Movies Based On True Stories: The Wrong Woman and Hitchcock's The Wrong Man Christopher Balestrero Case
According to Lifetime, the idea for the movie came from Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Wrong Man. Hitchcock's version was based on the true story of Christopher Balestrero, a man who was accused of robbery in New York during the 1950s.
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Pictured here is Danica McKellar as a woman framed for an attempted murder that she didn't commit. The Wrong Man full movie is available on Amazon.
The Wrong Man (1956) Hitchcock movie
The 1956 version of The Wrong Man was an instant classic, and it was ripped from the headlines about a man who was falsely accused of a robbery.
Old 1956 arrest photo
This is the case that inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make the movie. On the left is the real robber. He was confused with Balestrero, the one on the right.
Originally Published: January 22, 2014
Original Publication: Examiner.com | Birmingham Examiner
Byline: Author/Traciy Curry-Reyes; Section: Movies
The Wrong Man true story: Alfred Hitchcock movie based on Christopher Balestrero
The Wrong Man is an Alfred Hitchcock movie classic based on the true story of Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero, aka Manny Balestrero. The movie debuted in 1956 in black and white. It is based on the book The True Story of Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero, written by Maxwell Anderson. The Wrong Man used most of the names of the real people for the mystery drama. The cast includes Henry Fonda and Vera Miles as Manny and Rose Balestrero, according to the original New York Times movie review.
The Wrong Man synopsis/plot
This Alfred Hitchcock movie was advertised as a suspense movie and a "powerful portrait of man drawn from life." In other words, the movie was based on a true story. The real-life Manny Balestrero, aka Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero, was accused of robbery in New York in 1953. He was held in a jail in Queens for several months before his true identity was revealed.
Christopher Balestrero looked exactly like another man who had actually committed the robbery. It was just a case of mistaken identity. Hitchcock became intrigued with the case after reading about it in a 1953 magazine article published in Life magazine. The article by Herbert Brean was entitled "A Case of Identity."
Ironically, 20 years later, another 'lookalike' mistaken identity case made headlines. You can read about that case here.
The Wrong Man still airs on the American Movie Classics (AMC) channel.
The Wrong Man articles from Examiner are part of my restored archive of independent true-crime reporting published over the years across multiple platforms and personal blogs.
Originally Published: May 30, 2014
Original Publication: Examiner.com | Birmingham Examiner
Byline: Author/Traciy Curry-Reyes; Section: Movies
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| The original articles by Traciy Curry-Reyes (Examiner) |
Cited sources
Folding Seats
Drs. Sue & Gary David Stratton
Original articles by Traciy Curry-Reyes (Examiner.com), preserved for archival purposes.