The Thirty-Nine Steps

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan first appeared as a serial in All-Story Weekly, (5 – 12 June 1915) and Blackwood’s Magazine (July – September 1915). The story was published as a novel in October 1915 by William Blackwood and Sons.

Note: some productions used ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’ others ‘The 39 Steps’ as the title.

Along with three movie adaptations and eight BBC radio adaptations, there have been seven American radio adaptations including a 1937 version starring Robert Montgomery and Ida Lupino, a 1938 version starring Orson Welles, and a 1943 version starring Herbert Marshall, with Madeleine Carroll reprising her 1935 movie role.

I’m imagining myself as the producer of The Thirty-Nine Steps, mixing and matching the movies from the past. Who would I cast as Richard Hannay?

To start at the beginning…

Robert Donat’s performance was well-received at the time. C.A. Lejeune wrote in The Observer: “Mr. Donat, who has never been very well served in the cinema until now, suddenly blossoms out into a romantic comedian of no mean order. He possesses an easy confident humour that has always been regarded as the perquisite of the American male star.”

I’m not sure that John Buchan perceived his story as a comedy, but Alfred Hitchcock and other directors emphasised that angle. That said, I reckon that Robert Donat made a convincing Hannay and I would place him in my final two for the part.

Kenneth More’s strengths were his ability to portray charm, and as an “officer returning from the war” he was superb. Those qualities made him suitable for Hannay. In his 1959 version of The 39 Steps, I think the comedic aspects were overplayed at the expense of the suspense, which was virtually non-existent, such was the confidence More exuded, whatever the situation. Credit to the actor for that.

Kenneth More enjoyed a distinguished career, but I would overlook him for the role of Hannay in my fantasy production.

Robert Powell reprised the role of Hannay in a TV series, ‘Hannay’, which I’m currently rewatching. Along with his wit and charm, he brought an athletic element to the role and a sense of adventure, which suited the character’s background.

For my fantasy production of The Thirty-Nine Steps, my choice is between the two Roberts, Donat and Powell. I’m inclined towards Powell. Feel free to disagree…

Alfred Hitchcock introduced Pamela to the story. He cast Madeleine Carroll in the role and offered this comment: “How very well Madeleine fitted into the part. I had heard a lot about her as a tall, cold, blonde beauty. After meeting her, I made up my mind to present her to the public as her natural self.”

Pamela became the archetype for the Hitchcock “ice cold blonde”. Personally, I found Pamela too cold and, at times, annoying. 

Critic David Shipman was not impressed by Madeleine Carroll. He wrote: “Madeleine Carroll belonged to that unselect band of ladies whose looks were more immediately apparent than her acting ability.” Ouch! A bit harsh. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t cast Madeleine Carroll as my female lead.

Taina Elg was cast as Miss Fisher in the 1959 version of The Thirty-Nine Steps. Previous to this, Rank announced that Kay Kendall and June Allyson would take the role. Rank were keen to cast an American star to make the movie more appealing to American audiences. They ended up casting a Finnish dancer. Go figure 🤷‍♀️

Many of Taina Elg’s scenes, including the famous stocking scene, were identical to Madeleine Carroll’s 1935 scenes. However, I think Taina Elg brought more warmth to the role. I’m tempted to cast her in my fantasy The Thirty-Nine Steps movie, but I have my doubts.

The 1978 version of The Thirty-Nine Steps featured Karen Dotrice as Alex Mackenzie. A child star and television actress, this was her only feature film as an adult.

As a character, Alex Mackenzie was more interesting than Pamela (1935) and Miss Fisher (1959). I would include Alex in my fantasy production, but not the actress. Therefore, I have a dilemma: I’ve rejected all three actress. But a solution is at hand…

I’ve allowed myself a wild card, someone who was not involved in any of the three films. I’m using that wild card to select my actress: Eva Marie Saint (pictured). I think she would be excellent in the Alex role. 

