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Today’s Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday. But between all the international invasions, record breaking sports events, and alleged love childs of politicians, no one seems to be giving the Master of Suspense any love. Here are 4 things everyone ought to know about Hitch.
1. He had lots of phobias (including eggs and jail cells!)
Hitchcock had a lot of fears. The most unusual of these phobias was probably his fear of breakfast foods. More specifically: chicken eggs. The oozy yellow yolks, specifically, freaked him out. He once said,
I’m frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes . . . have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I’ve never tasted it.”
His daughter, though, said that he was known to enjoy a good soufflé. Oddly enough, Hitchcock also disliked police, most likely due to a childhood encounter he had with them.His dad thought it would be good to teach him a lesson and sent him down to the local police station with a note in hand. He gave the note to the cop on duty, who read it and promptly locked little Hitch in the jail cell for 10 minutes. Later in life, he said the reason he never learned to drive was because he was so afraid of being pulled over by a policeman. But this may not have been true – other accounts say that he drove his daughter to school and church on numerous occasions.
2. He was one of the first to make cameo appearances
Sir Hitchcock has 52 major films that have survived (one of his silent films from 1927 has been lost) and he makes cameo appearances in 37 of them. They are always extremely tiny parts – sometimes he’s even just in crowd shot. Even in Lifeboat, which took place entirely on, yes, a lifeboat, he manages to show up: he appears in a newspaper ad for a weight loss product. Hitchcock struggled with his weight all of his life and had recently dropped quite a few pounds, so he used an older picture as the “before” shot and a current picture as the “after” shot. Lifeboat, by the way, holds the record for the smallest movie set ever.
Other directors that now pop up in their own films include Peter Jackson, Eli Roth, M. Night Shyamalan and Edgar Wright. Of course, there are lots of other directors who give themselves large parts in their own films, not just cameos: Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith, to name a few. Eventually, Hitchcock tried to get his cameos out of the way as early in the movie as possible – he felt that when viewers spent too much of the film trying to spot him in the background, it took away from the movie experience.
3. He popularized the MacGuffin
You might not know what the MacGuffin is by name, but you certainly know it: it’s something used in a plot that helps to advance the story, but doesn’t really matter for any other reason than to advance the story. For instance, Harrison Ford once told David Letterman that all of the objects in the Indiana Jones movies are basically MacGuffins. Yeah, they might have been searching for the Crystal Skull in the most recent one, but it doesn’t really matter what they were searching for. All the object did was advance the storyline and allow Indiana Jones to have some adventures. The objects Harrison Ford mentioned were the Holy Grail in the last movie and the Sankara Stones in Temple of Doom. Sometimes, though, we don’t even know what the MacGuffin is – like in Pulp Fiction, the MacGuffin is the unknown contents of the briefcase. We don’t even know what’s in there, but it’s central to the whole storyline.
Anyway, Hitch used the concept in his 1935 film The 39 Steps and used the term, which may have been coined by a friend of his. “MacGuffin” has been common industry lingo ever since.
4. He tried to hide Cary Grant in Lincoln’s Nose
Lots of Hitchcock’s films feature famous landmarks, although not always in the way he would have liked to use them. In North by Northwest, the climactic scene happens on Mount Rushmore. He wanted Cary Grant to hide out in Lincoln’s nose, but have his pursuants discover him when he sneezes. Park officials refused to let this scene be filmed, finding it disrespectful. Supposedly, though, someone asked Hitch how he would feel if the situation was reversed and Lincoln was having a sneezing fit in the nostril of a giant likeness of Cary Grant. Apparently this made sense to him and he gave up trying to have the sneezing scene shot. Other appearances by landmarks are scattered throughout his movies – in The Man Who Knew Too Much, the climatic scene takes place at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Vertigo involves a scene at the Golden Gate Bridge and an important moment at Mission San Juan Bautista. Blackmail features the dome of the British Museum. Saboteur revolves around the Boulder Dam (which is now the Hoover Dam), Rockefeller Center and the Statue of Liberty.
If you haven’t figured it out, we absolutely love Alfred Hitchcock in my house. In fact, he is probably the reason I like horror movies with a darkly wry sense of humor, We have movie posters of Rear Window and Vertigo framed in our living room. My husband is researching getting some sort of a Hitchcock-related tattoo. Yeah, we have a problem. Got any great Hitchcock facts that need to be shared, or Hitchcock obsessive behavior you’d like to own up to? We’d love to hear it in the comments below.
Shhh…super secret special for blog readers.
