• Ballard Berkeley as Sergeant Mellish
  • Arthur Howard as Groves, Charlotte's Butler (uncredited)
  • Alfie Bass as stagehand (uncredited)
  • Gordon Bell as chauffeur (uncredited)
  • Lionel Jeffries as RADA student (uncredited)

Production

Though Hitchcock had lived and worked in Hollywood since 1939, this mystery thriller, which is mixed with humour, was made in London locations. The only members of the cast who are not British are the two top-billed stars: Wyman and Dietrich.

thumb|Dietrich (left) in a costume by [[Christian Dior]]

Dietrich's costumes were designed by Christian Dior, and the production featured a Cole Porter song, "The Laziest Gal in Town", performed by Dietrich in a sultry fashion. Dietrich also begins a performance of Edith Piaf's "La Vie en rose" twice, the first being heard before a scene change and later her character is unable to finish it after being startled by a Boy Scout bringing a blood-stained doll to her. Dietrich was allowed an unprecedented control of her shots by Hitchcock during the filming. When asked during the filming about working with the famously controlling, and technically adept Dietrich, Hitchcock replied, "Everything is fine. Miss Dietrich has arranged the whole thing. She has told them exactly where to place the lights and how to photograph her." He later said of Dietrich, "Marlene was a professional star. She was also a professional cameraman, art director, editor, costume designer, hairdresser, makeup woman, composer, producer and director."

Howard Maxford, author of The A–Z of Hitchcock: The Ultimate Reference Guide, notes that some aspects of the Edith Thompson and Frederick Bywaters case have similarities to the plot of Stage Fright.

Differences between the film and the novel

Although Stage Fright is based on Selwyn Jepson's novel Man Running (also known as Outrun the Constable), it differs in some ways. In the original story, Freddie Williams is the actual murderer.

Hitchcock's cameo

Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is a signature occurrence in most of his films. In Stage Fright, he can be seen 39 minutes into the film as a man on the street turning to look at Eve as she rehearses her scripted introduction speech to Mrs Inwood.

In the 4 June 1950 issue of The New York Times, Hitchcock stated:

:"In Stage Fright, I have been told that my performance is quite juicy. I have been told this with a certain air of tolerance, implying that I have now achieved the maximum limits of directorial ham in the movie sandwich. It isn't true. There may have been a 'MacGuffin' in my film appearance, but not a ham."

Reception

Critical reaction

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that Hitchcock "and his writers have contrived to give a fine cast of actors some slick and entertaining things to do. But we must quietly advise you that these things, while amusing separately, build up very little sustained excitement or suspense. They are simply a wild accumulation of clever or colorful episodes, tending for the most part to the comic, without any real anxiety." John McCarten of The New Yorker agreed, writing that "the picture doesn't lack for comic touches, but none of its episodes ties in very closely with the succeeding one, and the result is disappointing." Variety printed a more positive review, reporting that Hitchcock "has a choice cast to put through its paces, and there's not a bad performance anywhere. The dialog has purpose, either for a chuckle or a thrill, and the pace is good despite the 110 minutes of footage."

Harrison's Reports called it "a rambling murder thriller that wavers constantly between comedy that is delightfully funny and melodrama that is rarely more than moderately exciting. The overall result is a spotty entertainment that is too dragged out to keep one's interest constantly alive." Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post wrote that there were "so many beguiling people and moments" in the film "that it's curious the picture as a whole isn't better." The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Stage Fright is not without effective moments, reminding us how Hitchcock once excelled in the simple melodrama with ordinary, naturalistic backgrounds; but too much of it has the heavy, corpulent quality that made Rope and in particular Under Capricorn so lifeless and unreal." The New Republics original review was extremely favourable, calling Stage Fright "one of the most entertaining homicidal comedies of his career." But its later critic Stanley Kauffmann described it as "abominable". It was selected as one of the Top 10 Films of 1950 chosen annually by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

Contemporary reviews of the film have been mostly positive. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Stage Fright has an approval rating of 91% based on 21 reviews, with an average score of 7.10/10.

The film has been shown on the Turner Classic Movies show Noir Alley with Eddie Muller.

Box office

Trade papers called the film a "notable box office attraction" in British cinemas in 1950. According to Warner Bros' accounts, the film earned $1,012,000 domestically and $896,000 internationally.