Classic Films by Arthur Flynn

 

Alfred Hitchcock felt depressed following on from four flops. He yenned for a hit and read through numerous scripts to choose a suitable one.
Finally, he read the novel of Strangers on a Train and saw it as potential material. The book included elements found in virtually all of Hitchcock’s films: a fascination with murder, mix-ups and personal frustrations

Hitchcock had admired Edgar Allan Poe’s stories since his teenage years and wanted to put Poe’s references into his films including this one.

He secured the rights to Patricia Highsmith’s novel and set about shaping it for suitable film material. Originally, he changed the hero Guy Haines from being an architect to a tennis player with political aspirations. Hitchcock endeavoured to get a number of leading writers to adapt the novel for the screen but they refused

Finally, he got the services of best-selling author, Raymond Chandler to work on the script. There was instant antipathy between the two men. Hitchcock was particularly unhappy with the ending and wanted it changed. Chandler abandoned the project and most of the shooting script was finally written by a novice screenwriter, Czenzi Ormonde. Her dramatic finale of a merry-go-round was borrowed from Edmund Crispin’s pulp fiction novel, The Moving Toyshop.

Director of photography was Robert Burks and musical director was Dimitri Tiomkin.

The character of Bruno was named after Bruno Richard Hauptmann, the convicted kidnapper/killer of the Lindberge baby.

The next important step was the casting. Hitchcock was happy with Robert Walker as Bruno. His first choice for Guy was William Holden. He was disappointed when Farley Granger was cast, as he already had problems with him on Rope, a previous production they had worked on together. Hitchcock found Ruth Roman cold and stiff as Anne. He cast his own daughter, Patricia, as her gauche sister, Barbara. The other leading role was filled by Leo G. Carroll as Senator Morton.

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