I’m listening to the Lux Radio Theatre’s production of The 39 Steps. Recorded in 1937, this production featured Robert Montgomery as Richard Hannay and Ida Lupino (pictured) as Pamela Stewart. It was based on Hitchcock’s 1935 movie version, condensed to fifty minutes.

Robert Montgomery played Hannay with a harder, more realistic, edge while Ida Lupino added spirit and depth to the Pamela Stewart role. She’s excellent. The whole production is more dramatic than the movie versions.

Although Eva Marie Saint is one of my favourite actresses, and I nominated her for the role, to be true to the original productions, I’ve decided to cast Ida Lupino as the lead actress in my fantasy version of The 39 Steps.

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I’m looking for a director for my fantasy version of The 39 Steps.

The 1978 version was directed by Don Sharp, one of Britain’s best action-adventure directors of the era, and a man familiar with the Great War period.

The 1959 version was directed by Ralph Thomas who stated it was not his favourite film. He said, “I was under contract (to Rank) and they asked me to do it. I think my version was a piece of effrontery that didn’t come off, and on the whole I regretted it.”

Of course, Alfred Hitchcock (pictured) directed the 1935 version. I must confess that he’s not my favourite film person and that I don’t fully understand why he’s placed on a pedestal – some of the scenes in his The 39 Steps, and Marnie, for example, creak like an abandoned galleon. Having said that, his movies do contain touches of class, so I’d hire him as the director of my fantasy The 39 Steps.

The opening of The Thirty-Nine Steps sets the tone, and points to the denouement. In his novel, John Buchan opened with Franklin P. Scudder hiding in Hannay’s flat. Hitchcock changed Scudder into Annabella Smith and introduced ‘Mr Memory’. The 1959 movie version changed Annabella into Nannie, but kept ‘Mr Memory’. The 1978 movie version, which featured around eighty percent of the book, opened with Scudder.

The Scudder opening is very strong and, I have to say, I reckon that Hitchcock’s ‘Mr Memory’ plot device is ridiculous. I think the 1978 movie was right to follow Buchan, and in my fantasy version of The Thirty-Nine Steps, I would open with Scudder.

All the versions of The Thirty-Nine Steps offered up some good ideas for the middle section of the story. In my fantasy version, I would include:

From the 1935 version – the train escape and Forth Bridge; the crofter and his wife; the political speech; the night at the inn. 

The 1959 version was largely a remake of the 1935 version with a talk about nature instead of politics (too sensitive for the audience?)

From the 1978 version, I would introduce Alex Mackenzie as the female lead, but not her fiancé. His demise followed by Alex falling for Hannay four scenes later was the weakest aspect of this version. In my fantasy version, other aspects of the plot would largely follow the 1978 version.

Having ditched ‘Mr Memory’ at the beginning, I would not feature him in the denouement. I think the 1978 movie version offered the strongest and most dramatic ending with Hannay hanging from the hands of Big Ben. The symbolism here is strong: the clock ticking towards the Great War. In my fantasy version, I would conclude with Hannay trying to stop the clock.

In summary, my fantasy version of The Thirty-Nine Steps

Robert Powell as Richard Hannay (I’d be equally happy with Robert Donat)

Ida Lupino as Alex Mackenzie

Director: Alfred Hitchcock 

Opening: Scudder

Denouement: Hannay trying to stop the clock on Big Ben 

Of course, my fantasy version will never appear as a movie. But the story, and this process, has inspired me to write a Richard Hannay-style novel. The Ninety-Three will feature a female character Dr Anna Richards, a sociologist-socialite-suffragette, in the Hannay role and explore aspects of bravery seen during the Great War. 

Buchan has provided the springboard, but The Ninety-Three will be very much my own story with original scenes and plot-lines for Dr Anna Richards to follow. The main connection is the theme ‘the innocent person on the run’. Only, in my version, I’ll have two innocent people on the run, Anna and a Great War veteran. Watch this space…