Strangers On A Train (1951)

 

Strangers On A Train - 1951

Coming up next is 1951's thriller "Strangers On A Train", a story in which we see two men meet by chance on board a train.  There a murder swap is planned.  However, one man is only joking and the other is deadly serious.

The film's cast includes Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock, Kasey Rogers, Norma Varden, Laura Treadwell, and Odette Myrtil.

Tennis star Guy Haines is traveling by train to have a meeting with his promiscuous wife, from whom he wants to obtain a divorce.  While on the train, he strikes up a conversation with a man named Bruno Anthony.

The two men get to talking about their problems.  Bruno thinks that maybe they can help each other out.  Bruno will kill Guy's wife (enabling him to marry his girlfriend, a US senator's daughter), while Guy would kill Bruno's father, whom he hates.  The idea is that the murders would go unsolved because nobody would suspect them of the killings.

Guy agrees that the idea is amusing, but nothing more.  He doesn't want to participate in it.  Bruno, however, has other plans.  Guy leaves the train in a hurry and leaves behind his engraved cigarette lighter, which Bruno picks up and puts in his pocket.

Bruno goes ahead with the killing of Guy's wife, whom he finds out with another man having a good time at the local fair.  He knocks off her glasses and then suffocates her.  (Film students still study the technique used to film the murder through the glass lenses to this day.)

Afterwards, Bruno tracks Guy down and tells him that he's completed his part of the bargain, and now it is time for Guy to hold up his end of the "deal".  Guy is horrified and threatens to go to the police.  Bruno sufficiently frightens him into staying silent.

When he goes to visit his girlfriend Anne, he learns of his wife's murder from the police.  Anne, her father Senator Morton, and her sister Barbara try to keep his spirits up in this difficult time.

It turns out that Guy is actually the number one suspect in the murder case.  Any alibi that he had isn't useful because the man who can substantiate it was drunk at the time.

Bruno starts hounding Guy wherever he goes, standing in the shadows, and sending him notes.

Anne witnesses an exchange between the two men, and she thinks there is something very wrong with the situation.

Bruno continues making Guy uncomfortable, even appearing at one of his tennis matches and staring at him menacingly.

He even gets himself into the Morton social circle and shows up at a cocktail party they are hosting.  Anne doesn't trust him, and neither does her sister Barbara.

Bruno talks with two guests, Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Anderson, about the ways to commit a perfect murder.  He asks Mrs. Cunningham to volunteer her throat so he can show her what he means, generally speaking.

When Barbara sees him, she looks on with a scared look in her eye.  Something about her glasses unnerves Bruno, and he loses his mind in the moment.

Poor Mrs. Cunningham ends up nearly choked to death, while Bruno passes out after having his hands pried off of her throat.

Anne comes to realize that Bruno killed Guy's wife, and she confronts Guy with the information.  Guy admits that it is true, but he can't prove it.

Events bring Guy and Bruno back to the fairgrounds where the murder took place.  A terrifying carousel ride brings things to a frightening conclusion with the happy result that Guy is completely exonerated.

Later, Guy and Anne are shown riding on a train, gazing happily into each other's eyes.  A stranger tries to strike up a conversation, but they quickly move away.

Cast rundown:

   Farley Granger.................................Guy Haines

   Ruth Roman....................................Anne Morton

   Robert Walker..................................Bruno Anthony

   Leo G. Carroll...................................Senator Morton

   Patricia Hitchcock.............................Barbara Morton

   Kasey Rogers...................................Miriam Haines

   Norma Varden..................................Mrs. Cunningham

   Laura Treadwell................................Mrs. Anderson

   Odette Myrtil....................................Madame Darville

And that's it for Strangers On A Train.  In one of the scenes of the film, Ruth Roman hands Patricia Hitchcock a $10 bill.  At the time of production, showing real U.S. money was illegal without the prior consent and permission of the U.S. Treasury Department.  That law was later rescinded.

We also have a Hitchcock cameo.  The famous director appears in a scene with Farley Granger carrying a huge double bass.  His part in the film was directed by his daughter, Patricia.

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The Parent Trap (1961)

The Parent Trap - 1961

Coming up next we have 1961's "The Parent Trap", a film about twin sisters separated at an early age when their parents divorce.  Meeting at a summer camp, the two hatch a plot to get their parents back together.

The film's cast includes Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Charles Ruggles, Una Merkel, Leo G. Carroll, Joanna Barnes, Cathleen Nesbitt, Ruth McDevitt, Linda Watkins, Nancy Kulp, and Frank De Vol.

