Hitchcock Chronology: Joan Fontaine

Entries in the Hitchcock Chronology relating to Joan Fontaine...

1938

June

• David O. Selznick meets actress Joan Fontaine at a garden party hosted by Charles Chaplin. When she mentions that she has just finished reading Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, Selznick admits he had recently bought the film rights and offers her a screen test for the role of the 2nd Mrs. de Winter.

1939

May

• Auditions and screentests for the role on the second Mrs. de Winter in Rebecca begin. Amongst the actress considered: Vivien Leigh, Nova Pilbeam, Joan Fontaine, Margaret Sullivan, Loretta Young, Anita Louise, Anne Baxter, Jean Muir and Audrey Reynolds. David O. Selznick's preferred choice is Fontaine.

September

• 6th - Hitchcock begins principal photography beings on Rebecca, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.

1941

February

• 10th - Hitchcock commences filming on Suspicion for RKO, starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine.

June

• Still unsure of the best ending for the film, Suspicion is shown to a test audience. The filmed ending — which sees Joan Fontaine drinking a glass of milk she believes to be poisoned only to discover Cary Grant is instead intending to commit suicide by poisoning himself — is rejected. Hitchcock later tells the New York Herald Tribune, the audience "booed [the ending], and I don't blame them." In desperation, Joan Harrison and Hitchcock eventually come up with a new ending, which is the one used in the released film.

1942

June

• 8th - Hitchcock sends a telegram to actress Joan Fontaine offering her the lead role in Shadow of a Doubt — "DEAR JOAN DO YOU WANT TO PLAY THE LEAD IN MY NEXT CONFIDENTIALLY BECAUSE S DOES NOT KNOW I'VE TELEGRAPHED YOU LOVE HITCH". However, she is unavailable.

2013

December

• 15th - Actress Joan Fontaine, who starred in Rebecca and Suspicion, dies aged 96.