Danbury on the Big Screen: Hitchcock’s Surprise Filming Location

Did you know that one of the greatest filmmakers of all time chose Danbury, Connecticut as a backdrop for key scenes in one of his most celebrated films?

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It’s true—Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train features pivotal moments filmed right here in the Hat City. What was once just the local train station might look a little different after you learn its role in this classic thriller.

What is Strangers on a Train About?

Strangers on a Train (1951) is a psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock which partially filmed in Danbury, Connecticut. The story begins when tennis star Guy Haines meets the charming but unhinged Bruno Antony on a train. Bruno proposes a seriously twisted idea: they "swap murders" to eliminate people in their lives—Bruno will kill Guy’s wife, and Guy will kill Bruno’s father. Guy thinks it’s a joke—until his wife ends up dead. What follows is a tense cat-and-mouse game, as Bruno demands Guy hold up his end of the bargain. The suspense builds to a chaotic showdown at an amusement park. And while we could tell you how it ends… let’s just say we don’t want to spoil a fresh release from 1951.

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Hitchcock Really Filmed in Danbury?

According to the Danbury Railway Museum, parts of Strangers on a Train were filmed right in downtown Danbury. The old train station—now the museum—was used for the station scenes, and Heim’s Music Store on Main Street showed up in a scene where Guy meets his wife. Just a couple of quick shots, but pretty cool to think Hitchcock and crew were walking around Danbury back in the day.

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Why did Hitchcock Choose Danbury?

I couldn’t find any direct quotes from Alfred Hitchcock about Danbury, but a 2006 News-Times article does mention something his daughter, Pat Hitchcock, once said. She noted that her father was known for using small towns as settings in his films and added, “He knew exactly what he wanted, and he would be able to tell you that, so it was easy.”

Photo: Lou Milano

Other Fun Facts About Strangers on a Train

Throw Momma from the Train (1987) is a dark comedy inspired by Strangers on a Train that starred Danny Devito and Billy Crystal.
In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.
Time Out ranked it #75 on their list of the 100 best thrillers ever made.
It was nominated for an Academy Award for Cinematography, though it didn’t win.
Hitchcock’s team shot background footage at the 1950 Davis Cup in Forest Hills, NY.
East coast scenes were shot at Penn Station in New York City, around Washington D.C., and at the train station in Danbury, Connecticut—used in the film as Guy’s fictional hometown of Metcalf.

Photo: Lou Milano

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In 1970, Two Men Robbed a Danbury Bank + Blew Up the Police Station

The story of the Pardue brothers, their connection to Danbury and what happened in the Hat City in February of 1970 came to us from Mike Allen. Every Tuesday Mike joins the Ethan and Lou Show on I-95 for a feature called "The Place You Live" and this week it was a local story unlike any I'd ever heard.

John Pardue was a 27-year-old man in 1970 who lived in Danbury, his brother James was 23, and living in Lusby, MD. Before the story finds its way to the Hat City, and the brothers rob the Union Savings Bank on Main Street, they had already racked up quite the list of astonishing crimes.

Prior to Danbury, they robbed banks in Lewisboro, NY, Georgetown, CT and Union, MO. They also killed their father, their grandmother, two other men who helped them pull off the robbery in Georgetown, CT and had, at minimum, a role in the death of an innocent Bridgeport man that they stole a car from. John and James Pardue were hardened criminals before their Danbury bank robbery.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

8 Fun Facts About Danbury Airport

I think there are a handful of places in Danbury that residents are really curious about but never bother to look into, one of those places is the Danbury Airport. We pass it on the way to the mall, or leaving after a day of shopping. We look down on it from Route 7 and wonder about it, but most of us simply don’t know.

Thankfully, we have Mike Allen who made the airport the subject of the most recent episode of “The Place You Live”. On Tuesday (2/1/22), Allen shared his research with us and these are 8 fun facts we learned about Danbury Airport.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano