The 39 Steps (1935)

Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Available to stream on Amazon Prime

In September we are featuring our favorite Hitchcock films of the 1930's and 1940's.

In this early British Hitchcock film, innocent Robert Donat is accused of murder and caught in a web of intrigue and spies, as he escapes from London and makes his way across Scotland, dodging his enemies and meeting beautiful Madeleine Carroll along the way.

Madeleine Carroll and Robert Donat in The 39 Steps

Why we love it: Clever banter between the two stars as they are handcuffed together captivated audiences at the time, and has made this one of Hitchcock’s classics. This is the precursor and inspiration for many later Hitchcock films, like North by Northwest, where an innocent man becomes involved with murder and spies entirely by accident and must clear his name. This film also contains one of the early examples of Hitchcock's use of the "MacGuffin," which is the plot device that keeps the story going but ultimately has no significance to the audience.

Photo of Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll from Modern Screen 1935

Fun Facts:

• Though Robert Donat is not a highly recognized movie star today, in the 1930's he was amazingly popular. He appeared in the 1934 film The Count of Monte Cristo and American audiences fell in love. However, he preferred to work in England rather than Hollywood so he could also appear on the London stage. He fled from Hollywood back to England, and, until his death in 1958, was known for his great talent and few performances.

Fan letter from Hollywood 1935

• Chronic asthma hindered Donat's career and he was very often cast in roles which he backed out of and which later made another actor famous. Hitchcock wanted him to star in several other films, including The Lady Vanishes and Secret Agent, but he was unable to because of his poor health.

Photo from Screenland 1935

• When Donat and Carroll were rehearsing the famous handcuff scene, Hitchcock pretended to misplace the key for the whole day as a way to get them comfortable with each other and prepared for filming.

• Alfred Hitchcock was already a well known director in England, but The 39 Steps brought him to the attention of American audiences and his future producer in Hollywood, David O. Selznick.

Photo of Robert Donat from Modern Screen 1935

To read more reviews from the time and several articles about Donat, including "The World is Yours, Mr. Donat" and "The Return of the Matinee Idol" go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.

Featured Cocktail:

Pink Gin

Pink Gin, also called Gin and Bitters, is a simple two-ingredient cocktail whose origins are associated with the British Royal Navy. Sailors were encouraged to drink bitters to combat sea-sickness; adding the bitters to gin helped it go down. While not on many bar menus these days, Pink Gin was popular in the US following Prohibition and all through the ‘20s and ‘30s in England and among British officers in colonial India.

2 oz (60 ml) gin

2-4 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir gin and bitters with ice in a mixing glass. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Another way to prepare is to swirl the bitters in the glass, leave it in or pour it out, and add the gin.

Some recipes call for Plymouth gin instead of a London dry gin, which creates a smoother drink.

Cheers to the Classics!