Dial M for Murder - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[ivan]

When Wendice is describing to Swann/Lesgate the middle-aged woman with whom Swann had been affiliated having died from a drug overdose, Wendice was originally to say "middle-aged woman found dead due to an overdose of cocaine". This was in the original script and stage play, but due to the Hollywood Hays Code rules of detailing of drug usage on-screen, the studio officials insisted to Director Sir Alfred Hitchcock to replace the word "cocaine" with the word "something".

[sophie]

Sir Alfred Hitchcock lost close to twenty pounds due to nervous anxiety when filming the scissors murder scene. He obsessively rehearsed the scene and shot take after take in order to capture the scene the way he had envisioned it.

[ava]

77 Sunset Strip (1958) did an alternative take on the "Dial M for Murder" storyline in season one, episode twenty-two, "The Fifth Stair".

[richard]

Frederick Knott's first version of this story was as a play for television, first aired by the BBC in London in 1952. It was a huge success, and Knott was quickly persuaded to adapt it for the stage. The stage version was not expected to be more than a minor London success and was very modestly budgeted; the British actors were actually asked to wear their own clothes rather than specially-made costumes. In the meantime, the film rights had been bought by Sir Alexander Korda for only £1000; he never intended to produce it as a film, but sold the rights after the stage version had proved a substantial hit in both London and New York. His sale price is usually held to have been about £20,000, which rather annoyed Frederick Knott.

[cassandra]

Visa d'exploitation en France #15714.

[bessie]

After several unsuccessful attempts to film the scene where Margot stabs Swan with the scissors, Sir Alfred Hitchcock said, "This is nicely done, but there wasn't enough gleam to the scissors, and a murder without gleaming scissors is like asparagus without the hollandaise sauce, tasteless."

[harry]

Filmed in 3-D, which explains the prevalence of low-angle shots with lamps and other objects between the audience and the cast members. There was only a brief original release in 3-D, followed by a conventional, "flat" release. The New York Times review mentioned it opened with the "flat" release at the Paramount Theater in New York City. The 3-D version was re-issued in 1980.

[addison]

Originally released in a "roadshow" format, with an intermission halfway through it.

[nora]

Filmed in just thirty-six days, from Wednesday, August 5, 1953 to Friday, September 25, 1953 (weekdays only (Monday to Friday)).