The Keys of the Kingdom
In April 1943, the Los Angeles Times linked Hitchcock to the 20th Century Fox production Keys of the Kingdom, based on a novel by A.J. Cronin which "tells the story of the trials and tribulations of a Catholic priest who goes to China to evangelize":
Alfred Hitchcock, the maker of murder mysteries that raise goose pimples like the foothills of the Rockies, may switch his pace and do "Keys of the Kingdom" at 20th, with Ingrid Bergman and with either Joe Cotten or Bob Young as the priest.[1]
The film had initially been planned by David O. Selznick who then sold the project to Fox, along with Gregory Peck, who had recently signed to Selznick. According to some sources, although Hitchcock was genuinely interested in filming Cronin's novel for Fox, it was Lifeboat that held the greater appeal for the director.[2]
The film was instead directed by John M. Stahl and starred Peck, Thomas Mitchell and Vincent Price.
Links
Notes & References
- ↑ "Hedda Hopper Looking at Hollywood" in Los Angeles Times (02/Apr/1943)
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, chapter 9
