Sir Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899 in Leytonstone, which is now part of London.. He was the second son and the youngest of three children of William Hitchcock (1862–1914), a greengrocer and poulterer, and Emma Jane Hitchcock (née Whelan; 1863–1942). His parents were both of half-English and half-Irish ancestry.
Around the age of five, young Alfred was sent by his father to the local police station with a note asking the officer to lock him away for five minutes as punishment for behaving badly. This incident not only implanted a lifetime fear of policemen in him, but such harsh treatment and wrongful accusations would be found frequently throughout his films.
Hitchcock was supposed to make his solo feature directing debut, known as Number 13, in 1922. The project fell through because of money problems; it would be three more years before he finally made a picture, The Pleasure Garden.
Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail, which premiered in London in 1929, was the first British feature-length film with full sound. Hitchcock had the studio’s go-ahead to shoot a small amount of sound footage, but he secretly produced almost the entire film in sound. The director also made a silent version for the many cinemas not set up for talking pictures.
The 1940 film of Rebecca was Alfred Hitchcock's first in the US. It is the last movie that, despite winning an Oscar for Best Picture, got no Academy Award for acting, directing or writing.
Alfred Hitchcock came under the surveillance of the CIA for using uranium in the plot of his 1946 movie Notorious.
Hitchcock was so afraid of Psycho being spoiled ahead of time that he bought up as many copies of the original novel as possible. He also insisted that cinemas (for the first time) schedule screening times, sell tickets for those screenings, and not let anyone in after the film started.
Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because he had made "that disgusting movie Psycho."
Alfred Hitchcock’s father had worked there as a fruit importer, and his 1972 film Frenzy about a fruit vendor who becomes a serial sex killer — Hitchcock’s only X-rated movie — was set at the Covent Garden fruit and veg market.
The director made cameo appearances in most of his own films. For example, Hitchcock is seen struggling to get a double bass onto a train (Strangers on a Train), walking dogs out of a pet shop (The Birds), fixing a neighbor's clock (Rear Window), and missing a bus (North by Northwest).
Around the age of five, young Alfred was sent by his father to the local police station with a note asking the officer to lock him away for five minutes as punishment for behaving badly. This incident not only implanted a lifetime fear of policemen in him, but such harsh treatment and wrongful accusations would be found frequently throughout his films.
Hitchcock was supposed to make his solo feature directing debut, known as Number 13, in 1922. The project fell through because of money problems; it would be three more years before he finally made a picture, The Pleasure Garden.
Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail, which premiered in London in 1929, was the first British feature-length film with full sound. Hitchcock had the studio’s go-ahead to shoot a small amount of sound footage, but he secretly produced almost the entire film in sound. The director also made a silent version for the many cinemas not set up for talking pictures.
The 1940 film of Rebecca was Alfred Hitchcock's first in the US. It is the last movie that, despite winning an Oscar for Best Picture, got no Academy Award for acting, directing or writing.
 |
| Studio publicity photo of Alfred Hitchcock. |
Alfred Hitchcock came under the surveillance of the CIA for using uranium in the plot of his 1946 movie Notorious.
Hitchcock was so afraid of Psycho being spoiled ahead of time that he bought up as many copies of the original novel as possible. He also insisted that cinemas (for the first time) schedule screening times, sell tickets for those screenings, and not let anyone in after the film started.
Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because he had made "that disgusting movie Psycho."
Alfred Hitchcock’s father had worked there as a fruit importer, and his 1972 film Frenzy about a fruit vendor who becomes a serial sex killer — Hitchcock’s only X-rated movie — was set at the Covent Garden fruit and veg market.
The director made cameo appearances in most of his own films. For example, Hitchcock is seen struggling to get a double bass onto a train (Strangers on a Train), walking dogs out of a pet shop (The Birds), fixing a neighbor's clock (Rear Window), and missing a bus (North by Northwest).
After five unsuccessful Oscar nods for Best Director, Hitchcock eventually won an honorary Oscar in 1968, His acceptance speech was brief: "Thank you… very much indeed,"
He was among the first prominent motion picture producers to fully envisage just how popular the medium of television would become. From 1955 to 1965, Hitchcock was the host and producer of a television series titled Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Hitchcock was known for his onset pranks. He once threw a dinner party where all the food was colored blue.
In a curious variation on the custom of throwing salt over one's shoulder, Hitchcock would carelessly do the same with a drained tea cup and saucer – regardless of who or what lay behind him.
Hitchcock delighted in terror in his films, but was himself terrified of three things: eggs (ovophobia), police (after being locked up as a child) And the producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents from whom he would hide behind the sofa when she arrived on set.
The director was a supporter of West Ham United Football Club. Hitchcock subscribed to English newspapers so that he could keep a track of their results
Alfred Hitchcock was born with a belly button but at some point in his life it was surgically removed. During one of the many operations done on his stomach a doctor had stretched skin over the area where the belly button used to be.
Alfred Hitchcock died at age 80 in his Bel Air home of liver failure and heart problems at 9:17 am EDT on April 29, 1980.
No comments:
Post a Comment