Alfred Hitchcock's Psychotic Cruelty Exposed on 125th Anniversary of Genius' Birth — From Chaining Up Hollywood Icons to Torturing Women
Aug. 20 2024, Published 9:00 p.m. ET
Alfred Hitchcock Had a Fruitful Career as a Filmmaker
Famed English film director Alfred Hitchcock, born on August 13, 1899, established an empire in the film industry before his death in April 1980 at the age of 80.
Following his first successful film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, in 1927, he worked on more flicks that helped him become one of the most influential filmmakers in history.
Known as the 'Master of Suspense', the late director released hit thrillers like The Lady Vanishes, Lifeboat, Spellbound, Rear Window, Psycho, Foreign Correspondent, The 39 Steps and Shadow of a Doubt, among others.
He was also famous for his television anthology, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Alfred Hitchcock Was Infamous for His Manipulative and Cruel Behavior
Unfortunately, Hitchcock's treatment of his films' cast members overshadowed his success, as most of the people who worked with him claimed they saw his cruel behavior on set.
In 1972, he appeared on The Dick Cavett Show, where he derogatorily referred to actors.
Hitchcock said: "Well, I think at the time, I think I said, or I was accused of calling actors cattle, and I said that I would never say such an unfeeling, rude thing about actors at all. What I probably said was that all actors should be treated like cattle."
James Mason also revealed Hitchcock once called his actors "animated props", as he reportedly saw them as part of the film's set.
Alfred Hitchcock Controlled Tippi Hedren's Career
Before Hitchcock's death, he worked on several films, including the fantastical horror The Birds, led by newcomer Tippi Hedren, now 94. At the time, she left a lasting impact due to The Birds' final sequence, where her character got attacked by ravenous birds.
Hedren recalled in her interview for HBO's The Girl: "There was a cage with four boxes of ravens, gulls and a few pigeons thrown in. Bird trainers with gauntlets up to their shoulders hurled birds, one after the other, at me for one week. As days went by, it just became worse and worse.
"It was a nightmare! I ended up in a doctor's care for a week. Hitchcock said, 'She can't rest for a week. We have nobody else to film.' The doctor said, 'What are you trying to do, kill her?' I didn't hear Hitchcock's answer."
Hedren stressed Hitchcock had sabotaged her career after working on the film and Marnie, with producers and directors going through the filmmaker to get her for their projects.
Hitchcock reportedly did nothing but claim she was not available, leading Hedren to think it was "so easy for him" to manipulate her career.
Tippi Hedren Accused Alfred Hitchcock of Sexual Assault
Hedren dropped more shocking revelations about Hitchcock in her autobiography, Tippi: A Memoir, alleging the filmmaker sexually assaulted her.
She revealed in her book how he would "find some way to express his obsession with her, as if she owed it to him to reciprocate somehow". She also looked back at the time Hitchcock invited her to his office, where he "suddenly grabbed" her and put his pants on her.
Her granddaughter Dakota Johnson resurfaced the stories while speaking on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast and accused Hitchcock of ruining her grandmother's career.
The Fifty Shades of Grey star said: "She's always been really honest and firm about standing up for yourself. That's what she did. Hitchcock ruined her career because she didn't want to sleep with him, and he terrorized her. He was never held accountable."
Alfred Hitchcock Allegedly Humiliated Kim Novak
Kim Novak, the 91-year-old actress who starred in Hitchcock's Vertigo in 1958, had an embarrassing experience before filming the project.
One night, Hitchcock reportedly invited her over for dinner but ended up humiliating her. The filmmaker also continuously changed her appearance for the role.
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There Was an Incident Involving Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll
While filming The 39 Steps, Hitchcock handcuffed Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll to film scenes – but refused to release them when the latter needed to use the bathroom.
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