Frederick Knott and Dial M for Murder

The Creation and Evolution of an Iconic Thriller

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by Richard Weill

Type

Stories

Subject

One Film > Dial M for Murder

Keywords

Alfred Hitchcock, scriptwriting

Publishing date

2026 (March 19, 2026)

Publisher

McFarland & Co

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 257 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-1-4766-9950-9

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Book Presentation:
Husband gets X to kill his wife.
She kills X.
Husband fixes things to make it appear that she had murdered X.
Wife arrested for murder.

or

Wife convicted and about to be hanged.

So wrote Frederick Knott--an idea for a half-hour television drama he might sell to a British production company. But the company went bankrupt, leaving Knott at a low, almost hopeless moment in his career. In an act of sheer desperation, Knott turned his idea, Dial M for Murder, into a play. It took 18 grueling months to write and faced near-fatal obstacles on two continents en route to the stage. At several pivotal moments along the way, Knott nearly gave up, once coming close to tearing up his manuscript. Instead, he persevered, embarking on a long and arduous journey that would ultimately change his life. This book tells the entire story of Knott's life and works, with a focus on his greatest work for the stage, Dial M for Murder.

About the Author:
Richard Weill is a playwright and author living in suburban New York.

Press Reviews:
"Exquisitely researched, Richard Weill’s book is not only a detailed autopsy of the creation and re-creation of a masterpiece, it is also a template for the ups-and-downs of any writer’s life. Every writer of thrillers (potential or produced) should read this."―John Pielmeier, playwright, author of the Tony Award-winning Agnes of God and the Edgar Award-winning Voices in the Dark

"A most impressive account of one of the greatest of all stage thrillers. Richard Weill deftly tells the story of Dial M for Murder from its moment of inspiration to the finished script, from its staging in London and New York to the Alfred Hitchcock movie, and up to present-day revisions. We marvel at the brilliance of Frederick Knott’s play and appreciate its enduring appeal to audiences around the world. Deeply researched and very well written."―Phil Rosenzweig, author of Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co

See Dial M for Murder (1954) on IMDB ...