For Hitchcock, appearances are deceitful and there is no such thing as innocence, evil is always on the prowl.

Hitchcock was fascinated by this discrepancy, which also fed his life-long interest in the theme of the double. The somber tale of the Merry-Widow Murderer takes place in the fairy-tale town of Santa Rosa, California. Wilder's contribution brought to the film a very special flavor which captured the essence of small town America. The scenario, based on an idea by Gordon McDonnell, was written by Thornton Wilder, the acclaimed author of Our Town. At the same time, without relinquishing his own culture, he absorbed the moral and cultural realities of mainstream America in the 1940s.

He brought into this film what made the stuff of his inspiration, steeped as it was in the frustrations and anxieties of his Victorian upbringing. It is a dark film, with nihilistic overtones, a departure from the comedy thrillers that made his success during his 'British period.' It was Hitchcock's first truly American film with an American cast in a typical American environment.

On many occasions, Alfred Hitchcock stated that Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was his favorite film. No.28 - Good Guy / Bad Guy Uncle Charlie, the smooth arch-villain

Shadow of a doubt 1943 gordon mcdonnell