Editing Dial M for Murder

{{short description|1954 film by Alfred Hitchcock}}
{{About|a 1954 American film|the band|Dial M for Murder!|the episode of Sunday Night Theatre|Dial M for Murder (Sunday Night Theatre)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Dial M for Murder
| image          = Dial M For Murder.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster by [[Bill Gold]]
| director       = [[Alfred Hitchcock]]
| producer       = Alfred Hitchcock
| screenplay     = [[Frederick Knott]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''Dial M for Murder''<br>1952 play|[[Frederick Knott]]}}
| starring       = [[Ray Milland]]<br>[[Grace Kelly]]<br>[[Robert Cummings]]<br>[[John Williams (actor)|John Williams]]
| music          = [[Dimitri Tiomkin]]
| cinematography = [[Robert Burks]]
| editing        = [[Rudi Fehr]]
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1954|05|18|Philadelphia|ref1=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/51185#3 |title=Dial M for Murder - Details |website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films |access-date=June 25, 2018 }}</ref>|1954|05|29|US}}
| runtime        = 105 minutes<ref name=aficatalog>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?Movie=51185|title=Dial M for Murder (1958)|website=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904152122/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?Movie=51185|archive-date=September 4, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
| country        = United States<ref name=aficatalog />
| language       = English
| budget         = $1.4 million
| gross          = $6 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1954/0DIMM.php|title=Box Office Information for ''Dial M for Murder''.|website=The Numbers|date=April 14, 2012}}</ref>
}}
'''''Dial M for Murder''''' is a 1954 American [[Crime film#Crime thriller|crime thriller]] film directed by [[Alfred Hitchcock]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Dial M for Murder (1954) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a8d0303 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103124056/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a8d0303 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 3, 2016 |website=[[BFI]] |date= |accessdate=2022-01-24}}</ref> starring [[Ray Milland]], [[Grace Kelly]], [[Robert Cummings]], [[Anthony Dawson]], and [[John Williams (actor)|John Williams]]. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it was based were written by English playwright [[Frederick Knott]]. The play premiered in 1952 on [[BBC Television]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/a901d2bf97de488997e6f90df78dcb0d|title = Dial M for Murder|website = [[BBC]] | date=March 23, 1952 |access-date=July 26, 2024}}</ref> before being performed on stage in the same year in [[London]]'s [[West End theatre|West End]] in June, and then [[New York City|New York's]] [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in October.

Originally intended to be shown in dual-strip [[3D film#Polarization systems|polarized]] 3-D, the film played in most cinemas in ordinary 2-D owing to the loss of interest in the 3-D process (the projection of which was difficult and error-prone) by the time of its release.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/dial-m-blu-ray-review | title=An In-Depth Look at DIAL M FOR MURDER |first1=Bob |last1=Furmanek |first2=Greg |last2=Kintz | website=3-D Film Archive | access-date=May 31, 2016 | archive-date=May 25, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525041337/http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/dial-m-blu-ray-review | url-status=dead }}</ref> The film earned an estimated $2.7 million in North American box office sales in 1954.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=1954 Boxoffice Champs|url=https://archive.org/details/variety197-1955-01-05/page/n57|magazine=Variety|page=59|via=Internet Archive|date=January 5, 1955|access-date=April 22, 2019}}</ref>

==Plot==
The setting is the mid-1950s. Tony Wendice, a retired English professional tennis player, is married to wealthy socialite Margot, who has been having an affair with Mark Halliday, an American crime-fiction writer. Unbeknownst to them, Tony knows about the affair and plots Margot's murder to inherit her fortune, fearing a divorce would leave him penniless.

Tony is also aware that Charles Swann, an old acquaintance from [[Cambridge University]], is a small-time con man with a criminal record. Tony invites Swann to his [[Maida Vale]] flat on a pretext and tells him about Margot's affair. Tony also confides that six months previously he had stolen Margot's handbag, which contained a love letter from Mark, and had anonymously blackmailed her. Tony tricks Swann into leaving his fingerprints on the letter, effectively entrapping him. He then threatens to expose Swann as the blackmailer unless he agrees to kill Margot. With the added inducement of £1,000 in cash, Swann agrees to the murder. Tony then explains that he and Mark will attend a party while Margot stays at home alone. At a specific time when Margot is certain to be in bed, Swann will enter the front door of the building, which is always unlocked, and will enter the locked door of the flat with Margot's latchkey, which Tony will hide on the staircase under a carpet. Tony will then telephone the flat from the party and Swann will kill Margot when she answers the call. Swann will whistle over the phone to signal the job is done, then create signs of a burglary gone wrong and put the key back under the staircase carpet as he is leaving the building.

