The 39 Steps: A Production History
The Thirty-Nine Steps (novel, 1915)
The source material for all later versions, John Buchan's novel was the first of
five books featuring protagonist Richard Hannay, a former mining engineer in South
Africa. In this installment, Hannay learns of an international conspiracy to
assassinate a Greek political leader and draw all of Europe into war. One of the
earliest novels in the thriller genre, The Thirty-Nine Steps has been
continuously in print since its original publication.
The 39 Steps (film, 1935) )
Alfred Hitchcock, an admirer of Buchan's fiction since his teenage years,
nevertheless altered the plot of his adaptation so significantly that it barely
resembled the original text. This version, coauthored with screenwriter Charles
Bennett, sends Richard Hannay, a recent Canadian émigré, on a quest to stop foreign
agents from stealing British air defense secrets. Rather than focusing on espionage
and impending threats to England, Hitchcock instead uses the spy thriller plot to
examine Hannay's relationships with women and marriage in general. This movie
launched Hitchcock into renown in the UK and the US, and continues to be popular
to this day (in 1999, it was named the 4th greatest British film ever in a poll by
the British Film Institute).
The 39 Steps (film, 1959)
This color remake was directed by Ralph Thomas, a British director known for a
series of comedies based on Richard Gordon's Doctor series of novels.
Closely following the storyline of the 1935 film, Thomas uses many of Hitchcock's
plot devices (e.g. Mr. Memory, the theft of British military secrets). Released
only in the UK, it did not see the success of the Hitchcock original.
The Thirty Nine Steps (film, 1978)
Compared to the other two film versions, director Don Sharp's is quite faithful
to Buchan's novel. Set in 1914 (as in the original), this film deals with the
conspiracy to draw all of Europe into war. It differs most markedly from Buchan's
plot in its ending, which takes place on the clock hands of Big Ben rather than
on the British coastline.
Hannay (tv series, 1988-89)
Robert Powell — who portrayed Richard Hannay in the 1978 film — stepped
into the role again for this UK television program, which aired on Thames TV. Airing
for two seasons (six episodes in 1988, and seven in 1989), the show followed Hannay's
pre-World War I exploits.
The 39 Steps (live theatre, 2006)
This live theatrical adaptation draws heavily from Hitchcock's movie, but relies on
four actors to play all roles. It was adapted by Patrick Barlow, a comic performer
and writer known for reworking many-character pieces into two-actor shows. First
presented at West Yorkshire Playhouse, it went on to successful runs in London's
West End and on Broadway, as well as Australia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel,
Mexico, Spain and South Korea.
The 21 Steps (interactive online novella, 2008)
Part of Penguin Books' online series of six interactive stories, spy fiction author
Charles Cumming's version is only tenuously based on Buchan's novel. Using a Google
Maps interface, The 21 Steps tells the story of Rick Blackwell, a man forced to smuggle
an unidentified package across the UK after a complete stranger dies from gunshot wounds
in front of him. Visit http://wetellstories.co.uk/stories/week1/ to learn more —
but be sure not to click on the map while it's in motion, or you'll have to start the
entire chapter over.
The 39 Steps (TV movie, 2008)
This most recent version is a BBC-commissioned work for television that follows Buchan's
original plot, but incorporates some changes, including adding a love interest for Hannay
and cutting parts of the lengthy journey through Scotland. Although the movie was the
most-viewed program on the day it aired (December 28th, 2008), it received poor reviews
and was criticized for anachronisms (such as a biplane that chases Hannay and the
appearance of a submarine).
By La Jolla Playhouse Dramaturgy Intern Maxwell C. Goldberg. Photo: Eric Hissom,
Claire Brownell, Scott Parkinson and Ted Deasy in The 39 Steps, photo by Craig
Schwartz.
