39 STEPS, THE

(August 1935, U.S.)

Alfred Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS is one of those great classic films that falls under the public domain. There is, in my opinion, something very irresistible about these old movies, despite their rather grainy visual texture in an era where everything we watch today has been digitally remastered in high definition picture quality. Perhaps it's that nostalgic part of me that takes me back to my childhood when it was old movies like this that dominated late night television on the independent stations. They were horror films mostly, but every once in a while there would be Hitchcock's early British films, as well as Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rothbone in the starring role. In fact, an old friend of mine once told me he used to enjoy these old Sherlock Holmes films on TV late at night and even went so far as to brew a pot of tea in order to make himself feel a little more British while watching. Hey, whatever enhances and improves your moviegoing experience is just fine by me!

This film tells the story about an ordinary English civilian, Richard Hannay (played by Richard Donat), who while attending a demonstration of the powers of "Mr. Memory" at the London Music Hall Theatre, where gun shots are fired, gets caught up in preventing an unexplained organization of spies called the "39 Steps" from stealing British military secrets. After being mistakenly accused of the fatal stabbing of a counter-espionage female agent, Annabella Smith (played by Lucie Mannheim), Richard goes on the run to Scotland and becomes tangled up with an attractive, blonde woman Pamela (played by Madeleine Carroll) in the hopes of stopping the spy ring and clearing his name.

While on the run in Scotland, there's the more-than-obvious sexual tensions that take place between Richard and the young, pretty wife of a poor farmer, but this is about as far as sex could possibly go back in those days of early cinema. In fact, Richard has gone so far as to trust the young wife by revealing his current predicament and even ask her for help. She helps him by giving Richard her husband's coat, which will cost her later when her husband beats her (off screen, of course). This coat will prove to be more of a help than one might think because it's the hymn book buried in the coat's pocket that stops a bullet from killing Richard later. Fleeing across the moors, Richard continues to elude the police in a manner that may even remind you of another Richard that would one day elude police for a murder he didn't commit (think Dr. Richard Kimble in THE FUGITIVE). When the police finally catch up, they attempt to handcuff Richard, but he escapes through an open window and tries to hide at a political meeting and is mistaken for the introductory speaker (remember Chevy Chase in FLETCH?). Surprisingly, and without knowing anything about the candidate, he gives a rousing impromptu speech about freedom and social justices. Joined by Pamela again, who's now caught up in the same mess as he is, the two of them must make their way across the English countryside in order to evade capture, all while getting on each other's nerves.

Pamela eventually leads them to the London Palladium, where "Mr. Memory" is featured again. Richard, while in the audience, recognizes his theme music, which is also a tune he's been whistling and unable to forget throughout the film. As it turns out, it's "Mr. Memory" himself that the spies are using in order to smuggle the Air Ministry secret.
As the police finally take Richard into custody, he shouts, "What are the 39 Steps?" "Mr. Memory" compulsively answers, giving full details of the organization of spies and the information they've collected on behalf of the Foreign Office, at which point he's shot by the enemy. "Mr. Memory dies, but not before expressing relief of finally being able to reveal all the secret information that's been stored in his brain for so long be declaring, "I'm glad it's off my mind." Talk about your unwanted stress relief!

THE 39 STEPS was a major British film of its time. In traditional "Hitchcockian" fashion, the film contains elements of the ordinary, everyday man who unwittingly gets caught up in situations he cannot understand, something that would be featured again in films like THE LADY VANISHES, SABOTEUR, THE WRONG MAN and NORTH BY NORTHWEST, as well as a signature cameo appearance by Hitchcock himself. International spy stories may not always be good stories, but Hitchcock manages to give them his own brand of shock, suspense, literary drama and wit. Like other stories of many heroes, Richard is often the victim of many lucky accidents, twists and turns, and it's Richard Donat's high-spirited acting that keeps the suspense moving at a good pace, even if it's not at the pace of the modern thriller of today.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Richard Hannay (to the milkman): "Are you married?"
Milkman: "Yes, but don't rub it in."