The following night, Swann enters the flat, and Tony rings as planned. When Margot answers the phone, Swann tries to strangle her with his scarf, but she fatally stabs him with scissors. Upon hearing Margot plead for help instead of Swann's expected whistle, Tony advises her not to speak to anyone. He returns home, calls the police, sends Margot to bed and transfers what he thinks is Margot's key from Swann's pocket into her handbag. He also attempts to frame Margot by planting Mark's letter on Swann and destroying Swann's scarf.
[[File:Redwood Drive-In Ad - 11 August 1954, Santa Rosa, CA.jpg|170px|thumb|left|[[Drive-in theater|Drive-in]] advertisement from 1954.]]
The next day, Tony persuades Margot not to reveal that he told her not to call the police. Chief Inspector Hubbard arrives to question the Wendices, and Margot makes several conflicting statements. When Hubbard says the evidence indicates that Swann entered through the front door, Tony claims that Swann must have been responsible for stealing Margot's handbag, and made a copy of her key. As Tony intends, Hubbard does not believe the story and arrests Margot after concluding that she killed Swann for blackmailing her. At her trial, Margot is found guilty of murder and [[Capital punishment in the United Kingdom|sentenced to death]].

Months later, on the day before Margot's scheduled execution, Mark visits Tony, saying he has devised a story for him to tell the police to save Margot. Mark's "story" is very close to what actually happened: that Tony paid Swann to kill Margot. If Tony confesses to Mark’s story, Tony would go to jail for a while, but Margot would be saved. Hubbard arrives unexpectedly, and Mark hides in the bedroom. Hubbard asks Tony about large sums of cash he has been spending around town, tricks Tony into revealing that his latchkey is in his raincoat, and inquires about Tony's [[attaché case]]. Tony claims to have misplaced the case, but Mark, overhearing the conversation, finds it on the bed, full of banknotes. Deducing that the money was Tony's intended payoff to Swann, Mark confronts Tony and explains his theory to Hubbard. Tony "confesses" that the cash was Margot's blackmail payment to Swann, which he had concealed to protect her. Hubbard appears to accept Tony's explanation, and Mark leaves angrily. Hubbard discreetly swaps his own raincoat with Tony's. As soon as Tony leaves, Hubbard uses Tony's key to re-enter the flat, followed by Mark. Hubbard had previously discovered that the key in Margot's handbag was Swann's own latchkey and deduced that Swann had put the Wendices' key back in its hiding place after unlocking the door. Now, correctly suspecting Tony of having conspired with Swann, Hubbard has developed an elaborate ruse to trap him.

Plain clothes police officers bring Margot from prison to the flat. She tries unsuccessfully to unlock the door with the key in her handbag, then enters through the garden, proving to Hubbard that she is unaware of the hidden key and is therefore innocent. Hubbard has Margot's handbag returned to the police station, where Tony retrieves it after discovering that he has no key. The key from Margot's bag does not work, so he uses the hidden key to open the door, demonstrating his guilt and exonerating Margot. With his escape routes blocked by Hubbard and another policeman, Tony calmly makes himself a drink and congratulates Hubbard.

==Cast==
[[Image:Dial M.jpg|thumb|Cummings, Kelly, and Milland]]
* [[Ray Milland]] as Tony Wendice
* [[Grace Kelly]] as Margot Mary Wendice
* [[Robert Cummings]] as Mark Halliday
* [[John Williams (actor)|John Williams]] as Chief Inspector Hubbard
* [[Anthony Dawson]] as Charles Alexander Swann/Captain Lesgate 
* [[Leo Britt]] as storyteller at the party
* [[Patrick Allen (actor)|Patrick Allen]] as Detective Pearson
* George Leigh as Detective Williams
* George Alderson as First Detective
* [[Robin Hughes (actor)|Robin Hughes]] as Police Sergeant
* [[Martin Milner]] as policeman outside Wendice flat (uncredited)

