First Time Watching Shadow of a Doubt (1943) | Movie Reaction & Commentary

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My first time watching Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Inside the mind of a killer! Done in possibly the most natural, unassuming way I’ve ever seen. Hitchcock once again fails to disappoint in this psychological thrilled posing the question, what if you found out a member of your family was a murderer? I hope you enjoyed my Shadow of a Doubt movie reaction & commentary
Hi, I'm Chris! Welcome to my channel. I react to movies & tv shows hoping to represent what it's really like to experience them for the first time. If you enjoy, you can support me by liking the video, subscribing to the channel, and letting me know your thoughts in the comments.
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Original Movie: Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
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[@wraithby]

Joseph Cotten was very sinister in this film. It's a great character study and slow reveal. My favorite Hitchcock film is Notorious with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains.

[@sarahfullerton6894]

Joseph Cotten was such a great actor. To see other interesting Joseph Cotten movies, two I would recommend: "Gaslight", with Ingrid Bergman, and " The Third Man", with Orson Wells.

[@creech54]

@@sarahfullerton6894 Don't forget "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Amberson's".

[@sarahfullerton6894]

@@creech54 , yes, indeed. I thought he might like to react to the movie where the now-commonly-used term, 'gaslighting', came from.

[@creech54]

@@sarahfullerton6894 "Portrait of Jennie" is another excellent Cotten movie.

[@sarahfullerton6894]

@@creech54 , yes. Good, but odd.

[@johnanderson5558]

Favorite Chris reaction moment: “Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!…I mean it’s horrible that a man got died by being run over by a train, but…”

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

You probably recognized Henry Travers (who played young Charlie's father Joseph) from It's a Wonderful Life, where he played Clarence the angel. If you want to see more of Joseph Cotten, may I recommend The Third Man (1949)? It's one of my favorite films, and is in many critics' top ten lists.

[@billolsen4360]

Cotten is also excellent in "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte."

[@davidlionheart2438]

I must highly recommend Hitchcock's "Saboteur" from 1942. Often breathlessly exciting with a legendary climax starring Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane, the excellent Otto Kruger, and the amazing Norman Lloyd who died May 11, 2021 aged 106 and who's career in every facet of the entertainment industry spanned nearly a century.

[@billolsen4360]

106? Wow!

[@leehallam9365]

Hitchcock was a complex man, and its suggested his attachment to this film was sentimental. His mother had died shortly before this and he created a wonderfully vulnerable mother figure here, she shared his mother's name, Emma.

[@billolsen4360]

Never knew that!

[@NoelleMar]

Honestly I figured he identified with Uncle Charlie, considering how he treated women. Not to disagree with you; I’ll just assume that sentimental aspect regarding his mother was also the case.

[@davidfox5383]

This was not initially one of my favorite Hitchcock films when I initially began watching all his work... maybe just because it's more understated than many of his films. It has grown on me over the years and it is the relationships which make it so fascinating, like you said. Also, back in the 1940s the small town mentality was much more prevalent in our culture, conjuring images of mom, apple pie, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, and just that sense of innocence and lack of sophistication. This is perhaps the first movie to throw eggs at that mentality.. perhaps not criticizing it, but holding a mirror up to it and saying there's more out there than you know.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

It is more understated for sure, that kinda makes it all the more interesting. I like the idea of really putting it into the and cultural context. Thanks!

[@billolsen4360]

The 1940's were also a decade of impending doom thanks to the goings-on in Asia and Europe. The US had been pulled into WWI and most Americans were jittery that the conflict overseas would eventually involve us on a larger scale. When we did become involved in the war on both sides of the world, Americans were not certain we could produce enough war materiel to meet our enemies' stores and nearly everyone had either a brother, father, nephew or uncle in uniform and overseas. It looked like WWII was the end of the world to many of our countrymen. It was not an era of placidity, even in small towns. At least 42% of all infantrymen and front line sailors were teenagers and families knew that death was tugging at their shoulders daily with their families knowing they were unable to prevent harm coming to their loved ones. After the Pearl Harbor attack, many Americans were certain that the west coast would be bombed and perhaps invaded. You put up a brave front and didn't talk about the likelyhood of tragedy from two great war machines affecting your friends and family directly, but most everyone knew a deep sense of dread.

[@a1superfantastic]

I felt the same way at first! Initially, Theresa Wright's performance turned me off a bit as being too Pollyanna-ish in her sugary sweet naivety, but gradually I understood that her character's heightened personality was meant not only to reflect the innocence of Santa Rosa as a carefree, uncorrupted community, but also to illustrate the dichotomy of the Jekyll/Hyde approach to the two characters who share the same name as well as two opposite sides to a given personality. I think it succeeds best as a character study of a sociopath, which you rarely saw in the films of those days.

[@gaelbourdier2941]

@@CasualNerdReactions It was favorite Hitchcock movie.

[@billolsen4360]

The movie Peyton Place helped us throw off the image of small town innocence too.

[@franciscogarza9633]

Thanks for reacting to Alfred Hitchcock's shadow of a doubt, Chris I recommend for you to see another old Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca (1940) starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine this is one of the directors first American films it earned 11 Oscar nominations at the 13th academy awards including winner for best picture in 1941 and the only film directed by Hitchcock to win the former award.

