Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Charlie, a small-town high-schooler who enjoys a symbiotic relationship with her favorite uncle, also named Charlie . When young Charlie "wills" that old Charlie pay a visit to her family, her wish comes true. Uncle Charlie is his usual charming self, but he seems a bit secretive and reserved at times. Too, his manner of speaking is curiously unsettling, especially when he brings up the subject of rich widows, whom he characterizes as "swine." When a pair of detectives, posing as magazine writers, arrive in town and begin asking questions about Uncle Charlie, young Charlie’s curiosity is aroused. Why, for example, has Uncle Charlie torn an article out of the evening newspaper? Rushing to the library, Young Charlie locates the missing item: the headline screams WHO IS THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERER? As the horrified Charlie reads on, the conclusion is inescapable: her beloved Uncle Charlie is a mass murderer, preying upon wealthy old women. And what happens next?  Thorton Wilder, Salley Benson, and Alma Reville (Mrs. Hitchcock) based their screenplay on a story by Gordon McDowell, who in turn was inspired by real-life "Merry Widow Murderer" Earle Leonard Nelson. The casting, from stars to bit players, is impeccable; the best of the batch is  ume Cronyn, making his film debut as a wimpy murder-mystery aficionado. Lensed on location in Santa Rosa, California, The Shadow of a Doubt was Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite film.

Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, MacDonald Carey, Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge

1943, B&W, 115 minutes