Hitchcock Chronology: Evan Hunter
Entries in the Hitchcock Chronology relating to Evan Hunter...
1961
September
- 16th - After a series of telephone conversations about developing a film from Daphne du Maurier's short story The Birds, novelist Evan Hunter flies from New York to Los Angeles to meet with Hitchcock.[1]
- 18th - Evan Hunter officially begins working on the screenplay for The Birds, signing an initial seven-week contract for a salary for $5,000 per week. His family soon flies out to join him.[2]
November
- 10th - Evan Hunter submits his second draft of The Birds screenplay before flying back to New York with his family.[3]
- 30th - Hitchcock sends Evan Hunter five pages of notes and amendments based on Hunter's second draft of The Birds screenplay.[4][5]
December
- 14th - Evan Hunter sends Hitchcock 52 revised pages for the second draft of The Birds screenplay.[6]
- 21st - Hitchcock sends Evan Hunter 4 further pages of notes based on the second draft of The Birds screenplay. He signs off by saying "I pray I'm not giving you too much to think about over the Christmas holidays... P.S. People are still asking, 'Why did the birds do it?'"[7]
- 27th - Having included a scene in which school children sing a song, Evan Hunter writes to Peggy Robertson to confirm the song's title ("Risseldy Rosseldy") and asks her to check that the song is in the public domain. After timing the song and finding it too short, Robertson telephones Hunter and asks him to come up with extra lyrics. Hunter obliges but finds he must join the American Society of Composers and Publishers before the extra lyrics can be used in the final film. Much to his amusement, the Society then begins to send him regular royalty payments.[8][9]
- The Hitchcocks spend Christmas in St. Moritz. Hitchcock invites Evan Hunter and his wife to join them, but they decline.[10]
1962
January
- 4th - Returning from Christmas in St. Moritz, Hitchcock stops off in New York to discuss the screenplay of The Birds with Evan Hunter.[11]
- 17th - Evan Hunter completes his final draft of The Birds screenplay. After telephone discussions with Hitchcock, a small number of further amendments are made.[11]
February
- 12th - Peggy Robertson sends Evan Hunter a leather-bound copy of his screenplay for The Birds.[12]
April
- 2nd - Evan Hunter submits his final amendments to the screenplay for The Birds, including changes to the film's coda. Ultimately, Hitchcock decides not to use Hunter's ending.[13]
June
- 7th - The contentious sand dune scene in The Birds is filmed. Evan Hunter protests to Hitchcock against the addition of the scene without his knowledge.[14]
2005
July
- 6th - Writer Evan Hunter, who wrote the screenplay for The Birds, dies aged 78.
References
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 36-37
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 37-38
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, page 45
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 45-46
- ↑ Sight and Sound (1997) - Me and Hitch
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, page 46
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 46-48
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 48-49
- ↑ Documentary: All About The Birds - transcript
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, page 48
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, page 49
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, page 50
- ↑ Sight and Sound (1997) - Me and Hitch
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 147-48
