Hitchcock’s name was synonymous with stylish thrillers

HITCHCOCK. Rediscovered by a new generation of fans on television.

ALFRED Hitchcock was one of Hollywood’s iconic directors—but, like Charlie Chaplin, the short, bald, pear-shaped Englishman with a distinctive drawl never won an Oscar. The man behind “Psycho,” “The Birds” and “To Catch A Thief” was synonymous with stylish and suspenseful thrillers delivered with visual panache.

He is also associated with Hollywood’s most beautiful blondes, best known for having directed the lovely likes of Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Kim Novak, Doris Day, Janet Leigh and Eva Marie Saint.

Cameo appearances

So, Hitchcock surprised the public when he cast red-haired Shirley MacLaine in “Whatever Happened to Harry?” He was egoistic, because he made cameo appearances in his films. He was supposed to have coined the description, “hot as an iceberg,” to describe the sex appeal of blonde beauties.

Ingrid Bergman appeared in Hitchcock classics with Cary Grant, with whom the actress engaged in the “longest screen smooch” in “Notorious.” Grant suited the director’s sophistication. His partnership with Hitchcock was one of Tinseltown’s happiest collaborations.

However, when the filmmaker needed to cast “simple Americans,” he opted for James Stewart—who starred with Kim Novak in “Vertigo,” one of Hitchcock’s best films—and Doris Day (“The Man Who Knew Too Much”), who was memorable in a scene where Stewart reveals that their young son has been kidnapped.

Hitchcock was also a good businessman. When he was “forgotten” by the movies, he reinvented himself on TV and was rediscovered by a new generation of fans.