"When that relentless eye goggles at us in close-up we may be sure of one thing -we must deliver up to it the finest work of which we are capable; nothing but the truth will do .The film actor’s most important asset is the eye. Didn’t somebody once say that the eye is the window of the soul?" -- Robert Donat, born March 18, 1905.

British stage and screen actor Donat starred as "The Count of Monte Cristo" (l934) - a US production and his first talkie (he'd had roles in five silent movies before this). He had other offers to star in American films, but he didn't like living in the US.

So, he returned to Britain where - voila! - the next year Alfred Hitchcock cast him in the lead of one of my favorite movies, "The 39 Steps."

If you've never seen it (or would like to see it again), here's a good print below. And if you wonder what it's about - well, darlings, there's an innocent man stuck (literally, for much of the movie) with a ticked off beautiful woman (played by Madeleine Carroll) and he’s on the lam, running for his life.

“It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that all contemporary escapist entertainment begins with ‘The 39 Steps,’ ” Robert Towne, the screenwriter of “Chinatown,” once said.

It's a thriller. And it's charming, mysterious, scary, super suspenseful, funny, romantic, witty and sexy - and what an ending! Very, of course, Hitchcockian and you'll note themes and "gotcha" moments that recurred in later films by the great director (including "North by Northwest").

You can find The 39 Steps online, including on Youtube. So get the popcorn, cuddle up (but don’t get STUCK somehow) and get set for vintage Hitchcock suspense.