[@ladypictureshow66]

I wanted to thank you for these amazing reaction videos. My brother passed away suddenly 2 weeks ago. He was a huge movie fanatic and was my favorite person to watch films with because of his running commentary. You approach these movies with the same joy and enthusiasm my brother did and I am finding that watching your reactions brings me so much comfort right now. Thank you for sharing your enjoyment and commentary with us. I am so grateful to have found your channel. Lots of love to you.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I’m so sorry for your loss, but am grateful to hear my videos can offer some comfort. 💙

[@sarahfullerton6894]

My belated deep sympathy at the loss of your dear brother.

[@BubbaCoop]

The murder-discussion neighbor is played by Hume Cronyn, who was married to Jessica Tandy (The Birds grandmother) for 50+ years.

[@doubtingthomasreviews7702]

Thrilled you finally watched this. I prob have watched this at least once a year many times. Teresa Wright really shines here as she does in Mrs. Miniver, and The Best Years Of Our Lives (which is without a doubt the penultimate film about soldiers returning home from war). Great reaction! 👍🏻

[@BeeWhistler]

What the ultimate? I might have heard of it but nothing's coming to mind on my own...

[@canamus1768]

teresa wright was fresh off an oscar win for best supporting actress for her work in "mrs miniver."

[@doubtingthomasreviews7702]

@@BeeWhistler Steven Spielberg made it one of his top fav films, up there with the likes of The Godfather…

[@doubtingthomasreviews7702]

@@BeeWhistler talking The Best Years Of Our Lives…🏆

[@subversivelysurreal3645]

Agreed, and ‘The Best Years of Our Lives’ is a brilliant film, and she is so fantastic in it. My favorite line is when Theresa Wright’s character says, to the astonishment of her parents, “I’m going to break that marriage up!” See it~you won’t be disappointed.

[@Keyboardje]

I've liked this movie ever since I was a child. Maybe because I was a bit like Charly's precocious little sister, but also because this was the first "grown-up" movie I watched where children and young girls were not portrayed as "just silly or stupid kids". *The fact that young Charly was so strong and fearless!* In most movies of that time young girls and every other woman would only be seen fit to act stupidly, and in case of anything going on to scream and faint and totally rely on having to being rescued by a man.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Great point! Young Charly was a great character!

[@CoopyKat]

I had a shadow of a doubt that I ever saw this film -now I realize I haven't! I'll add it to my watch list. I love Hitchcock films.

[@ladyasriel7874]

I love Joseph Cotten in this. You should see him in "Portrait of Jennie", beautiful film, very haunting.

[@gggooding]

Lil Anne being a badass and the two business partners discussing each others' murders...is all I ever remember from this. Makes rewatching it extra fun, 'cause I forget the plot, which is dang tootin good!

[@a1superfantastic]

As a hardcore Hitchcock fan, I'm thrilled that you watched this one -it's not one of his Hollywood hits, but as you mentioned it was his own personal favorite. He loved to take elements of order and throw in elements of disorder, whether it's a killer plane in a cornfield or a life-or-death struggle at Mount Rushmore or a wanted man turning Charlie's ideallic world upside down, and I think he did that masterfully here. Thanks for the review! Please consider Hitchcock's Notorious next!

[@billolsen4360]

As Hitchcock told Mike Douglas in an interview, "The audience should suffer as much as possible" shows up in this film.

[@bespectacledheroine7292]

I'm thrilled to see this reaction, my second favorite Hitchcock movie sandwiched between Psycho and Rope! The exact movie I try to push on people but they don't really give a chance to, sadly. I love the movies of his having bizarrely close relationships at the center, and bizarre for how destructive from within or without they are, which all three of these have. Shadow of a Doubt is one of the movies that best handles a picturesque setting having skeletons in closets and it's definitely pretty overlooked in my mind. My 4th I often say is Lady Vanishes which doesn't really have that shared theme in common, I just think it's a first rate Agatha Christie-esque mystery thriller.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I’ll have to visit my lady vanishes one day!

[@jessharvell1022]

oh this is great. rarely mentioned among the top tier of hitchcocks, but it might be my favorite. even for the noir era this goes to some nasty places. joseph cotten's final monologue would probably still seem dark in a movie now, but probably really unsettled people in 1943.

[@billolsen4360]

It might have unsettled people in 1943, but remember that the war was on at that time and the public was hearing a lot about evil schemes and the deaths of innocents at that time.

[@wfoster-graham6363]

Hat tip for another great reaction. In an interview with Pat Hitchcock O'Connell, she stated that this was her father's favorite film because of the concept of bringing menace to a small town. There was the foreshadowing of trouble brewing by the black smoke spewing from the train engine as it pulled into Santa Rosa. There was the creepy way that Joseph Cotten could switch from charming and affable to chilling and sinister in seconds. And of course, the suspense of wondering when and how Young Charlie will learn the truth about her uncle, and what she'll do with that knowledge. Another Hitchcock film I would recommend that very few have done a reaction to is "Spellbound" (1945), starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. In the meantime, thank you for your great content!

[@billolsen4360]

Young Charly was right to suspect that there was something "nobody knows about" inside Uncle Charlie. Cotten's facial reaction to that line is priceless.