Comments (27)
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I’m 21 years old and recently began devouring classic films due to a netflix subscription. Recently, I rented North by Northwest and watched it with my Dad and Uncle who are huge Hitchcock fans, and… well I wasn’t that enthralled. The movies were by no means bad, but I got bored a lot. The pacing seamed slow in a lot of places.
My Dad’s theory was that so many of the scenes have been immortalized that I knew what was going to happen and thus lost some of the suspense. Also a lot of the themes in Hitchcock films have been used so heavily, that they seem cliche, while at the time they were brand new. North by Northwest, the original case of mistaken identity.
Well that’s my two cents.
posted by Nathan on 8-13-2008 at 5:36 pm
Love Hitchcock!
Here’s my tidbit about Hitchcock’s “Rope”. It is edited to look like one long continuous scene in a single room, taking place in real time. The cuts usually took place when a character or object blocked the screen and all black screens were removed. It was the first movie to ever do this.
By the way, I think the Hitchcock silhouette might make an interesting tattoo. :)
posted by Nerak on 8-13-2008 at 5:58 pm
My favorite anecdote about Hitch is how he filmed “Psycho” in B&W and used his TV crew just to spite Universal, for whom he was making the last film on his contract. Universal was horrified, and he went on to make his masterpiece.
As for Nathan, I recommend “Dial ‘M’ for Murder”, “Rear Window”, and “Rope”. I’ll bet you that you haven’t seen a film like “Rope” before…
posted by Dave on 8-13-2008 at 6:00 pm
Hitchcock is brilliant. He’s called the master of suspense for a reason… he can fill you with dread just by implying something is amiss… he never reveals the source of fear until absolutely necessary.
I guess that’s something we miss with CGI and special effects in movies nowdays… directors seem to be so quick to show you whatever it is you’re supposed to be dreading. There is no suspense… or if they attempt to make an effort it seems forced or easily predictable…
As an aside… does anyone know how many times Rear Window has been either remade or had it’s plot copied?
posted by Jason! on 8-13-2008 at 6:25 pm
i LOVE alfred hitchcock…just did a film analysis project about his recurring themes and my favorite theme has to be: the domineering mother.
i didn’t realize until it was my focus that he features so many of his main characters’ mothers as crazy people. i mean, beyond the obvious psycho role.
anyway, just my two cents. he’s amazing.
posted by Paige on 8-13-2008 at 7:05 pm
also, i agree with dave…check out ‘rope.’ interesting…
posted by Paige on 8-13-2008 at 7:07 pm
One of my favorites in addition to the staples is Frenzy. Only film of his to receive an R rating. Shot in the neighborhood where he grew up, in London. It’s got a couple of creepy scenes, and one laugh-out-loud hilarious dinner scene.
The Hitchcock/Truffault book is a great read if you’re a fan.
posted by Pete on 8-13-2008 at 7:16 pm
@Neerak\\It’s not edited. They shot continuously untils the camera was nearly out of film, then moved in tight on a man’s black jacket or something similar, reloaded, and pulled back and resumed shooting.
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 8-13-2008 at 8:17 pm
I think Frenzy is probably the ultimate Hitchcock film. He was so obsessed with sex and violence, and in Frenzy he got to be really graphic with those subjects. He had to be thrilled he could finally have nudity.
That being said, Shadow of a Doubt is my favorite Hitchcock film. Small town America is creepy.
posted by Camille on 8-13-2008 at 9:28 pm
Strangers On A Train is my favorite of his, by leaps and bounds. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but the villian is so terrificaly creepy that it’s just delightful!!!
posted by Alice on 8-13-2008 at 9:37 pm
My top 5:
1. Psycho
2. Rope
3. Vertigo
4. Strangers on a Train
5. North By Northwest
(6) Rear Window
The reason I can’t give more kudos to Rear Window is the cop-out ending regarding Miss Lonelyhearts. The Hollywood Code prohibited Hitch his intended ending wherein the main character had to deal with a woman’s suicide. Dark, wonderful premise…denied.
Jason!—I can think of a few: Body Double, Suburbia (the Shia version), The Bone Collector.