==Production==
After ''[[I Confess (film)|I Confess]]'' (1953), Hitchcock planned to film ''The Bramble Bush'', based on the 1948 novel by [[David Duncan (writer)|David Duncan]], as a [[Transatlantic Pictures]] production, with partner [[Sidney Bernstein, Baron Bernstein|Sidney Bernstein]]. However, there were problems with the script and budget, and Hitchcock and Bernstein decided to dissolve their partnership. Warner Bros. allowed Hitchcock to scrap the film, and begin production on ''Dial M for Murder''.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGilligan|first=Patrick|title=Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light|year=2004|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|page=456|isbn=978-0060988272}}</ref>

According to his biographer Donald Spoto, Hitchcock was not enthusiastic about the film, and Spoto quotes Grace Kelly to the effect that "the only reason [Hitchcock] could remain calm was that he was already preparing his next picture, ''[[Rear Window]]''".<ref>Spoto, Donald. ''The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock''. p. 344. ISBN 0-316-80723-0</ref>

Mark's name was changed for the film; in the original play, he was Max Halliday.<ref>{{cite web |author= |title=Dial "M" for Murder |url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=2350 |access-date=March 7, 2014 |website=[[Internet Broadway Database]]}}</ref> Actors Dawson and Williams reprise their Broadway roles as Swann/Captain Lesgate and Inspector Hubbard, respectively.

Cummings had previously made ''[[Saboteur (film)|Saboteur]]'' for Hitchcock.<ref name="film">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/movie-star-cold-streaks-robert-cummings/|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=Movie Star Cold Streaks: Robert Cummings|date=29 October 2024|access-date=29 October 2024}}</ref>

[[List of cameo appearances by Alfred Hitchcock|Alfred Hitchcock's cameo]] is a signature occurrence in most of his films. In ''Dial M for Murder'', he can be seen thirteen minutes into the film, in a black-and-white reunion photograph, sitting at a banquet table among former students and faculty.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-19 |title=11 Thrilling Facts About Dial M for Murder |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/508197/11-thrilling-facts-about-dial-m-murder |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Mental Floss |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Release==
''Dial M for Murder'' was shot using Warner Bros.' own proprietary 3-D camera rig, the so-called All-Media Camera.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-26 |title="Dial M for Murder" |url=https://www.oscars.org/events/dial-m-murder |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=oscars.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Seibold |first=Witney |date=2022-08-19 |title=Filming Dial M For Murder In 3D Was A Headache For Alfred Hitchcock |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/972713/filming-dial-m-for-murder-in-3d-was-a-headache-for-alfred-hitchcock/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=[[SlashFilm]] |language=en-US}}</ref> After one preview performance on May 18 and four showings on the May 19, a Philadelphia theater manager frantically contacted the studio and said that people were staying away in droves. He asked for permission to drop the 3-D and show the film flat.<ref name="aficatalog" />

''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' reported on May 23 that the "first audiences proved to be a jury that could not only make up its mind, but could make it up in a hurry. In exhibitors' own terms, ‘DIAL M’ literally died. And after just four performances on Wednesday, some long-distance telephoning to report complaints, the increasing skimpiness of customers—a good many of them making no bones of their dissatisfaction—permission was given to throw away the glasses and hastily switch to the 2-D version. Whereupon business at the Randolph took a turn for the better."<ref>{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Mildred|title=Play's the Thing as Philadelphia Fans Spurn 3-D for 2-D Version of DIAL M|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/175752111/|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|format=Subscription required|date=May 23, 1954|access-date=April 22, 2019}}</ref>

''Dial M for Murder'' marked the end of the brief flirtation with 3-D films of the early 1950s. Hitchcock said of 3-D: "It's a nine-day wonder, and I came in on the ninth day."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dial M for Murder in 3-D! |url=http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/dial_m_for_murder |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709165632/http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/dial_m_for_murder |archive-date=2013-07-09 |website=Film Forum}}</ref>

The dual-strip system was used for the February 1980 revival of the film in 3D at the York Theater in San Francisco, California.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dial M for Murder (1954) |url=https://www.cine-real.com/pages/dial-m-for-murder-1954 |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=CINÉ REAL |language=en-GB}}</ref> This revival performed so well that Warner Bros. did a limited national re-release of the film in February 1982 using [[Chris Condon]]'s single-strip StereoVision 3-D system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levy |first=Emanuel |date=March 27, 2024 |title=Dial M for Murder (1954): Hitchcock's 3-D (and then 2-D) Thriller |url=https://emanuellevy.com/review/dial-m-for-murder-1954-hitchcocks-3-d-and-then-2-d-thriller-starring-ray-milland-grace-kelly-robert-cummings-what-yo-need-to-know/ |access-date=July 26, 2024 |website=EmanuelLevy.com}}</ref> The re-release included a sold-out engagement at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The film was shown in 3D in some UK cinemas during the summer of 2013 and in Italy at the beginning of fall of the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dial M for Murder (3D Version) |url=https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/en/film/dial-m-for-murder-3d-version/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival |language=en-US}}</ref>

