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Cincinnati Post (21/Jul/1995) - Humble queen of horror Actress Janet Leigh keeper of 'Psycho' flame

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Humble queen of horror Actress Janet Leigh keeper of 'Psycho' flame

Janet Leigh was hopping mad. Someone had faxed her a copy of a movie reference book alleging that the notorious stabbing-in-the-shower scene of "Psycho" was directed by Saul Bass and not Alfred Hitchcock.

"I was in the shower! I was there every day in every shot! Bass never directed me!" she complained.

The offending volume is John Hallowell's widely respected "Film Guide."

Ms. Leigh, 68, might be termed keeper of the "Psycho" flame. Evidence can be found in her new book, "Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller" (Harmony Books, $22). It tells all you need to know about the movie, from the woman who starred in arguably the most famous horror scene in movie history.

This fall she'll have another book on the stands, a three-generation novel.

Ms. Leigh explained that the "Psycho" shower scene contains between 71 and 78 short takes — "no one knows for sure." Filming it for seven days was no great challenge for her, except for the 20 seconds or so of total horror as her character was being stabbed to death. No, she wasn't nude. She wore a flesh-colored bodysuit in keeping with the movie morality of 1960.

Is it true about her bathing habits?

"That I don't take showers? Yeah," she confessed. ". . . .Before I saw the finished film, I had never realized how vulnerable you are in the shower. You're exposed, defenseless, you can't hear because of the running water. I don't like that situation. It had never dawned on me before."

She added that she didn't have nightmares, nor did she feel the need to consult a shrink. She prefers the bathtub, "where I can see the door, the water's not running, so I can hear everything. I guess I'm just a chicken at heart."