Happy Birthday, Hitch! You are my hero! And you would probably use my reCaptha as a title… H Unsolvable
posted by Johnny Cat on 8-13-2008 at 10:29 pm
I forgot to add a fact I don’t see here. I love the fact that throughout the entire film that is The Birds, there’s not one shred of soundtrack music. I like to think that music would have ruined it, case closed.
posted by Johnny Cat on 8-13-2008 at 10:36 pm
“North by Northwest” is my all-time favorite of Hitchcock’s movies, though I’ve never seen a single one I didn’t like. I have seen and loved all of the films mentioned already. One that hasn’t been mentioned yet is “Foreign Correspondent” which I always remember as having a very disturbing scene of people drowning inside a plane that crashes into the ocean. That scene still makes me nervous about flying over water sometimes.
Fun flub fact: In the scene where Eva Marie Saint shoots Cary Grant in the Mt. Rushmore cafeteria, you can see a little boy in the background plugging up his ears in anticipation of the gunshot.
posted by Benjamin on 8-13-2008 at 10:43 pm
Out of curiosity, I decided to look around on Hulu to see if any of his movies were posted there. Instead, I found the TV series:
http://www.hulu.com/alfred-hitchcock-presents
posted by Jason! on 8-13-2008 at 11:41 pm
lordy, i’ve been waiting for something of my comments. i hope they’re worthy.
my mentor in college loved “Strangers on a Train” and would use it in her acting classes. or at least she recommended it to shoddy actors.
kudos to johnny cat for bringing it up.
oh yes! and muchas kudos Mrs. Conradt for the article!
one of the best cameos is in “Rope”. it’s a neon sign on one of the background buildings. i don’t know about the original print, but in the tcm re-release it glows like a supernova. can’t miss it.
the broadest and most serious abuse of MacGuffin is in “North by Northwest”. two words: “Government Secrets”. and the producers start writing checks.
i’d recommend:
“Shadow of a Doubt” – he collaborated with Thornton Wilder and the mix of americana and menace is genius. joseph cotton blows a smoke ring at the end of the first act that can only be described as perfect
“The Lady Vanishes” – a load of Brits abroad get thrown into a rather cunning situation whist on a train
“The Trouble with Harry” – his only major full-on comedy. and black as pitch. one of my all-time favorite movies. shirley maclaine’s performance forgives however many voices she’s hearing these days
oh, and camille? thanks for mentioning “frenzy”. i can never hear the word “lovely” without gritting my teeth slightly.
sorry about the length. i’ve been holding back.
posted by BoggyCreekCreature on 8-14-2008 at 12:29 am
lordy, i’ve been waiting for something of my comments. i hope they’re worthy.
my mentor in college loved “Strangers on a Train” and would use it in her acting classes. or at least she recommended it to shoddy actors.
kudos to johnny cat for bringing it up.
oh yes! and muchas kudos Mrs. Conradt for the article!
one of the best cameos is in “Rope”. it’s a neon sign on one of the background buildings. i don’t know about the original print, but in the tcm re-release it glows like a supernova. can’t miss it.
the broadest and most serious abuse of MacGuffin is in “North by Northwest”. two words: “Government Secrets”. and the producers start writing checks.
i’d recommend:
“Shadow of a Doubt” – he collaborated with Thornton Wilder and the mix of americana and menace is genius. joseph cotton blows a smoke ring at the end of the first act that can only be described as perfect
“The Lady Vanishes” – a load of Brits abroad get thrown into a rather cunning situation whist on a train
“The Trouble with Harry” – his only major full-on comedy. and black as pitch. one of my all-time favorite movies. shirley maclaine’s performance forgives however many voices she’s hearing these days
oh, and camille? thanks for mentioning “frenzy”. i can never hear the word “lovely” without gritting my teeth slightly.
sorry about the length. i’ve been holding back.
posted by Limekiller on 8-14-2008 at 12:31 am
I saw ‘Strangers on a Train’ in a film and literature class a few months ago and loved it. As Alice said, the antagonist is perfectly creepy and each of the supporting characters has their own individual personality.Hitchcock’s trademark style and use of suspense and metaphor is sorely lacking in today’s so-called blockbusters.
If my professor’s anecdotes are correct, the little sister in ‘Strangers on a Train’ is played by either Hitchcock’s daughter or younger sister, I forget which.
I remember a quote somewhere about how the length of a film should be directly proportional to the capacity of the audiences’ bladders.
posted by heather on 8-14-2008 at 3:08 am
I worked in film for years and there was an old urban legend that tied in Hitchcock.
The on-set catering department is referred to as “Craft” our “Crafts Service”. The common explanation is that it is called this because it is servicing all of the crafts of film (camera, actors, grips, etc.).
