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Celebrity Cafe (25/Nov/2008) - Hitchcock Screenwriter Dies at Age of 89

(c) Celebrity Cafe (25/Nov/2008)


Hitchcock Screenwriter Dies at Age of 89

John Michael Hayes passed away last week in New Hampshire

John Michael Hayes, a veteran screenwriter whose credits include four Hitchcock films, died last Wednesday of renal failure.

Hayes received Academy Award nominations for the Hitchcock classic “Rear Window,” which stars Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly as a voyeuristic couple, and his adaptation of the best-selling book “Peyton Place.” He also wrote Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief,” “The Trouble With Harry” and the 1956 remake of “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”

Before his partnership with Hitchcock, Hayes wrote more than 1500 radio scripts, which included work on “Amos and Andy” and “The Adventures of Sam Spade.” He rose to prominence in the 1950s due to his collaboration with Hitchcock, which produced some of the director’s most acclaimed work.

After a dispute over the writing credit for “The Man Who Knew Too Much” ended his partnership with Hitchcock, Hayes continued to pen major motion pictures. His 1960s film credits include “Butterfield 8” and the Audrey Hepburn-Shirley MacLaine film “The Children’s Hour.” His last work was the 1994 Kevin Spacey movie “Iron Will.”