Hitchcock Chronology: Irving Fiske

May

Playwright Irving Fiske files a law suit against Cary Grant and Hitchcock for infringing upon his work "Hamlet in Modern English". Hitchcock had a previously announced plans to make a modern-language version of Hamlet in 1945, although the project was soon dropped. Fiske sought damages of $1,250,000 and the case was eventually heard in October 1954.

October

The law suit originally filed by Irving Fiske in 1947, which claimed Hitchcock and Cary Grant had plagiarised Fiske's concept of a modern-language version of Hamlet, is heard at New York Federal Court with Judge William Bondy presiding. Fiske sought $750,000 in damages. After 11 days of detailed testimony, including key statements by Maurice Evans, Judge Bondy halted the trial and directed the jury to find the case "not proven". Hitchcock, who was busy filming The Trouble with Harry, did not attend the trial. Fiske was later ordered to pay $5,000 towards the director's legal costs.