One explanation is that Hitchcock was so impressed by the caterer on his set, he commented, “You, sir, are a service to your craft.” The term stuck.
posted by Dex on 8-14-2008 at 8:55 am
Some fun trivia you missed: The version of The Man Who Knew Too Much you mention is actually the SECOND version Hitchcock did. The first was in 1934, did NOT have a climactic scene in the Royal Albert Hall, and the kidnapped child was a daughter, not a son. It doesn’t have the star power of the second one (although Peter Lorre was in it, who I think is a great character actor), but it’s got Hitch written all over it.
posted by Bekah on 8-14-2008 at 9:58 am
Who doesn’t LOVE Hitchcock. The MacGuffin works every time.
Ok some things not mentioned (but maybe everybody knows):
You NEVER see Janet Leigh actually get stabbed in the movie.
The “blood” going down the drain in Psycho is actually newsprint (and Mel Brooks used this device in his Hitchcock inspired comedy, “High Anxiety.”
In North by Northwest, Cary Grant’s mother was actually several years YOUNGER than Cary!
posted by beth on 8-14-2008 at 10:12 am
One of my favorite tidbits is how in Rear Window, the camera is always inside the apartment or right outside the window, except when something in the courtyard draws everyone’s attention and involves them with each other.
As to the complaint that Hitchcock’s movies are slow, well, they are – but that’s part of the genius. The concert scene is The Man Who Knew Too Much drags on, and on, and on, and there’s not a word of dialogue, just lots of Doris Day looking around and close-ups of relevant people, but you’re absolutely ready to leap our of your seat by the end of it. That, in my opinion, is nothing short of brilliant. I’ll take a slow burn over a quick bang any day.
reCAPTCHA: the Dotter — I think I just discovered a long-lost villain. Proofreader by day, poison-pen writer by night, and oh-so-suave and evil!
posted by Joanna on 8-14-2008 at 12:43 pm
I’m a video editor, and in my edit suite I have a large poster of Hitchcock from the Apple “Think Different” campaign of the late 90’s. I was at MacWorld in 1998, and they were giving the posters away on the show floor. They went fast, and were always gone fairly soon after the show opened each day. I only got two…Hitchcock and Amelia Earhart. But I was so glad I snagged Hitchcock. It’s a great shot of him peeking out from behind a stone wall. I had someone offer me $100 for the poster recently, but I won’t part with it.
BTW…@ PartiallyDeflected…if film ran out and a new roll was loaded, an edit had to happen.
posted by bre on 8-14-2008 at 12:52 pm
I took film history in college and one semester was dedicated to the study of all things Hitchcock. I knew a little about his films, but after that class, I became a huge fan. My favorite is probably Rear Window. Everything in his movies add some little detail to the film. He was and remains a great filmmaker.
posted by Kim on 8-14-2008 at 2:11 pm
Hitchcock is so, so great. My favorite constantly rotates but it comes down to: Psycho, Rear Window, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Notorious and The Birds.
Some Dial M For Murder trivia: I’m not sure if the entire film is shot in 3D, but the scene where Grace Kelly’s character is attacked IS shot in 3D. She reaches for help and the intent was to use 3D so that she was literally reaching into the audience for help, thereby making the audience complicit in fate.
One of my favorite parts of Psycho is the ending, when Norman is in the holding cell and “Norma” gives the monologue and she says the part about how she’s not even going to swat that fly, and then Norman looks up and gives the CREEPIEST look into the camera, and then they superimpose one frame of Norma’s “face” over Norman’s. (I’m guessing everyone has seen it and knows what I mean but I would hate to ruin it for someone.) Oh man, what a great movie.
Re the relatively slow pace: These films are all 30+ years old, too. As much as I would like to think that my attention span is impervious to MTV, computers and all the other usual suspects, it’s definitely not. Plus, suspense by Hitchcock standards is not suspense by today’s standards. The suspense lies in the excruciating wait for the other shoe to drop rather than a cliffhanger ending or a bunch of plot twist endings or whatever.
posted by Emily on 8-14-2008 at 2:25 pm
Please, please, PLEASE post a pic of whatever Hitch tat you get!
posted by Nicky on 8-14-2008 at 2:45 pm
Hitch! Hitch! Hooray!
posted by Johnny Cat on 8-14-2008 at 10:31 pm
stephen chow writes, directs and stars in his movies, and has made quite a few. i’m mentioning him because i believe he is a true genius at what he does and the sooner people discover him in the west the sooner they will realize they’ve been missing some real treats.
posted by marvin nubwaxer on 1-24-2009 at 2:34 am