[@WUStLBear82]

Trivia: Teresa Wright's fourth film, and the first where she _wasn't_ nominated for an Academy Award.

[@NoLegalPlunder]

Great movie. It's one of the first older movies I saw and it had me hooked. I must have seen it 50 times. Santa Rosa looks so nice as well. There's enough psychology in the movie, and of course suspense, to make it interesting. But mostly we identify with young Charlie and hope she finds a way to stop the nightmare. I love how you picked up on older Charlie saying how life was a joke. At some point he abandoned the notion that social codes of conduct are important.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

It really was fascinating how the film presented such compelling themes while still focusing completely on the characters and story. In comparison to alien: covenant which ticked me off when it stopped the story to have a ten minute discussion on the themes that really only existed for their own sake. Bravo Hitchcock 👏

[@angelagraves865]

Santa Rosa is really nice. 😃

[@canamus1768]

so glad you chose this for a reaction, one of hitchcock's best and, as you noted, his own personal favorite among his films. a great deal of the success of the film can be attributed, imho, to a great script by thornton wilder, sally benson, and alma reville. reville was, of course, mrs alfred hitchcock, and one of the director's most trusted, valued, and valuable collaborators. wilder was the author of the celebrated american play "our town" (1938), and benson was the author of a series of new yorker magazine stories about her childhood in st louis at the time of the 1904 world's fair, which was then collected into a best-selling book, "meet me in st louis," which became the basis of the 1944 judy garland vehicle of the same name (dir, vincente minnelli). hence, wilder and benson were certainly uniquely qualified to evoke the atmosphere of small-town america, even in all of its quirkines, that distinguishes "shadow of a doubt."

[@susannahdean7]

It's fantastic. It's one of my favorite movie and it was Alfred Hitchcock's favorite one. Thank you so much for your reaction.

[@LA_HA]

Thank you for the fun reaction. If I recall, Hitch loved this movie because he was fascinated with small town America and Santa Rosa was a picture perfect template of it. But, he also had a strong sense of the macabre and darkness hidden just beneath the light. This is explored in a small indie film by a director named John Carpenter for a film he wrote, directed, and composed the music for: Halloween. In both movies, there's a small town -- semi rural, middle class, traditional, and safe. The kind of place where everyone knows everyone, there's a sheriff with a few deputies, and no one locks their doors. And then, the monster arrives with evil in their souls and victims to be made in the past, present, and future. The Boogeyman monster threatens, exposes, subverts, and then kills our innocence, trust, peace (of mind), and beliefs about everything we thought we knew. It Has to take place in the securest topographies in which we can reside. It's not a shock when it's in the big cities. We already understand the monsters that live there. It's the monsters juxtaposed against the green lawns, sunlit streets, and deep familiarity of the beauty of the intimate of neighborhoods that surprise. Whether it's Uncle charlie, Michael Myers, or Ghostface, it makes no difference

[@TTM9691]

Yes!!! I dropped everything just to watch this!!! Thanks, Chris!!!! This flick is as solid as a rock, and all of your remarks were EXACTLY how I feel. He just tells a darn good story! Plain and simple! And it's so easy to get into, isn't it? Right from the get-go. Not all Hitchcock is that way. When you first saw "Psycho", I said "Rear Window", "Strangers On A Train" and this one were my next favorites, so I'm super excited you finally got to see this one! In other news, my fortunes have changed a bit, so I will be joining your Patreon! Can't wait to start casting my votes! :D THANKS, CHRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Exactly! His story telling us so simple, yet so captivating! That’s so kind of you to join Patreon. Hope your votes win the day!

[@subversivelysurreal3645]

I don’t rank films (men LOVE their ranking)-but this is one of Hitchcock’s best, and perhaps because I am a woman, I loved the way it posited Charles against Charlie. It was what a film should be, entirely engrossing. It wasn’t played, but I loved Charlie’s little sister saying her prayers, I loved that she ended with, “-God bless Mama, Papa, Veronica Lake, Captain Midnight and the President of the United States.”🤣 ~it is organic, it’s the only murder movie wherein the pov is a homicidal criminal who is juxtaposed with his own family.

[@rabbitandcrow]

You are the world's biggest hero for reacting to this thanks. One of my Hitchcock favorites.

[@GenX7119]

Watch Life Boat next!! It all takes place in a life boat!!🤣 You gotta love Alfred Hitchcock! And another good one is Dial M for Murder

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Dial M will be an upcoming Patreon exclusive. It’ll eventually make its way to the channel, but not for a long long while. Life boat is one I definitely want to see lol

[@MrGpschmidt]

Cotten is dashingly diabolical as the ultimate sociopath. PS: Saturday was Hitchcock's birthday.

[@johnnehrich9601]

Related Hitchcock movie (based on an Agatha Christie story): "Witness for the Prosecution." Also about a Merry Widow killer, although the story itself is vastly different. Excellent movie too.

[@kaykutcher2103]

Hitchcock actually disputed the fact that this is his favourite film of his in the Hitchcock Truffaut book though he did say he was very pleased with it.

[@billolsen4360]

Like a good architect, a movie director's favorite piece of work is the next one.

