Hitchcock Chronology: Sidney Bernstein

Entries in the Hitchcock Chronology relating to Sidney Bernstein...

1933

September

• After fleeing Hitler's Germany, actor Peter Lorre is brought to London by Ivor Montagu, with support from Michael Balcon and Sidney Bernstein. He will go on appear in several Gaumont British productions during the 1930s.

1941

August

• Hitchcock travels to New York to meet Sidney Bernstein and Victor Saville and to discuss to the possibility of making a short film for the British Ministry of Information (MoI). Hitchcock would eventually direct Bon Voyage and Aventure Malgache, as well as contributing to Men of the Lightship and Target for Tonight. The three then return to Hollywood to try and persuade studio executives to allow MoI shorts to be shown prior to their main features in the theatres.

1944

March

• 2nd - Hitchcock flies back to America, having completed Bon Voyage and Aventure Malgache in England. He cables David O. Selznick from the Saint Regis Hotel to say he'd like to write the script for Spellbound with Ben Hecht. Hitch had been scheduled to sail back to America from Greenock, Scotland aboard the RMS Aquitania which was due to depart on the 2nd.

October

• 15th - Hitchcock arrives in London. Much to David O. Selznick's annoyance, Hitchcock uses up his 12 weeks of holiday to meet with Sidney Bernstein in order to continue their discussions about creating a new film company.

1945

June

• In late June, Hitchcock travels to London for a third meeting with Sidney Bernstein about setting up their new company, Transatlantic Pictures.

July

• In late July, Hitchcock returns from his meeting with Sidney Bernstein in London.

1946

April

• 11th - The creation of Transatlantic Pictures, a joint project of Hitchcock and Sidney Bernstein, is announced in the press.

May

• Hitchcock visits London to discuss potential material for Transatlantic Pictures' debut film with Sidney Bernstein, and to scout for locations that could be used in footage for the The Paradine Case — this includes a trip northwards to Cumbria with unit manager Fred Ahern. Hitchcock then travels on to Nice, France, to search for a French actress should Alida Valli be unable to star in The Paradine Case.

1947

December

• 6th - To celebrate the imminent start of filming on the first Transatlantic Pictures production, Rope, Hitchcock hosts a party at his Bellagio Road home. Among the guests are Sidney Bernstein and his wife, Arthur Laurents, Whitfield Cook, John Hodiak, Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant.

1948

March

• 20th - With no Academy Award nominations, the Hitchcocks instead spend the evening dining at Romanoff's with Whitfield Cook, Joan Harrison and Sidney Bernstein.

1949

May

• 7th - The Hitchcocks spend the weekend with Sidney Bernstein and his wife at their farmstead in Kent. Bernstein screens a print of Bob Hopes' new film, Sorrowful Jones.

1952

April

• Hitchcock, Sidney Bernstein and writer George Tabori travel to Quebec to scout locations and hire local actors for I Confess. Local priest Father Paul La Couline is hired as a technical consultant and to act as a liaison with the Catholic Church.

1980

June

• 3rd - A requiem mass is held at Westminster Cathedral in London for Alfred Hitchcock. Amongst the attendees are Sidney Bernstein, Ingrid Bergman, Ann Todd, Elsie Randolph, Anna Neagle, Joan Harrison, Barry Foster and George Perry.