Just as Hitchcock knew the power of publicity, advertisers knew the power of publicity that referenced Hitchcock. Here’s an advertisement from the July 1960 issue of Modern Screen, featuring actress Vera Miles. The irony is that Miles wore a wig in Psycho! Here’s Ann Todd drinking Lipton Tea: …and here she is again with the rest of the cast of The Paradine Case (1947) smoking Chesterfield cigarettes: Here’s a naughty Hitchcock taking candid photographs of… (read more)
For Hitchcock collectors out there, Amazon US are currently listing a limited edition steelbook Blu-ray of Psycho (1960):
Many thanks to Alain for alerting me to this article: Tony Palladino, Designer of ‘Psycho’ Title, Dies at 84 (New York Times). Palladino designed the original fractured “Psycho” cover typography for Bloch’s novel. According to the article, Hitchcock purchased the rights to the lettering, which was then used on most (if not all) of the original publicity material. In turn, Palladino’s fractured lettering gave the inspiration to Saul Bass to create his horizontally fractured opening… (read more)
Everyone knows that Psycho (1960) was one of the first — if not the first — Hollywood feature film to show a flushing toilet, but was it the first Hitchcock film to show a toilet? The Lodger (1927) has a scene set in a bathroom, but no toilet is shown. Perhaps the Buntings only have an outside toilet? Nor do we get to see Sir John Menier’s toilet in Murder! (1930) whilst he shaves in… (read more)
In the 1997 documentary “The Making of Psycho“, actress Janet Leigh spoke about her reaction to seeing the shower scene in the completed film: When I saw it and I saw it cut together and I saw the boom, boom, and the music and everything, I absolutely went… I just was crazy. I really screamed. I never take a shower. I cannot take a shower. ‘Cause it never dawned on me until that moment how… (read more)
A couple of pieces of Hitchcock news via Alain Kerzoncuf! On Thursday September 27th, The Space will be streaming Hitchcock’s 1928 silent classic “Champagne” with a new score by Mira Calix, live from the BFI on London’s Southbank. Betty Balfour Secondly, Dread Central has a cool video showing scenes that were trimmed from the US release of “Psycho” (and have never appeared on any of the DVD releases). Janet Leigh on the job!
I really love this photograph that appeared in LIFE magazine (11/Jul/1960) :-D Phantom Face in the Foliage For 36 years Movie Director Alfred Hitchcock has dealt in murder, mayhem and malevolence but for all that has retained a cheerful and cherubic look. He has a red and merry face acquired by years of devotion to the civilizing influence of good wines. His eyes twinkle happily as he describes the movie he one day hopes to… (read more)
Since 1962, “Citizen Kane” had topped the Sight & Sound Greatest Films poll, but that run came to an end this year when “Vertigo” finally ousted Kane from the top spot, rising up from the #2 spot in the previous poll. The full Top 250 is now available, with 5 Hitchcock films making the list: #1 Vertigo (1958) #34 Psycho (1960) =#53 North by Northwest (1959) =#53 Rear Window (1954) =#171 Notorious (1946)
As mentioned previously, Bernard Herrmann‘s original score for “Psycho” was recently put up for auction at Bonhams. Unfortunately, it failed to reach the minimum price of £30,000… Psycho music score fails to sell The score to Alfred Hitchcock’s horror movie Psycho, failed to be sold recently, Bonhams auction house said. The 20-page work has been withdrawn from a sale after it failed to make its minimum price of £30,000. The music for the 1960 thriller,… (read more)
If you have £30,000 going spare, you might want to consider putting in a bid for Bernard Herrmann‘s original score for “Psycho“… …further details are available on the Bonhams web site.
