)
Paul Panzer	...	Bystander at Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
Minna Phillips	...	Dowager (uncredited)
Georges Renavent	...	Monsieur Darville (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway	...	Bystander at Merry-Go-Round Wreck (uncredited)
Dick Ryan	...	Minister (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Cop (uncredited)
Janet Stewart	...	Girl (uncredited)
Shirley Tegge	...	Girl (uncredited)
Laura Treadwell	...	Mrs. Anderson (uncredited)
Joe Warfield	...	Soda Jerk (uncredited)
Howard Washington	...	Waiter on Train (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Bill (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Bystander at Drain (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Raymond Chandler		(screen play) and
Czenzi Ormonde		(screen play)
Whitfield Cook		(adaptation by)
Patricia Highsmith		(from the novel by)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Alfred Hitchcock	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin		(original music by)

Cinematography by
Robert Burks		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William H. Ziegler		(film editor) (as William Ziegler)

Art Direction by
Ted Haworth		(as Edward S. Haworth)

Set Decoration by
George James Hopkins

Costume Design by
Leah Rhodes		(wardrobe by)

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup artist
Bill Phillips	....	makeup (uncredited)
Myrl Stoltz	....	hairdresser (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mel Dellar	....	assistant director (uncredited)
C. Carter Gibson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Armor Marlowe	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Dolph Thomas	....	sound

Special Effects by
Hans F. Koenekamp	....	special effects (as H.F. Koenekamp)

Stunts
Paul Baxley	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bud Graybill	....	stills (uncredited)
Norman C. McClay	....	best boy (uncredited)
Harold Noyes	....	grip (uncredited)
Charles O'Bannon	....	gaffer (uncredited)
William Schurr	....	second camera (uncredited)
Leonard J. South	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert O'Dell	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Margaret Ross	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)

Music Department
Ray Heindorf	....	musical director

Other crew
Barbara Keon	....	production associate
Jack Cushingham	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Rita Michaels	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents) (produced by) (A Warner Bros.-First National Picture)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical) (distributed by)
• Sociedade Importadora de Filmes (SIF) (1952) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1952) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Films (1952) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Motion Picture Export Association (MPEA) (1952) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Films (1962) (Finland) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1974) (Finland) (TV) (1985) (1998)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1981) (Finland) (TV) (1992) (2008)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1984) (Finland) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• TV3 (1989) (Finland) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS) (UK version)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS) (US version)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2001) (Finland) (DVD) (1-disc edition)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (UK and US versions)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2002) (Finland) (DVD) (2-disc edition)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (two-disc special edition)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD) (6-disc Alfred Hitchcock Prestige Collection)
• Turner Classic Movies (TCM) (2008) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Bros. (195?) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Varus Video (19??) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The  acknowledgement: Mr. Granger appears by arrangement with (as Samuel Goldwyn)

Also Known As:

"Alfred Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train'" - USA (complete title)
"L'inconnu du Nord-Express" - Belgium (French title), Canada (French title), France
"Der Fremde im Zug" - Austria, West Germany
"Främlingar på tåg" - Finland (Swedish title), Sweden
"Pacto siniestro" - Argentina, Mexico (imdb display title)
"Verschwörung im Nordexpress" - Austria, West Germany
"мЕГМЮЙНЛЖШ Б ОНЕГДЕ" - Soviet Union (Russian title)
"De maniak" - Netherlands (informal literal title)
"De onbekende van de Noord Express" - Belgium (Flemish title)
"Delitto per delitto - L'altro uomo" - Italy (imdb display title)
"Estranys en un tren" - Spain (Catalan title)
"Extraños en el tren" - Argentina (video title)
"Extraños en un tren" - Spain
"Farlig reisefølge" - Norway (imdb display title)
"Farligt møde" - Denmark
"Idegenek a vonaton" - Hungary
"L'altro uomo" - Italy
"Muukalaisia junassa" - Finland
"Nepoznati iz Nord-Ekspresa" - Croatia
"Neznanci u vozu" - Yugoslavia (Serbian title) (literal title)
"Nieznajomi z pociagu" - Poland
"O Desconhecido do Norte-Expresso" - Portugal
"O agnostos tou express" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Pacto Sinistro" - Brazil (imdb display title)
"Straini in Tren" - Romania (imdb display title)
"Stranci u vozu" - Serbia (imdb display title)
"Trendeki Yabanci" - Turkey (Turkish title) (imdb display title)
"Zarrim B'Rakevet" - Israel (Hebrew title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some violence and tension (new rating) (1996)

Runtime:

101 min | Portugal:96 min (cut version) | 103 min (preview version) | West Germany:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Spain:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 (DVD) | West Germany:16 (nf) | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) (2004) | South Africa:PG | Brazil:16 | USA:TV-PG | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1951) | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #14946) | USA:PG (new rating) (1996) | Argentina:13 | Norway:16

Filming Locations:

Danbury Railroad Station - 120 White Street, Danbury, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Alfred Hitchcock]early in the film boarding a train carrying a double bass fiddle as Guy gets off the train (see also his cameo in The Paradine Case (1947)).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Guy says "Oh, excuse me" after accidentally bumping Bruno's foot in the opening scene in the train's club car, his voice has plainly been dubbed by another actor.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bruno Anthony:I beg your pardon, but aren't you Guy Haines?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Corporation (2003)

Soundtrack:

Ain't We Got Fun

Amazing performance by Robert Walker

"Strangers on a Train" was one of those film classics I had always heard about but somehow never gotten around to actually seeing. I finally watched it a few weeks ago and, as always with any Hitchcock movie, it not only stood up to the test of time, it far surpassed most thrillers being made today. You can see the inspiration for future action movies here - the climactic ending with the out-of-control merry-go-round and the two villains dueling each other reminded me of the big action sequence at the end of Jan de Bont's "Speed." Of course, "Strangers" is over forty years older than "Speed" and contains no modern special effects, but the visceral thrill is there - Hitchcock was a true genius.

The not-so-subtle gay side of Bruno (Robert Walker in an amazing performance) has taken form in many other psycho-stalker-figures in future movies. Consider him a male version of Jennifer Jason Leigh in "Single White Female." He knows about Guy before he even meets him on the train - we almost get the feeling their contact isn't incidental - and is soon entirely obsessed with him.

Hitchcock loved the Oedipial elements in his movies (also see "Psycho" for more blatant undertones) and there's a lot of that here. Bruno hates his father and wants him to die so he can be with his mother. His effeminate ways and obvious homosexuality must have just slipped by the censors in 1951, when gays were not "allowed" to be portrayed on the screen - yet Hitchcock gets the message through effectively when we see Bruno in the lounge on the telephone wearing a very non-masculine robe, flirting with Guy and responding to his mother.

The deep layers of this movie make it a fast-paced thriller than you can return to again and again - unfortunately it's being remade as a big-budget Hollywood production, but after seeing the original I honestly can't imagine anything surpassing the sheer white-knuckle thrills of this movie.