Warner Bros. released ''Dial M for Murder'' as a 3D Blu-ray on October 9, 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Mike |date=2012-10-09 |title='Dial M for Murder' arrives on 3-D Blu-ray as something of a mixed bag for Hitchcock fans |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/movies_tv/dial-m-for-murder-arrives-on-3-d-blu-ray-as-something-of-a-mixed/article_e2eeabc0-2205-5ce7-95cc-e74fb87ffb5f.html |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=NOLA.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Reception==
"This is a technical triumph that Hitchcock has achieved", wrote [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' in a favourable review. "It is one for which he needed good actors. He has them—and the best of the lot is John Williams, late of the stage play, who is the detective who solves the sinister ruse."<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |authorlink=Bosley Crowther|date=May 29, 1954 |title='Dial M for Murder' is Shown at Paramount |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/29/archives/dial-m-for-murder-is-shown-at-paramount.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=13}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote: "There are a number of basic weaknesses in the set-up that keep the picture from being a good suspense show for any but the most gullible. Via the performances and several suspense tricks expected of Hitchcock, the weaknesses are glossed over to some extent but not enough to rate the film a cinch winner."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 28, 1954 |title=Dial M for Murder (3D–Color) |url=https://archive.org/details/variety194-1954-04/page/n205 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=6 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> ''[[Harrison's Reports]]'' wrote that the film "shapes up as no more than a mild entertainment, despite the expert direction of Hitchcock and the competent acting of the players. The chief weakness is that the action is slow, caused by the fact that the story unfolds almost entirely by dialogue."<ref>{{cite journal |date=May 1, 1954 |title='Dial M for Murder' with Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings |journal=[[Harrison's Reports]] |page=71}}</ref>

[[Richard L. Coe]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the film "completely choice", with Williams and Dawson "smooth as silk in reprising their stage roles", adding, "Hitch has a field day with his camera angles, darting our eyes now here, now there, doing tingling tricks with shadows and long longshots in quick contrast to fuzzed close-ups. It's the work of a master enjoying his script."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Coe |first=Richard L. |date=May 28, 1954 |title=Dial M For Fine Tingles in Spine |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |page=51}}</ref> [[John McCarten]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote a generally positive review, writing that he wished the script would give Hitchcock "a chance to cut loose with one of those spectacular chases he used to specialise in", but finding that after a talky opening 30 minutes, "things speed up once the murder wheels are set in motion, and eventually the piece becomes grimly diverting".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=McCarten |first=John |date=June 5, 1954 |title=The Current Cinema |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |pages=62–63}}</ref> ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' wrote that the film "offers the prolific Hitchcock little more than an opportunity to carpenter a neat piece of filmed theatre—an opportunity which perhaps satisfied the master a little more than it does us ... The characters are fitted to their situations, and hardly exist in themselves (nor are they enlivened by the rather drab performances of Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings); only John Williams' dry, sardonic police inspector has a touch of individuality."<ref>{{cite journal |date=September 1954 |title=Dial M for Murder |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=21 |issue=248 |page=128}}</ref>

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|90|7.40|50|''Dial M for Murder'' may be slightly off-peak Hitchcock, but by any other standard, it's a sophisticated, chillingly sinister thriller -- and one that boasts an unforgettable performance from Grace Kelly to boot.|ref=y|access-date=February 10, 2024}} {{Metacritic film prose|75|11|access-date=January 21, 2025}}<ref>{{Cite Metacritic |title=Dial M for Murder |id=dial-m-for-murder |type=movie |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref> In 2012, ''[[The Guardian]]'' called the film "a taut, acidly funny thriller".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Barnes|first1=Henry|title=My Favourite Hitchcock: Dial M for Murder|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/aug/06/alfred-hitchcock-dial-m-for-murder|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=6 August 2012}}</ref>