[@ruggerobelloni4743]

The morbid discussions and Charlie's threats when.she knows the truth show a family with disturbing traits that in one member were full blown. T.Wright was 25 but perfect in playing a teen. Her quiet and delicate beauty outclasses many bombshells.I noticed a current tendency to see a dark side in every relationship.When I lived in San José a friend called me a maniac because I was 30 and my girlfriend 25. Puritanism and witch hunting can also be latent. Great Flick I

[@marklindsey2127]

Such a contrast between the innocent family and the evil uncle. It shows the real value of a happy family.

[@johnbutler4631]

I love this movie mainly for the actors, mainly Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Another great film with Teresa Wright (and several other fabulous actors) is The Best Years of Our Lives.

[@jackmessick2869]

Hitchcock joked about this film. He loved the film because "it keeps murder where it belongs, in the family."

[@MrRondonmon]

Henry Travers (Clarence the Angel) had black hair in this one so it is kind of hard to tell its him(Papa Newton). TBH, this doesn't seem as grand as many other Hitchcock movies, but I think this reminded Hitch of the movies he started out making more than the Vertigos, Rear Window and North By Northwest type movies. So, I suspect that's why it was his fav. it touched him in a sentimental sort of way.

[@DreamingCatStudio]

Cotton was great in this. The others also very good. Teresa Wright was so well cast. Can we talk about Santa Rosa? Perfect town for this family and the story. I’m about 2 hours away and it’s still quaint, though a terrible fire took out parts of old own a few years ago. I’m familiar with the heartbreak, disillusionment and bitter disappointment when someone you love and admire commits a terrible act. It was so well depicted in this movie; Hitch knew his psychology!

[@billolsen4360]

I'm sorry they torn down that beautiful library building.

[@VolkswagenNut1969]

Cool, easily one of Hitchcock’s best films, but one that’s often overlooked. This and Niagara made me a big fan of Joseph Cotton early on.

[@billolsen4360]

Shadow Of A Doubt vs Niagara sure showed Cotton's versatility as an actor.

[@johnnehrich9601]

Most of the "smoke" from a steam locomotive was the steam exhaust, used to increase the draft for the fire by blasting it up the stack. A black exhaust meant incomplete combustion. Which means they would have had to do something special to get the billowing black clouds for the movie. Also, when a train is slowing down, the throttle is cut way back as the momentum is far sufficient to let it coast to a stop. (A long freight train can take a mile to come to a stop with full brakes on.) So again, to get that volume of exhaust was deliberate for the effect.

[@naiderl]

Probably my favorite Hitchcock movie, precisely because of the characters. There's an earnest innocence to many of them, in stark contrast with Uncle Charlie's extremely jaded and dark worldview. And young Charlie finds herself right in between those two poles: Can she protect her mom from the truth about Uncle Charlie? Joseph Cotten's "Are they?" never fails to chill my blood. Patricia Collinge's final scene never fails to break my heart.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Well said! That contrast plays so well.

[@heathergibson2108]

Really enjoyed this as I'd never seen this film before . How I ever missed it I don't know . Couple of suggestions... Joseph cotton in the third man with Orson wells . And the best years of our lives..Theresa Wright Dana Andrews Frederic March and Myrna Loy...

[@TheDetailsMatter]

"You're a clever girl, Charlie, you think you know something, but what do you know? Do you know that the world is a foul sty? That if you ripped the fronts off of houses, you'd find swine?!!" Words every young girl longs to hear her favorite uncle say....!

[@ginnylorenz5265]

Great counterpoint between the lovely, safe, sweet small town and the poison of evil that enters it. Deep stuff here.

[@CoopyKat]

15:30 I love the Bug Break!!

[@custardflan]

I love Theresa Wright. One of the greatest movies she was in -- one of the greatest movies ever -- is The Best Years of Our Lives, about returning WWII vets. When we first moved to Southern Cal, the first movie star I saw was MacDonald Carey (Det. Graham) driving a white Bentley into a Walgreens parking lot.

[@billolsen4360]

I lived in Los Angeles for 8 years and never saw a single movie star. Did get to meet a customer named Jose Menendez, though.

[@wfoster-graham6363]

Fun fact: in recognition of her gift as an actress, Teresa Wright won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "Mrs. Miniver" (1942).

[@wfoster-graham6363]

@@kingamoeboid3887 Cool. Was "The Little Foxes" (1941) one of the films she was nominated for? Thanks for sharing!

[@kingamoeboid3887]

@@wfoster-graham6363 her only Oscar nominations was The Little Foxes (1941), Mrs Miniver (1942) (which she won) and Pride Of The Yankees (1942). They’re all great but not as good as The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946).

[@Ceractucus]

Another great Hitchcock reaction. In the world of Hitchcock the villains are not calculating masterminds nor are they stranglers or axe murderers lurking in dark hallways. In the world of Hitchcock films the villains are your uncle, or maybe just the guy you met on a train ride. Also the hero is not some blond lantern jawed person who shoots or punches all the bad guys into submission; the hero can be a niece, or just a businessman mistaken for someone else. In my opinion, this is a great film, but not Hitchcock's best. But it is the one where those ideas are best realized and that's why he loves it the most. If you want to see another great Joseph Cotten film try The Third Man. It's one of the best films ever made.

