FAQ for
Strangers on a Train (1951) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

Strangers on a Train is a 1950 thriller novel written by American writer Patricia Highsmith.

Strangers on a Train has the classic, and probably first genuine, murder swap story, but there have been many imitations. They include:

Columbo: A Friend in Deed (#3.8) (1974). A police commissioner covers up the murder of his friend's wife. In exchange, he expects this friend to cover up his own murder.

Throw Momma from the Train (1987). Owen (Danny DeVito) wants his mother dead and, inspired by Strangers on a Train, offers to swap murders with Larry (Billy Crystal).

Famous for placing himself in a cameo in almost every one of his movies, Alfred Hitchcock's cameo in Strangers on a Train occurs 10 minutes into the film. He can be seen carrying a double bass as he gets onto the train. A photo of the scene can be viewed here.

There is NOT a British version of this movie that is different from the U.S. version. The truth of the matter is that the version found in England was shipped there after a preview in Pacific Palisades, CA in 1951. At the screening, Jack Warner (head of the studio) suggested to Hitch to film a more upbeat, tongue-in-cheek ending and trim some of the "food talk" between Guy and Bruno to keep the film close to the original running time. All of this info can be verified on the new 2-DVD version recently released by Warner Home Video.

Unknown. They've had a script ready for about five years, but they can't attract two stars for Guy and Bruno. They lost one director (Antoine Fuqua), and picked up another (Noam Murro).