The film was listed by [[American Film Institute]] in 2001 in [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills]] (#48),<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-thrills |website=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=January 15, 2022}}</ref> and in 2008 in [[AFI's 10 Top 10]] (#9 in Mysteries).<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 10 Top 10: Top 10 Mystery |url=http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=5 |website=American Film Institute |date=2016 |access-date=August 22, 2016}}</ref>

==Adaptations and references==

=== Stage ===
As it is considered one of the classic examples of a stage [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]], ''Dial M for Murder'' has been adapted a number of times. The [[New Vic Theatre]] staged a production of the play in its main house (in the round) in 2017. It was directed by Peter Leslie Wild, and the cast featured [[William Ellis (actor)|William Ellis]] as Tony. The play received positive press reviews.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Orme |first1=Steve |date=April 28, 2017 |title=Dial M For Murder |url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/dial-m-for-murd-new-vic-theatre-14363 |access-date=28 April 2017 |website=British Theatre Guide}}</ref>

In 2022, another stage adaptation of ''Dial M for Murder'' written by [[Jeffrey Hatcher]] and approved by the Knott estate opened at the [[Old Globe Theater]] in San Diego, California. Hatcher kept the original setting of 1950s London but changed the character of "Max Halliday" to "Maxine Hadley," making the love affair with Margot a lesbian one.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-29 |title=Old Globe's new adaptation of 'Dial M for Murder' moves in a fresh and smart direction |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/theater/story/2022-07-29/review-old-globes-new-adaptation-of-dial-m-for-murder-moves-in-a-fresh-and-smart-direction/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> That and other changes garnered critical praise.<ref name=":0" /> The adaptation has enjoyed many productions since its premiere.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dial M for Murder (Hatcher) |url=https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/95632/dial-m-for-murder-hatcher |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Concord Theatricals |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Aalgaard |first=Mary |date=2024-01-30 |title=Review of Dial M for Murder at the Guthrie Theater |url=https://playoffthepage.com/2024/01/review-of-dial-m-for-murder-at-the-guthrie-theater/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Play Off The Page |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Film ===
The film partially inspired a [[Bollywood|Hindi-language]] version in 1985, released as ''[[Aitbaar]]'', starring [[Raj Babbar]], [[Dimple Kapadia]] and [[Suresh Oberoi]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Neale |first=Steven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qg04DwAAQBAJ |title=Screening the Stage: Case Studies of Film Adaptations of Stage Plays and Musicals in the Classical Hollywood Era, 1914–1956 |publisher=John Libbey Publishing |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-86196-929-6 |pages=193 |access-date=July 26, 2024}}</ref> A [[Tamil cinema|Tamil-language]] adaptation, titled ''[[Saavi (film)|Saavi]]'', with [[Sathyaraj]], [[Saritha]], [[Jaishankar (actor)|Jaishankar]] and [[Nizhalgal Ravi]], was released in the same year.<ref>{{cite web |first=Sreedhar |last=Pillai |date=January 15, 1988 |title=In the spotlight |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rush-of-contenders-for-top-place-in-tamil-films/1/328802.html |access-date=September 28, 2016 |work=[[India Today]]}}</ref> The film also inspired a [[Cinema of Kerala|Malayalam-language]] adaptation as ''[[New Year (1989 film)|New Year]]'' starring [[Jayaram]], [[Urvashi (actress)|Urvashi]] and [[Suresh Gopi]] in 1989.<ref name=":1" />

''[[A Perfect Murder]]'' is a 1998 [[remake]] directed by [[Andrew Davis (filmmaker)|Andrew Davis]] in which the characters of Halliday and Swann are combined, with the husband ([[Michael Douglas]]) both hiring and coercing his wife's lover (played by [[Viggo Mortensen]]) into committing a [[contract killing]] of her ([[Gwyneth Paltrow]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harari |first=Julia |date=2022-06-13 |title=How 'A Perfect Murder' Updated Hitchcock's 'Dial M for Murder' |url=https://collider.com/dial-m-for-murder-a-perfect-murder-remake-comparisons/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Collider |language=en}}</ref>

The 2002 [[Bollywood]] film ''[[Humraaz]]'' starring [[Bobby Deol]], [[Akshaye Khanna]], and [[Amisha Patel]], was in turn inspired by ''A Perfect Murder''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Verm |first=Sukanya |title=Movies: Humraaz -- The Story In Pictures |url=https://m.rediff.com/movies/2002/jun/20intro.htm |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=rediff.com}}</ref>

The 2001 Pakistani film ''[[Khoey Ho Tum Kahan]]'' is based on the film.

