Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Just watched (last night) a Hitchcock classic "Dial M For Murder". It stars Ray Milland, Robert Cummings and the forever beautiful Grace Kelly.

I always liked the actor who played the inspector, John Williams. If only the Fall River police had been that clever.

Harry @ Sat Mar 31, 2007 6:55 am wrote:Just watched (last night) a Hitchcock classic "Dial M For Murder". It stars Ray Milland, Robert Cummings and the forever beautiful Grace Kelly.

I always liked the actor who played the inspector, John Williams. If only the Fall River police had been that clever.

I know who you are talking about, Harry. I like him too. He was the Inspector in Doris Day's, "Midnight Lace" film. He remind's me of Columbo. No one takes him serious until they suddenly realize they stepped into his trap. What he said himself is so true, "Everyone seem's to under estimate the British."

Wasn't he also in another Grace Kelly/Hitchcock film, "To Catch A Thief?" I like him.

-1bigsteve (o:

Augusta:

there is a more recent movie on the L&L case -- i think 1993, called "Swoon." i'm not sure i understand the choice made for the title. i've got the vhs. i re-watched it the other night. it's b/w and more explicit, of course, than Compulsion. the whole presentation is extremely bleak; this seems intended to convey the empty amoral nature of the crimes and the characters. i'm not sure how successful i think Swoon is -- you'd think it would be fascinating, but it gets difficult to sit through for the second half. i also re-watched "Compulsion." compulsion concludes by being about an argument against capital punishment. the book you mentioned -- i'm aware of it but haven't read it -- let me know if it's compelling. i remember reading that he got out and moved to puerto rico. there is some footage at the end of Swoon about him in the latter days that i'm not sure is real or acted.

A great non-Hitchcock film is Night Must Fall, with a brilliant performance by Robert Montgomery as a psychopathic killer who mesmerizes a repressed young lady and her disagreeable aunt (played, respectively, by Rosalind Russell (whose British accent is an honorable failure), and Dame May Whitty (how different from her performance as Miss Froy, the lovable governess in The Lady Vanishes)). (Avoid the remake with Albert Finney. Not bad, but not in a class with the original.) (I'm not really giving anything away. You know it's him as soon as he walks in.)

Harry @ Sat Mar 31, 2007 10:55 am wrote:Just watched (last night) a Hitchcock classic "Dial M For Murder". It stars Ray Milland, Robert Cummings and the forever beautiful Grace Kelly.

I always liked the actor who played the inspector, John Williams. If only the Fall River police had been that clever.

Are you implying that they should have realized it was an Intruder whose identity was being withheld by Cousin Lizzie?
PS That came from a stage play (Agatha Christie?).
Note any parallels to the Borden case? Yes, its not a copy.

RayS @ Sat Apr 07, 2007 7:47 am wrote:

Harry @ Sat Mar 31, 2007 10:55 am wrote:Just watched (last night) a Hitchcock classic "Dial M For Murder". It stars Ray Milland, Robert Cummings and the forever beautiful Grace Kelly.

I always liked the actor who played the inspector, John Williams. If only the Fall River police had been that clever.

Are implying that they should have realized it was an Intruder whose identity was being withheld by Cousin Lizzie?

-1bigsteve (o:

LOL. That makes 2 of us, 1bigsteve

I think three of us. You're right Harry that was a really great movie.

I think three of us. You're right Harry that was a really great movie.

Alfred Hitchcock was a director, not a producer. The producer has the money and makes the rules. The director is hired just like the stars. But certain directors are better than others, or choose their material.

Many movies were directed by Hitchcock, whose early training in silent movies is usually shown by his films (read expression on face, cutting techniques, etc.) those who study films can say more.

Given the differences in stories and stars, what you like tells more about YOU than about a director, stars, or stories.

I believe that in some Hitchcock films, there was no producer credited. Some are listed under Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions. It would seem that was was BOTH producer and director for much of his work.

Filmography producer/director, etc. info:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/

Here are Hitchcock works where he is credited as the producer:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/#producer

Here are Hitchcock works where he is credited as the director:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/#director





Tracy...

True. Alfred Hitchcock was both a producer and director. A director like Hitchcock had no problem at all in getting a film financed. The money came looking for him. That made it easy for Hitchcock to produce a film. Same way with Clint Eastwood.

-1bigsteve (o:

The economic advantages of being the producer should not be ignored.
Ever hear of "Hollywood Accounting"?

Another Hitchcock show including our Lizzie is on twice today on the Chiller Channel. I don't know how many people yet get this channel as it is new.

Anyway, here's the info. It's on today at 9:30am and 3:30pm, Eastern, 1/2 hour.

"Skeleton In The Closet" - A rich couple shares a secret connection with Lizzie Borden.

Vertigo has been on nearly every day here in New England on the AMC movie channel and "Strait Jacket" starring Joan Crawford is currently on free cable Fearnet. Straight Jacket is a Lizzie -inspired b/w movie I saw when I was 10 years old. Joan plays Lucy Hardin, a convicted axe murderess who has just been released from prison after 20 years. There are some pretty grisly effects for the day.

The restored copy of Vertigo is terrific. Thank goodness for the film preservation folks.

Just when you think you've seen everything......For you fans of the movie Psycho here is a new collectable and by Madame Alexander dolls no less! Its Psycho Cissette. A doll got up to represent Marian Crane in the shower at Bates Motel, even "Mrs." Bates is represented on the shower curtain. Its cool on a certain level and so wrong on others, I love it! Though the price tag is a bit steep, too rich for my blood.
For those of you interested in ordering one, or just to check it out, heres a link to the site:

http://afewdollsmore.com/index.php?main ... f3ebce15c1

That's both hilarious & gross! Thanks, Susan.

My thoughts exactly, Tina-Kate. Its so wrong that its right. I'm trying to recall, there was a member here who collected movie memorabilia or Psycho memorabilia? I'm thinking it was Bob G., but, am not sure, I thought we had a thread of that kind going in the past, but, could not find it.

I wonder if this is a sign that perhaps we might see an Elizabeth Montgomery as Lizzie Borden doll in the future? I guess we can hope.

Oh man! That is expensive- why not $49.00?
At that price I might get it for someone as a gift!
Thanks Susan!

Too bad it is not to scale. She doesn't even look anything like Leigh. But it's cool none the less.

I wonder if they will make Bate's dead mother into a doll too? Sitting in her chair... Or a Norman doll with a knife. "Oh, mother!"

-1bigsteve (o:

Harry @ Sat Mar 31, 2007 6:55 am wrote:Just watched (last night) a Hitchcock classic "Dial M For Murder". It stars Ray Milland, Robert Cummings and the forever beautiful Grace Kelly.

I always liked the actor who played the inspector, John Williams. If only the Fall River police had been that clever.

When ever I think of Grace Kelly I think of the candy Reese's Pieces and when ever I see a bag of Reese's Pieces I think of her. I had just brought a bag of Reese's Pieces home and just as I put the first piece in my mouth I heard the announcement over the radio that Grace Kelly had just died. It's strange how two totaly unrelated events get linked in our minds. It's been how many years now?

It's strange that she would have a car wreck on the very same road she was filmed racing on in Hitchcock's film "To Catch A Thief."

-1bigsteve (o: