In 1954, Alfred Hitchcock directed two movies. They both star Grace Kelly. They’re both murder mysteries involving a married couple and a boyfriend and a girlfriend. They both take place almost entirely in one room. They both look like plays.
The first film, "Dial M for Murder," in fact was based on the play of the same name.
The second film, "Rear Window," was based on Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story “It Had to Be Murder” (PDF link). And even though basically all of the story’s action takes place in its main character’s apartment, and even though the story only includes three characters who have any dialogue, no one has ever adapted “It Had to Be Murder” for the theater.
Until now. Until Hartford Stage’s current (nearly) sold out production starring Kevin Bacon.
This hour, we look at all three versions of this story. We talk to film critic David Thomson about Hitchcock’s masterpiece, "Rear Window." And we’ll talk to playwright Keith Reddin and producers Charlie Lyons and Jay Russell about Woolrich’s original story and adapting it into the darker, jazzier, and maybe even more modern version that’s running at Hartford Stage through Sunday.
GUESTS:
- Charlie Lyons – producer, "Rear Window" at Hartford Stage
- Keith Reddin – playwright/adaptor, "Rear Window" at Hartford Stage
- Jay Russell – producer, "Rear Window" at Hartford Stage
- David Thomson – film critic and the author, most recently, of How To Watch a Movie
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Colin McEnroe, Chion Wolf and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show.
