Strangers on a Train – (1951) Alfred Hitchcock’s film of two men – tennis pro Guy Haines (Farley Granger) and psychopath Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) – who meet by chance on a train, the latter a tennis fan, who knows from newspaper stories about Guy’s difficulties with his wife and attachment to a senator’s daughter, Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), suggests they commit complementary murders. In exchange for killing Guy’s philandering wife, Bruno wants Guy to knock off his rich, disagreeable father. Wanting nothing to do with Bruno, who keeps pestering, Guy finds himself a suspect soon after Bruno kills the young wife while she’s out with two young men at an amusement park. Adapted by Raymond Chandler and Czenzi Ormonde from Patricia Highsmith’s novel. (Thanks to Phil for recommending and showing this and Laura in his home theater.)

In his new memoir, published this year, Farley Granger admitted that he – like Rock Hudson, Richard Chamberlain, and Tab Hunter – is gay. Curiously the dark-complexioned Hollywood actor’s character Guy Haines in Strangers on a Train had the same last name as William Haines, a popular comedian in silents and early talkies, who lost his acting career when his sexual orientation became a public article.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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