There is no evidence to suggest the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock-directed movie, “Dial M for Murder,” was the inspiration for the long-running television series, “Columbo.”
After all, the film was set in London and the TV show in Los Angeles. Peter Falk, as the title character, was assuredly the star of “Columbo.” His counterpart in the Hitchcock movie, Inspector Hubbard (played by John Williams) was a supporting player who doesn’t make his first on-screen appearance until halfway through the story.
Otherwise, the similarities are almost eerie.
Neither production is a whodunIt, in that the identity of the villains is apparent to the audience from nearly the outset. In both cases, an intelligent person devises a seemingly perfect murder only to be foiled by a deceptively wily police detective.
Like Lt. Columbo, Hubbard wears a raincoat, smokes (a pipe rather than a cigar), peppers the suspect with seemingly harmless questions and maintains a distracted air. At one stage, Hubbard delays his exit from the suspect’s apartment by saying, “Just one other thing,” — a reasonable facsimile of Columbo’s trademark, “Just one more thing.”
Harborites can check out the similarities and differences when “Dial M for Murder” plays at Hoquiam’s 7th Street Theatre on Saturday and Sunday.
Although the material seems tailor-made for Hitchcock, the movie is actually an adaptation of a hit play that has been recycled a few times on stage, TV and film (most notably in a pretty good 1998 semi-remake, “A Perfect Murder,” that co-starred Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow).
In the Hitchcock film, Ray Milland stars as Tony Wendice, a recently retired tennis player who now sells sporting goods but continues to live a comfortable lifestyle thanks to his wealthy wife Margot (Grace Kelly).
After learning that Margot is having an on-again, off-again affair with the American crime writer Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), Tony devises an intricate plot to keep the money while getting rid of his unfaithful wife.
He blackmails an unsavory former college classmate (Anthony Dawson) to kill Margot while providing himself with an airtight alibi. He’ll telephone his wife from a men’s club (with Mark among the witnesses) while the classmate strangles Margot as she answers the phone.
This plan goes awry, but Tony quickly devises an equally insidious Plan B. Then it’s up to Scotland Yard detective Hubbard to sort out the truth.
Hitchcock makes little effort to disguise the story’s stage origins, keeping the majority of the action within the Wendices’ apartment. Although it’s hard to tell it in the finished product, the film was originally set to be shot in 3-D — a process Hitchcock hated.
He still gets more out of this type of material than any other director. He also provides a couple of classic Hitchcockian touches. For example, he establishes the romantic triangle in a 70-second opening sequence without a word of dialogue.
Hitchcock toyed with the idea of casting Cary Grant as Tony. He was dissuaded by Warner Brothers studio executives who maintained that the public would not accept the charming Grant as a villain.
In any event, Milland is fine in the role, although (at 47) he seems a bit old to have been romping around Wimbledon only a year or two earlier. While less glamorous than her norm, Kelly also gives a solid performance.
More associated with light comedy, Cummings never seems charismatic enough to be capable of seducing the likes of Grace Kelly. But the role was probably too small to attract such better-suited actors as Robert Mitchum or William Holden.
Although he had won a Tony award for playing Hubbard on Broadway, Williams was robbed of a supporting actor Oscar nomination in the film version. The veteran British actor had to content himself with first-degree scene-stealing.
Just one more thing: You don’t have to be a “Columbo” fan to enjoy “Dial M for Murder.” But it helps.
Rick Anderson, retired sports editor of The Daily World, now is a contributing columnist. Reach him at rickwrite48@gmail.com.
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“Dial M for Murder” plays Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m.
Rated PG
Tickets are $6 for all ages
Tickets are available at City Drug, Crown Drug, Harbor Drug, online and at the door 30 minutes prior to the show.
