Comfy Cozy Cinema: Dial M for Murder

I thought it would be fun to watch some of the Comfy Cozy Cinema selections this fall. Happily, I was able to watch Dial M for Murder this week.

Movie Title: Dial M for Murder

Original Release Date: 1954

Where I Found It: DVD at my public library

Rating: PG

Time: 1 hr. 45 min.

Amazon Rating: 4.8 / 5 with 3,538 ratings

Cast: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

What's the Story About?

You know right from the beginning there is trouble in paradise. 

Wealthy Margot (Grace Kelly) is married to professional tennis player Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) but she is having an affair with---of all people---a fellow who writes murder mysteries, Mark (Robert Cummings). Tony knows about the affair, and, afraid he will lose all her money in a divorce, he is plotting to kill his wife.

What You Might Not Know...

Here is a dial phone. It's the sort of phone everyone had in 1954 when this movie was made, two years before I was born. To connect your voice with another's voice, you had to dial a phone number---here's a little tutorial...

Each number had letters associated with it.

So, apparently, the murderer was calling a phone number that began with a 6.

My Comfy Cozy Rating: Medium 

Comfy Cozy Qualities: Mystery, suspense, 

the Boy-Next-Door appearance of Robert Cummings next to Wicked Ray Milland,

beautiful Grace Kelly

Here's the trailer for the movie.

My Thoughts?

Dial M for Murder was new to me. I enjoyed seeing a handsome, young (though wicked) Ray Milland for the first time, and Alfred Hitchcock always manages to work in his magic, suspense.

I had to overlook a lot of elements of this movie---Margot IS having an extramarital affair, and so, in some sense, is culpable in her own murder...the fellow engaged to try to murder Margot seems to be rather easily persuaded...the inspector breaks into the apartment and goes through Tony's ledgers---neither of which seems to be on the up-and-up...

But that suspense...dialing the numbers...the bad guy behind the draperies...picking up the scissors...oh my!

As usual with me and mysteries, I had to ask my husband to explain how the inspector figured out what really happened. If you are any sort of mystery fan at all, you will not have this trouble.

This is year two of Comfy Cozy Cinema, hosted by Erin at Still Life, with Cracker Crumbs and Lisa at Boondock Ramblings. Erin and Lisa invite us all to join in by watching the movie, posting about it, and linking up within a week of the day listed on the chart below.