[@moreanimals6889]

This is my favorite Hitchcock film but there are so many. One of my other favorites is The Trouble With Harry, Rebecca, Spellbound and Suspicion. Suspicion, in my opinion is this same movie but on an English estate, with a different ending.

[@jamesharper3933]

One of my favorite Hitchcock movies. Another great movie to check out with Joseph Cotton (Citizen Kane) is Gaslight from 1944. Angela Lansbury makes her film debut at the tender age of 18.

[@canamus1768]

and she was nominated for a best supporting actress oscar as well. not bad for a film debut. (she was nominated in the same category the following year for her portrayal of sibyl vane in albert lewin's stylish and atmospheric adaptation of oscar wilde's "the picture of dorian gray.")

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Oh wow! I’m actually planning to do gaslight in October! I didn’t realize Angela Lansbury was in it, I’ll have to make a note to look for her!

[@jamesharper3933]

@@CasualNerdReactions She's the young sassy maid (Nancy) that Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman hire.

[@Vonne-cw5wf]

Other good classic movies with Teresa Wright include Mrs. Miniver and Pride of the Yankees (story of Lou Gehrig with Gary Cooper; some of the contemporary Yankees played themselves, including Babe Ruth).

[@billolsen4360]

I don't think Teresa ever made a bad movie

[@MrGadfly772]

Another film that this reminds me of is "The Stranger" with Edward G. Robinson . I think you'd also enjoy that movie. This was of course a terrific film.

[@poetcomic1]

What nobody seems to get about Shadow of a Doubt is that young Charlie's plan to get her uncle out of town when she KNOWS he is serial killer makes her COMPLICIT in his crimes. Uncle Charlie even gets on the same train as 'Merry Widow Potter', obviously his next victim.

[@007sMoneyPenny]

I do appreciate so much that you check out those classic movies 🎥. The classic movies are our jewels 💎. And often we can understand why elderly quote „miss the good old times.“

[@nellgwenn]

The man that played Joe was the same actor that played Clarence the angel in It's A Wonderful Life. Another great old Hitchcock movie is Sabotage with Sylvia Sidney. The only time I can remember my jaw dropping on the floor in stunned silence from a movie happens with this film. You just can't believe Hitchcock did that.

[@michaelhurley1497]

Yes, it is still shocking, even by today's standards. At the time, he was criticised for it and apparently Hitch later regretted the scene in question.

[@mikeduplessis8069]

The detective-turned-boyfriend was played by Macdonald Carey who played the central patriarch on the soap opera 'Day Of Our Lives for almost thirty years.

[@jamesandthefatcat9464]

ty for this vid. the glamour of these old movies..o my..every one has suits and beautiful dresses.. and that polite trolling is awesome. i have to see this full movie.

[@joel65913]

One of Hitch's best, but I will second other's suggestion of Lifeboat being your next Hitchcock film along with my fave Saboteur. The superstition about the hat on the bed has two variations. The first is ancient-it was believed that evil spirits lived in people's hair (probably based in not understanding static electricity) and placing the hat on the bed transferred them to the bed and therefore the home. The other is rooted in Jewish tradition that a hat on the bed was a portent of death for the whoever the bed belonged to.

[@christopherhamm4712]

React to Hitchcock's 1942 film "Saboteur". It's about a man on the run from both the police and the bad guys during WW2. He meets quirky characters, and the finale takes place at a national monument. Definitely worth a watch.

[@michaelceraso1977]

yea Im one of very few that have campaigned for that FIlm. I know HITCH wanted a more known leading man but I though BOB CUmmings did a fine job, and it was pretty exciting i think. The finale at the STatue of Liberty was amazing for a film back then

[@Jim-Mc]

Very underrated, more people should watch it. I remember watching it on AMC as a kid and being very into it.

[@missd9785]

This is my favorite Hitchcock film. Couldn't say why but I still remember "discovering" it as a young adult one day watching tv and feeling like I'd uncovered a gem. Doesn't hurt that Santa Rosa Ca is right over the mountain from me and so the movie had the added feeling of home town familiarity to me. I think it's different because of the "all-American" family dynamic too. Glad u got to this one! Really enjoyed ur reaction.

[@RickTBL]

Thank you for any Hitchcock film. For a real scream, I recommend The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).

[@johnnehrich9601]

It would have been a real twist if Charlie had turned out to be a private investigator after that strange friend of the father who was always talking about ways to murder someone. Charlie could have been deliberately dropping hints about a fictitious shadowy past in order to get this strange neighbor to confide in him. The two investigators could have even been in on the scheme to make Charlie look evil as part of the plot to lure the neighbor's suspicions. The opening of Charlie fleeing the East could also have been fictitious, told by Charlie in a flashback.

[@billolsen4360]

that would have been a fun plot twist!

[@davidleedutton]

A few years ago they had an outdoor screening of this film in Old Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa, and they audience sat directly in front of that clock tower you see at the beginning. It was pretty cool.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That would be a really cool experience!

[@CharlesDickens111]

Great reaction - love your videos!

