Shadow Of A Doubt
Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends,
Over the weekend, I watched the film SHADOW OF A DOUBT again on the old movie channel. My father loved 1940s black and white films and introduced me to them when I was a kid. On Saturday afternoons, he would take me to the movies, and we’d sit in the front row together, each with our bag of buttered popcorn. I treasured that time alone with him—it was our thing, and I grew to love those films almost as much as him. I’ve probably seen SHADOW OF A DOUBT 100 times, and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s a psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1943, and it stars Teresa Wright as the young niece, Charlie, and Joseph Cotten as her beloved charming Uncle Charlie who has come to visit her family in Santa Rosa, California. What she doesn’t know, but begins to learn, is that Uncle Charlie has come to town in order to throw the police off his trail, for he is really the “Merry Widow Murderer” and has been killing rich widows back East.
In writing the book, I decided to use some of the 1940s black and white psychological thrillers and have Katie love them. Maybe through that connection, Katie would relate to the characters and see the similarities between the films and what was happening in her own life with Claude. Maybe if she saw the fear, the danger, the manipulation and denial along with the charm and custom-vmade suits on the screen in front of her, a bell would ring loudly in her head.
Thank you, my Priscilla Bennett Friends, for listening and for all your support for my cause. Please visit my website at www.priscillabennett.com and read this blog, make a comment, write your own story and get helpful information. Remember the Priscilla Bennett Pledge to help someone by starting a conversation, giving a kind word in the grocery store or parking lot—a touch on the shoulder or pat on the hand with a nice cup of tea. Remember that we all have SOMETHING TO BE BRAVE FOR.
Take good care of yourselves,
PRISCILLA BENNETT XOXO