Double Indemnity (1944) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this month’s episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron organise some professional coverage as they discuss Double Indemnity.

Written by: Billy Wilder and Reymond Chandler

Based on the novel by James M. Cain

Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Jean Heather, and Tom Powers

Directed by: Billy Wilder

Trailer:

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Hitchcock tropes: The 2 leads fall in love immediately

Raymond Chandler cameos as the  man sitting outside Barton Keyes’ office reading a magazine who glances up at Walter Neff as he walks past.

James M. Cain based his novella on a 1927 murder perpetrated by a married Queens, New York woman and her lover whose trial he attended whilst working as a journalist in New York. In that crime, Ruth Snyder persuaded her boyfriend, Judd Gray, to kill her husband Albert after having him take out a big insurance policy – with a double-indemnity clause. The murderers were quickly identified, arrested and convicted. The front page photo of Snyder’s execution in the electric chair at Sing Sing – taken secretly with a hidden camera – has been called the most famous news photo of the 1920s.

Various studios expressed interest in the story when it first appeared in serial form in 1935, but realized it was unfilmable within the strictures of the newly-established Production Code.

James M. Cain later admitted that if he had come up with some of the solutions to the plot that screenwriters Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler did, he would have employed them in his original novel.

Raymond Chandler, who knew nothing about screenwriting or filmmaking and had never been in a studio before this film, did not care for Billy Wilder. He thought the director spoke too fast, was too jumpy and was disrespectful because he wore a baseball cap indoors. Chandler hated the experience of writing the script with Wilder so much that he walked out and would not return unless a list of demands was met. The studio acceded to his demands and he returned to finish the script with Wilder, even though the two detested each other.

Barbara Stanwyck was the first choice to play Phyllis, but she was unnerved when seeing the role was of a ruthless killer. When she expressed her concern to Billy Wilder, he asked her, “Are you a mouse or an actress?”

The part of Walter Neff was originally offered to George Raft. He insisted that he would only take on the role if his character turned out to be an FBI agent at the end, entrapping Barbara Stanwyck’s character. As this ran completely counter to James M. Cain’s original novel, he naturally didn’t get the part. Fred MacMurray’s reputation at the time was for playing nice guys, and he didn’t feel he was up to the challenge. Dogged persistence on Billy Wilder’s part eventually wore him down.

Due to strict wartime food rationing, policemen were stationed in the store where a scene with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck was filmed, to make sure nobody on the film crew was tempted to take away any of the food. Paramount released publicity stills showing four policemen in the store with MacMurray and Stanwyck.

A different ending was shot, with Neff being caught by the police and executed, whilst Keyes looks on in despair. This ending was only ever seen by test audiences, and Billy Wilder decided it would be poignant and fitting for both characters if, instead, Neff were to die in his office, with Keyes by his side as he expressed his regret. The original ending to the Cain novella called for the characters to commit double suicide. Suicide, however, was strictly forbidden at the time by the Production Code as a way to resolve a plot.

This film came out in 1944, the same year David O. Selznick released Since You Went Away (1944). Part of the campaign for the latter film were major ads that declared, “‘Since You Went Away’ are the four most important words in movies since ‘Gone With the Wind’!” which Selznick had also produced. Billy Wilder hated the ads and decided to counter by personally buying his own trade paper ads which read, “‘Double Indemnity’ are the two most important words in movies since “Broken Blossoms’!” referring to the 1919 D.W. Griffith classic. Selznick was not amused and even considered legal action against Wilder. Alfred Hitchcock (who had his own rocky relationship with Selznick) took out his own ads which read, “The two most important words in movies today are “Billy Wilder!”

The house used as Barbara Stanwyck’s character’s home still stands today at 6301 Quebec Drive.

The apartment building where Fred MacMurray’s character lives still stands at 1825 N. Kingsley Drive in Hollywood, CA.

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Next up, we’ll be discussing Alfred Hitchcock Presents S02E28 and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour S01E04.

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