starring Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick, Shirley MacLaine
directed by Alfred Hitchcock
99 minutes
Captain Wiles (Edmund Gwen) is out hunting in the woods in Vermont when he runs across the body of Harry Worp. He assumes that he must have shot the man accidentally. He tries to hide the body but people keep running across it while he watches from behind a tree trunk. Miss Gravely (Mildred Natwick) is one of them. The captain is trying to drag the body into the woods when she shows up. They chat, make a date, and then she goes on her way.
Arnie Rogers drags Jennifer Rogers (Shirley MacLaine), his mother, up to see the body. Arnie found the body before Captain Wiles but took off running when he noticed who it was, his mother's husband. The last of the central characters to come across the body is Sam Marlowe (John Forsythe), an artist. He does a sketch of the corpse's face.
Bit by bit details start to come about who the corpse is as the four central characters open up to one another. The body gets buried and dug up more than once. The police hear about the but they are unable to find it. Sam and Jennifer get romantically entangled. The Captain and Miss Gravely get romantically entangled. Lots of things happen.
Thoughts
I saw this film at the AFI Silver Theater. It was part of the Hitchcock / Herrmann series that they currently have going. The film was introduced by film historian Steven C. Smith who recently wrote a book about the Alfred Hitchcock directed films for which composer Bernard Herrmann wrote the music. This film was the first of eight films upon which they collaborated. The movie that I saw yesterday, The Wrong Man (1956), was also part of this series.
I saw this movie once before, about 40 years ago. I recalled the basic premise of the story but not much else. I think this story is a little too cute. I understand that it is supposed to be funny. I smiled a few times but it didn't make me laugh. I didn't find the characters, the performances, or the plot to particularly memorable or impressive.
Notes
Jerry Mathers played the part of Arnie. He is better known for playing Beaver Cleaver on Leave It to Beaver (1957-65), Still the Beaver (1983) TV movie, and on The new Leave It to Beaver (1983-89).
Edmund Gwenn has been in at least a couple films I have seen. Most recently I saw him in The Bigamist (1953). He was in one episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955).
John Forsyth is known best for a couple of TV shows, Charlie's Angels (where he was never seen on screen but his voice was heard in every episode) and Dynasty. He was in one episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) that I have seen, 1.02 Premonition. He was in one episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Mildred Natwick has been in a half doxen films or more that I have seen. I recent years I have seen her in The Enchanted Cottage (1945) and Yolanda and the Thief (1945). She appeared in two episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955).
Shirley MacLaine had not done any television or movies prior to this film. She has been in a handful of films that I have seen. The only one of those films that I have seen in recent years is The Apartment (1960).
01/31/26 - 15:35
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