[@JosephRGrych]

No hats on the bed, because of lice, cooties, and hair products. The latter is also the reason why the backs of chairs and sofas had doilies to protect the upholstery. Sensibly, hats are likely to be crushed if left on a bed or chair. Also, it was usually the way to hide a gun.

[@billolsen4360]

But Uncle Charlie throws his hat on the bed anyway, signalling that he just might run into some bad luck in California.

[@JosephRGrych]

@@billolsen4360 Good foreshadowing in a day when the superstition was better known.

[@billolsen4360]

@@JosephRGrych 😁

[@ShazzleDazzle87]

This was the first thing I saw Joseph Cotten in and I was suspicious of him in everything since lol

[@NoelleMar]

Uncle Charlie: *hears about innocent man dying horrifically by getting sliced up* Uncle Charlie: “I’m hungry!” 😁

[@eduperez5840]

You should react to What ever happened to Baby Jane? (1962) with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. It's one of my fav movies

[@calvinsweet3400]

The Trouble With Harry.... also a forgotten Hitchcock gem.

[@fahooga]

If you're looking for recommendations for early Hitchcock, my favorite is The Lodger (1927, silent). No spoilers.

[@dlamancha5697]

Oh, this is absolutely my favorite Hitchcock film. Joseph Cotten was amazing and so sinister, yet charming as a killer. Theresa Wright was absolutely NOT your Hitchcock blonde. She was smart, likable, and yet real. These actors were such powerhouses. I love the fact that Uncle Charlie NEVER raised his voice. Instead, he internalized the character's fury and became steely and determined. I would say that there was a creepy undertone to their dynamic. Almost incestuous with the way Charlie was infatuated with her uncle. I absolutely loved the supporting cast: The mother, and Henry Travers--angel Clarence in It's a wonderful life, Hume Cronin as Herb the other half of the "murder book club" Little Anne and Roger were great too. It's funny how Charlie's Mom was recollecting how Uncle Charlie always read before his accident, like Ann. She also mentioned that he as the youngest was "spoiled.' Little Roger's face was so upset at hearing that. Otherwise, the kid was either scolded or ignored. Possibly another Uncle Charlie in the making? Just some thoughts.

[@billolsen4360]

He's right about the world being a foul sty, tho.

[@carlosyamara]

Great reaction, as always. I’ve always felt that Anthony Hopkins was inspired by Joseph Cotton when he played Hannibal Lecter. That scene where uncle Charlie talks at the dinner table about the widows has a tone and delivery that sounds just like Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs. Love this movie.

[@jeremyadams1521]

Great reaction! Just thought I’d mention that this film had a remake (of sorts): the 2013 film “Stoker.” The twist this time is that the niece character is actually a budding psychopath too and is tempted to become like Uncle Charley. It’s not nearly as good as “Shadow of A Doubt” but is an interesting attempt, maybe worth a reaction 😃

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Oh interesting! Could be fun to watch.

[@melenatorr]

Hat on the bed invites bad luck. In our family we hold with two similar ones: no shoes on the table, and don't open an umbrella in the house. Both of these are general superstitions, but I feel there's a practical aspect too: shoes spend most of their time on the ground: do you really want them on a table where you put food and/or other things? And umbrella opening in the house could hurt someone. Hat on the bed .... not so sure about any practical repercussions.

[@pattiharvey1787]

Came back to watch AGAIN! 👍😀

[@artistinlederhosen]

another great performance by the underrated joseph cotten.

[@canamus1768]

a note about the music: film composer dimitri tiomkin's score for "shadow of a doubt" (the first of four for hitchcock) makes frequent quotations of the famous "merry widow waltz," from franz lehar's hugely popular and enormously successful 1905 comic operetta "the merry widow" ("die lustige witwe"), the great international musical comedy hit of its day (perhaps like "phantom of the opera" or "les miserables" in our day). hence, the series of waltzing couples depicted under the film's main title ((and elsewhere). at the time of the film's release, the "merry widow waltz" would still have been immediately recognizable by most audience members (probably not so much today), and the name given to the serial killer would have been recognized as a reference to the operetta.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Yes, thank you! I obviously didn’t fully make the connection to the waltz until editing the reaction and I had to look it up lol

[@micpar2]

My favorite Hitchcock movie. Hitchcock's daughter stated this was his favorite film he made too. Psycho is good too, Ted Knight is at the very end of Psycho. Who gives Norman Bates a blanket or should I say Mother!! The Birds was good but I thought the ending was stupid.

[@macc.1132]

Ah Teresa Wright - she came into Hollywood HOT. Right away, she was offered plum roles in high profile films, nearly all of which are considered classics (not to mention box office heavyweights upon release): three from William Wyler - (1) controversial "The Little Foxes", which starred a villainous Bette Davis, (2) "Mrs. Miniver", again from Wyler and the biggest film the year is came out, with blatant propaganda to get reluctant America to support an Allied WWII ... and (3) "The Best Years of Our Lives", arguably Wyler's BEST film and the biggest film the year it was released, and often listed as one of top 100 films EVER by many of film lover. She was also in the beloved "Pride of the Yankees" with Gary Cooper. And of course, this film, "Shadow of a Doubt", with Alfred Hitchcock crediting her as his favorite star to work with. Those are 5 of her first 6 films, which has to be one of the most impressive starts to a Hollywood career ever! She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar 2 times and winning for Miniver. She was also nominated for Best Actress for Pride of the Yankees. Her two most impressive performances, arguably, here in "Shadow of a Doubt" and for her supporting role in "The Best Years of Our Lives" were surprisingly never even nominated!