=== Television ===
The television series ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' premiered in the United States the year after ''Dial M for Murder'' was released. The main character in an episode from the series's first season, "Portrait of Jocelyn", is named Mark Halliday. In the episode, Halliday's wife, Jocelyn, has disappeared several years earlier, and at the conclusion, it is revealed that he murdered her.<ref>{{cite episode|title=Portrait of Jocelyn |series=Alfred Hitchcock Presents |date=April 8, 1956 |season=1 |number=28 |network=CBS}}</ref>

In 1956, [[NBC]] aired a television film in which [[Maurice Evans (actor)|Maurice Evans]] (as Tony), Williams and Dawson all repeated their roles from the original Broadway play.<ref name="aficatalog" /> [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] produced a two-hour color version in 1967 featuring [[Laurence Harvey]] as Tony, [[Diane Cilento]] as Margot and [[Hugh O'Brian]] as Max.<ref name="aficatalog" /><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=June 15, 1968 |title=Listings |magazine=[[TV Guide]] |page=A-63}}</ref>

The episode "The Fifth Stair" of the TV series ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'' recreated ''Dial M for Murder'', with [[Richard Long (actor)|Richard Long]] portraying Tony Wendice.<ref>{{cite episode|title=The Fifth Stair |series=77 Sunset Strip |date=March 6, 1959 |season=1 |number=22 |network=ABC}}</ref>

A US TV film 1981 with [[Angie Dickinson]] and [[Christopher Plummer]] aired in 1981.<ref name="aficatalog" /> ''{{ill|Tony Wendice's Mistake|ru|Ошибка Тони Вендиса}}'' ([[:ru:Ошибка Тони Вендиса|Ошибка Тони Вендиса]]), based on the stage play version of ''Dial M for Murder'', aired in on TV in the [[Soviet Union]] in 1981.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tony Wendice's Mistake |url=https://mubi.com/en/us/films/tony-wendice-s-mistake |website=Mubi |access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref>

The third episode of the sixth season of ''[[Frasier]]'' is titled "Dial M for Martin". The plot centres on [[Martin Crane|the title character's father]] believing that his younger son is subconsciously trying to kill him when he is beset by a series of mishaps seemingly caused by [[Dr Frasier Crane|Frasier]]'s younger brother, [[Niles Crane|Niles]].<ref>{{cite episode|title=Dial M for Martin |series=Frasier |date=October 8, 1998 |season=6 |number=3 |network=NBC}}</ref>

The [[Archer (season 1)|season 1]] finale of the TV series ''[[Archer (2009 TV series)|Archer]]'' is titled "Dial M for Mother" in reference to the film. In the episode, [[Sterling Archer]] is given a [[brain implant]], which makes him subconsciously want to kill his mother [[Malory Archer|Malory]].<ref>{{cite episode|title=Dial M for Mother |date=March 18, 2010 |series=Archer |season=1 |number=10 |network=FX}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of films featuring home invasions]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Dial M for Murder}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0046912|Dial M for Murder}}
* [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/dial-m-for-murder-am6522 ''Dial M for Murder'' at AllMovie]
* {{TCMDb title|id=16707}}
* {{AFI film|id=51185|title=Dial M for Murder}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|dial_m_for_murder|Dial M for Murder}}

{{Alfred Hitchcock}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dial M For Murder}}
[[Category:1954 films]]
[[Category:1954 3D films]]
[[Category:1950s crime thriller films]]
[[Category:1950s psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1950s]]
[[Category:American 3D films]]
[[Category:American crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American films based on plays]]
[[Category:American psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:Detective, mystery and crime plays]]
[[Category:Films about adultery in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Films about capital punishment]]
[[Category:Films about contract killing]]
[[Category:Films about miscarriage of justice]]
[[Category:Films directed by Alfred Hitchcock]]
[[Category:Films produced by Alfred Hitchcock]]
[[Category:Films set in London]]
[[Category:Films scored by Dimitri Tiomkin]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Films about home invasion]]
[[Category:Films about telephony]]
[[Category:Films about uxoricide]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:1950s American films]]
[[Category:English-language crime thriller films]]