Shadow of a Doubt (1943) part 2

(click for part 1)

by Bill Hare

An Artful Use of Synchronicity

Teresa Wright was signed out of Broadway after studio boss and producer Samuel Goldwyn saw her appearing in Life with Father. Goldwyn was known to prefer “sweet girl next door” types and Wright, playing the role of a bright, idealistic Santa Rosa high school student in Shadow of a Doubt could not have been a more superb casting choice.

As the story begins Wright is feeling a case of the blues, believing that life in a small town has become hum drum as she longs for adventure. Her idol, Uncle Charlie, appears in her thoughts. His debonair, well dressed, highly traveled existence makes her so eager to see her at that moment and hopefully dispel her gloom.

After talking with her mother, Wright alights for the telegraph office, deciding to invite Uncle Charlie to Santa Rosa for a visit. As soon as she arrives she is told that a telegram has arrived from her uncle, prompting her to ask the lady assisting her if she believes in “telepathy” while she bursts into unbridled joy as the opportunity to once more meet the uncle she loves with equivalent fidelity to that which her mother feels toward her doted upon younger brother.

A Colloquy on the “Art of Murder”

Occupying a major element of the origin of film noir was the success of Black Mask Magazine, which spawned detective authors Dashiell Hammett and the master of the field, Raymond Chandler. In the pre-television era of the thirties and forties Black Mask and other magazines following in the same vein attracted wide audiences or readers with their hard-boiled, no punches pulled style of fiction.

Irony is used in a biting way as the story incorporates the unique devotion of rabid detective fiction readers into Shadow of a Doubt in the relationship between friendly neighbors. Banker Joseph Newton, played by veteran Broadway and film character performer Henry Travers, is the proud father of Young Charlie. He touts her as the “smartest girl in her class” who won the debate against Richmond High “all by herself.” Travers made his acting debut on the stage in his native England before moving to the United States.

After returning from a day at the bank, Travers enjoys smoking his pipe and unwinding with relaxing conversation with next door neighbor Herbie Hawkins, played by Hume Cronyn in his film debut. Jack Skirball, the film’s producer, had earlier told Cronyn, when he lobbied for the part of Herbie, that he was too young for the role. Cronyn was then in his early thirties while the script called for an actor in his fifties.

Instead Hitchcock, upon meeting Cronyn, rather than rejecting him, declared that they would have to “gray his hair.” After all, Hitchcock knew that Henry Travers, cast as Wright’s father along with a daughter and son younger than the beautiful and intelligent high school senior, would turn 69 by the time the film was released.

One of Teresa Wright’s main scenes occurs when Cronyn comes next door for some parlor chat with Travers about their favorite topic of “how to commit the perfect murder.” The timing could not be more shattering for Wright, who by then knows that her uncle is a serial killer of rich widows.

The irony of the situation is compounded as Cotten sits silently at the dinner table, taking in every word as his brother-in-law and the Newton family’s next door neighbor chat about how to achieve the perfect crime. Everyone is jolted when Wright jumps to her feet in an obviously rattled state, berating Travers and Cronyn about their ghoulish hobby of discussing murder.

An astonished Patricia Collinge, playing an innocent throughout the film in sharp contrast to intuitive daughter Wright, jumps to the defense of husband and neighbor. She mildly tells her rattled daughter that the men are relaxing, and that discussing how to commit the perfect murder helps them achieve that state.

While everyone else might be astonished by Wright’s sudden offense at a custom that has apparently existed for some time, one person at the dinner table understands only too well the young woman’s sensitivity over the topic. That person is Uncle Charlie, who feels a mounting pressure to dispose of the niece who can expose him.

Cronyn becomes a hero by saving Wright’s life during the second attempt that Cotton makes on her life, rescuing her from an attempted fatal asphyxiation in the Newton garage.

As for Cotten, arguably his finest scene and perhaps the greatest of his long career as a cinema leading man occurs when he reveals with bilious hatred to Wright his contempt for not only wealthy widows, who have always rated at the top of his list, but humanity in general. He uses the term “pig sty” in delivering his universal mandate as they sit in a downtown bar he has chosen for his private declaration to his niece.

One of the many ironies of a film containing so many is the ultimate effect that Uncle Charlie has on his niece. In the beginning she is delighted by the prospect of her worldly uncle entering an orbit that she finds restrictive in growing up in a small town near worldlier San Francisco. In analyzing the seething hatred within Uncle Charlie, Young Charlie begins to appreciate the friendly, cooperative social structure of which she is a part. She starts to appreciate Santa Rosa in the way Hitchcock did as director of the film.


An impressive element of the behavior of Cotten when he moves from the suave, debonair man of the world to that of enraged killer is that there is none of the shrieking and sometime swinging from a chandelier style of behavior exhibited in films directed by lesser figures than the astute Hitchcock.

A Youthful Greek Chorus

Hitchcock achieved a rare find in the casting of local Santa Rosa youngster Edna May Wonacott as Young Charlie’s younger sister Ann. She speaks in the manner of a one person Greek chorus, reducing human activity to immature foibles as she shrugs off the condition as lamentable but permanent. Considering that she spends her time reading such fare as Walter Scott’s “Ivanhoe”, Wonacott comes across in the manner in which Hitchcock described himself during his early years growing up in London.

Charles Bates, portraying Roger Newton, is the youngest member of the family and frowns when reminded about it. Roger’s presence conjures up the image of Uncle Charlie growing up.

Santa Rosa Pays Respects to Uncle Charlie

The planning and spirit of cooperation continued to the elaborate funeral of Uncle Charlie after he meets his demise by falling from a train as he attempts to kill Young Charlie. The staging of the event was so convincing that many of the assembled citizens who respectfully watched the passing parade of limousines believed that an actual funeral was in progress.

The more frequently one absorbs this nifty noir gem directed by a screen master, the easier it becomes to appreciate the brilliantly allegorical, never preachy element of Shadow of a Doubt.

Joseph Cotten’s Uncle Charlie represents the forces of worldly pessimism and ultimate darkness. Teresa Wright’s Young Charlie, in vivid contrast, conveys a spirit of hope and purpose, the determination of humanity to endure.