[@micpar2]

Joseph Cotton aka uncle Charlie was a great character actor. If you look at the original Spider-Man comics. Artist/creator Steve Ditko based his Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin after Joseph Cotten and Uncle Charlie. A charming smooth talking, master of mind games psycho.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

It's been said this is Hitchcock's favorite of his films. What is YOUR favorite Hitchcock film and why?

[@Greenwood4727]

The trouble with Harry, has got to be in my top 3.. this is in there and rear window

[@kebernet]

North by Northwest. It's a great film, and I know people like to criticize Hitchcock's portrayals of women, but Eva Marie Saint in that dining care is one of my favorite scenes ever l.

[@emilythorkildson8514]

Notorious! The story is so intriguing (I won't give much away other than it's about catching Nazis), Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant have incredible chemistry and there are some unbelievably tense moments. And any movie with Claude Rains in it automatically gains points in my book. And on a side note, if you liked Teresa Wright and Patricia Collinge's performances in this movie, I'd recommend you check out The Little Foxes! It's a great movie that also stars Bette Davis.

[@kaykutcher2103]

@@Greenwood4727 Finally some love for Harry. IT's nOt A HiTchcOCk moVIE bEcAUSe It'S a coMedY. If anything I'd argue that Hitch's dark sense of humor is an integral part of his signature style.

[@ollietsb1704]

I recommend watching his films in almost a release-date order so his use of modern technology is displayed. Or, rather - his NON use of more modern filming techniques because he will continually use the 1910-20s "scrolling background" for his so-called action sequences. In his last films (like my favorite 1977's FAMILY PLOT), these techniques are crude and hilarious unto themselves - but I walked out thinking, "Good ol' Hitch-! Still using what he knows best."

[@NoelleMar]

I will also say that this movie portrays a very uncomfortable family dynamic that depicts a family where one family member is abusing another, and everyone else remains oblivious. Great reaction! You might not be as “nice” to your sister, but you are probably more sincere than the manipulative older Charlie.

[@jackmaritt5094]

Disliked this as a kid bc ❤️ loved J Cotton and T Wright so much, thanks Chris for watching

[@johnnehrich9601]

An older one, by a full decade, but still one of my favorites is "The Lady Vanishes." The few special effects are somewhat cringy (Hitchcock had a very small budget) but still the suspense holds up. Movie was remade not too long ago but from the original book, and in my opinion, not very good. But Hitchcock's version is awesome.

[@mledda621]

This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies! ❤

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Yes! It really caught me off guard in the best way.

[@MyraJean1951]

Love to hear you have a twin sister! I have a twin brother (he's 15 min. older). I've always loved having a built-in best friend. Do you two feel that way? It's really none of my business, so feel free to ignore me. Enjoyed your reaction to this tension filled Hitchcock film!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Absolutely! Whenever we’d move it was always a little easier because my sis was there. :)

[@MyraJean1951]

@@CasualNerdReactions it's great to hear a twin brother say that, Chris! Mine would try to play down how close we are. Even HIS twins feel that same way.

[@billolsen4360]

Ever seen "Dead Ringer" with Bette Davis playing twins? Released in 1963.

[@angelagraves865]

Ha! I live in Santa Rosa, CA and I totally forgot this was filmed here. Hitchcock filmed a few movies in this area, too, like The Birds. So neat to see things I recognize, even though a lot of them aren't here anymore. Also, I don't remember ever seeing Clarence from It's a Wonderful Life in anything else before. Also, also, the picture he gives to his sister at dinner looks like Lizzy Borden. 😄 Also, also, also, I'm not buying that Ann, the original Hermione Granger, would mispronounce library like that.

[@dennismason3740]

The Third Man - Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton.

[@classiclife7204]

Decades ago, less-wise me criticized the film for being held back by the Production Code; older-me now appreciates the conflict between the cozy façade and sliminess underneath, both in individuals and in the broader society. Thornton Wilder, who wrote "Our Town" of course, co-wrote this screenplay, and it shows. No one was better equipped to make small-town-y, pre-TV America come to life than Wilder. AND DON'T TOUCH JOE'S PAPER! - it was a window to the world, at least for the folks who couldn't abide the racket of radio. Anyway, underneath the clean, homey image, neighbors talk about the best way to rub each other out, and the women in the family develop an unhealthy fascination with the handsome brother/uncle who suddenly reappears. Why? Because they're bored to death. (The children, though, are instinctively repelled by "Uncle Charlie".) Finally, the movie is about losing youth, losing innocence. It's a dark world out there.

[@billolsen4360]

WHAT did people do before TV and social media?? They must have been awfully bored.

[@johnnehrich9601]

It seems so odd to us today that he sends a telegram cross-country which wound up being read by the telegraph office over the phone - instead of just a long-distance call in the first place. But back then, coast-to-coast calling was extremely difficult and expensive.

[@MrGadfly772]

Watch "Body Heat". It's not Hitchcock (who I LOVE) but it is a 1980s take on film noir.