At Camp Inch, a girls' summer camp, lookalikes Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick see each other for the first time.  They instantly dislike one another.

They pull one practical joke after another on each other.  Eventually, they cause quite a ruckus at the camp dance.

The camp headmistress decides to put them in a cabin together.  Though they initially hate the idea, the girls eventually warm up to each other.

They also discover that they are sisters who were separated at a very early age when their parents divorced.  One moved to Boston, the other to California.

So, what else is there to do but switch places in an effort to get their parents back together?

Susan flies to Boston and becomes "Sharon".  She meets her grandparents and is reunited with her very lovely mother.

Susan really enjoys spending time with her mother, and she even finds out about the early days of her parents' romance.

Sharon, on the other hand, has flown to California and has become "Susan".  She meets her father and faithful housekeeper Verbena, who has been like a second mother to Susan.  Sharon gets a taste of California ranch-style living.

Sharon finds out from Verbena (who minds her own business and never says anything about anyone...yeah right) that her father is engaged to a woman.  "I'll give you a million reasons, and he's got 'em right in the bank," she tells Sharon.

Meet Vicky Robinson.  The woman that Sharon's father is so enamored with.  Sharon can see right through her.

And Vicky wants nothing to do with Sharon, vowing to send her off to a boarding school in Switzerland as the first change she makes in the household.

Vicky tells Sharon that she's going to marry her father, so she better get used to it.  "You wanna bet?" asks Sharon.  "Oh, honey," says Vicky, "don't you play with the big girls.  You'll be way in over your head."

Sharon sends out an SOS message to Susan, who reveals everything to her surprised mother and grandparents.  Margaret immediately makes arrangements to join Sharon in California.

Margaret's surprise arrival in California shocks her ex-husband Mitch, who promptly falls into the lake when he sees her.

He still can't quite believe it's her when he goes into the house to investigate who this oddly familiar woman is.

Having been kept in the dark about all the twin switching, Mitch is delighted to finally see his two daughters together after so many years.

It's hilarious when Margaret meets with Vicky and her mother for the first time.  She walks straight up to Vicky's mother and says, "And this must be Vicky.  Oh, you are adorable.  I'd know you anywhere from Mitch's description."  An unamused pair of eyes coldly stares back and says, "I'm Mrs. Robinson."  "Oops, sorry, Mitch," says Margaret with a smile.

Vicky is positively seething over Margaret's arrival.  Mitch portrayed her as a matronly woman.  The vibrant, vivacious woman before her is anything but.

The girls don't pay much attention to Vicky, and they focus on getting their parents back together.  They even recreate their first date and sing a spirited song called "Let's Get Together".  (yeah, yeah, yeah)

They get Vicky to go on a camping trip with their father and them.  Vicky lets her true colors show.  She's completely out of her element in the great outdoors.

But they've got a few tricks up their sleeves that are designed to send Vicky packing and out of their lives forever.

With Vicky out of the picture, the way is clear for Mitch and Margaret to rekindle their romance.

And a happy ending is had by all as Mitch and Margaret tie the knot once more at the California ranch.

Cast rundown:

   Hayley Mills......................................Susan Evers/Sharon McKendrick

   Maureen O'Hara................................Margaret McKendrick

   Brian Keith........................................Mitch Evers

   Charles Ruggles.................................Charles McKendrick

   Una Merkel........................................Verbena

   Leo G. Carroll....................................Dr. Mosby

   Joanna Barnes...................................Vicky Robinson

   Cathleen Nesbitt................................Louise McKendrick

   Ruth McDevitt....................................Miss Inch

   Linda Watkins....................................Edna Robinson

   Nancy Kulp........................................Miss Grunecker

   Frank De Vol......................................Mr. Eaglewood

And that's it for The Parent Trap.  In 1998, a remake was made starring Lindsay Lohan.  Joanna Barnes was the only member of the original cast to make an appearance in that film.  In 1945, MGM released a film called "Twice Blessed", starring Preston Foster, Gail Patrick, and Lee and Lyn Wilde.  The premise of the film is basically the same as The Parent Trap, however Twice Blessed was quickly forgotten after its release.

In 1965, Hayley Mills was a guest on the show What's My Line?.  She was there to promote her new film "That Darn Cat".  Among the panelists was Joanna Barnes, who was unable to guess Mills' identity, but gave her a big hug and peck on the cheek when she departed.

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