Stage Fright (1950)

Set in London, an aspiring actress (Jane Wyman) attempts to help a young man (Richard Todd) she's attracted to hide from the police after he is suspected of murdering the husband of a famous actress (Marlene Dietrich). She decides to go undercover posing as the actress's maid to discover evidence that might clear him. Based on the novel MAN RUNNING by Selwyn Jepson and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. If there was any other director's name attached to the film, this would be a very good murder thriller with a neat little twist at the end. But with the Hitchcock stamp on it, you expect more so this ends up as one of Hitchcock's lesser efforts. Which isn't to say it's not worth checking out but there's very little real suspense in it. Actually, it seems more Agatha Christie than Hitchcock in many ways. Normally, Jane Wyman is a strong presence in her own right but here she's eclipsed in every scene by Dietrich (and this is coming from a non Dietrich fan). To be fair, Wyman has the non glamorous mousey role but Dietrich's Dior gowned character is so much more interesting. With Michael Wilding, Sybil Thorndike, Alistair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, Andre Morell, Kay Walsh and Patricia Hitchcock.