[@pattiharvey1787]

Joseph Cotton gave me goosebumps in this classic from Hitchcock. I had a creepy uncle in my own life and was cautioned about the way he "looked" at me all the time by my mother. Fortunately for her it was my dads brother and not hers. Loved watching again with you 👍😘

[@doyourememberme2904]

did you know Alfred Hitchcock once painted everything in his Dining Room Blue from the Floor to the Ceiling & Chairs to the table and walls then served food that was Dyed Blue to make a point about what the Mind sees and hears the mind believes as Blue Food is very depression, and you won't feel hungry anymore his Guesses never ate anything at that Dinner Party.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That’s wild. I like to think I’d still eat, but… super intriguing.

[@izzonj]

This isn't the most ambitious of Hitchcock films but I love the little things about it. Young Charlie (Theresa Wright) so sweet and innocent contrasted with uncle Charlie who was so dark and cunical. The two gentleman so obsessed with how to murder somebody yet they are totally clueless that an actual murderer is right on front of them! And I'll menon Theresa Wright again, because she is so lovely.

[@richardb6260]

There's a movie I like called "Scream for Help" that was probably inspired by this film. In it a girl finds out her stepfather is planning to kill her mother. They have the same kind of adversarial relationship. Another good thriller I can recommend is "Mute Witness". I use to recommend it all the time when I worked at a video. Unfortunately, the cover made it look like a horror film, which it wasn't. The image on the cover was more symbolic and didn't depict anything in the film. I think I like it when you react to older films like this the most. So many reactors seem to react to the same films over and over. Your choices make this channel a breath of fresh air.

[@MyraJean1951]

Thanks!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I just now saw this! Thank you so much! ☺️

[@williamjamesrapp7356]

One little side note I dont think you caught is that the Old man who works at the bank ( Henry Travers ) is Clarence Odbody from ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Oh cool! Yea, I definitely wouldn’t have caught that.

[@anntelford8647]

This is a movie that's supposed to jar the audience. It's a normal family. It starts with Charlie being dissatisfied with her life. Once Uncle Charlie comes to visit her life is thrown into turmoil. She knows what her uncle has done. Even her younger sister, Ann, feels that something's not quite right about Uncle Charlie when she doesn't want to sit next to him at the dinner table. It's suspenseful not knowing what either Charlie is going to do but knowing it's going to change the family. This is one of my favorites. Thanks.

[@robertjewell9727]

Hitchcock had said at some point that he liked this film best because, am I'm misquoting, that essentially it's about how does innocence confront evil? And as you say Hitchcock does it organically instead of making it some symbolic or metaphorical extravagance like a liturgical Medieval morality play. He also liked it because he said it was his first 'real American' film. I totally fell for Teresa Wright when I saw this movie. Fantastic reaction. I'm trying to recall what Hitchcock films you HAVE seen. I want to suggest a few earlier British ones Tallyho!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Those are great reasons for him to particularly like this one. Some day I’m sure I’ll be able to reach back and check them out!

[@kingamoeboid3887]

I first saw Teresa in The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946). My favourite from her and director William Wyler.

[@Yngvarfo]

I started watching, then I realised that I haven't seen, or don't remember, this particular film, so I'd better leave your reaction until I have. I only write this now to say that you've watched enough Hitchcock films now that you *must* watch Mel Brooks' "High Anxiety." It is a parody, or loving homage (call it what you will) to everything Hitchcock, and you've clearly seen enough of them now to catch all the references. 😊

[@CasualNerdReactions]

One day I definitely will!

[@brentwebster6164]

Obviously, it’s a great film. Joseph Cotten provides just the right amount of understated menace so at first there’s room to believe he’s not the killer. His relationship with young Charlie feels organic and familiar. Great tension and suspense at the end. All that said, I’d find it hard to rank this one above Rear Window, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Psycho, Notorious, or about a half a dozen others. This was Hitch’s first film, though, after freeing himself from his contract with Selznick, who he felt was too controlling. It’s probable that this colored his perception of this movie. It was his favorite because, for him, it was a breath of fresh air. The thorn in his side was finally gone and he had a grand time making this.

[@flaggerify]

The black smoke was intentional.

[@christopherleodaniels7203]

Hitchcock developed specific theories about audience engagement through tension, suspense, size of frame, performance, etc…, and he was a master. He felt audiences got the most thrill and suspense by watching ordinary people get caught up in increasingly extraordinary circumstance. He believed the most menace is found right under our nose. In pursuing that goal, he hired Thornton Wilder (Our Town) to write dialogue as American and realistic as possible, and filmed on location in Santa Rosa, California, because it was everything decent and wholesome small town America thought it was, juxtaposed with looming global horror and war. Then he introduced The Merry Widow Murderer as not just evil somewhere “out there”, he was the favorite uncle, beautiful and charming like Joseph Cotton the movie star - and Young Charlie’s friends, the Women’s club, and the whole town were taken by him. The glowing eulogy heard under the last scene illustrates just how fragile the facade is. With this film Hitch was clicking on all cylinders.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That’s exactly it and still true today. Ordinary people getting caught up in increasingly extraordinary circumstances. 👏