Vertigo was released in 1958 to a mixed reception. It was later heralded as one of Hitchcock’s greatest works. It’s a complex, psychological thriller starring the venerable James Stewart, a Hitchcock favorite along with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Vertigo was part of a nine-picture deal that Hitchcock made in the fifties that included many of his most famous films like Rear Window, North by Northwest, Psycho and To Catch a Thief.
*Hitchcock was an early master in the art of Marketing a Movie. He marketed Pyscho brilliantly, and refused to allow reporters to see advance drafts of the film. He had a trailer for the film where he teases audiences by taking them on a tour through the Bates Motel and he followed that up with his famous decree to theatre owners stipulating that patrons were not allowed into the theatre once the film began. This unusual practice both intrigued and piqued the moviegoers interest.
Hitch’s TV Show “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” was further proof of his marketing savvy. He not only designed the signature silhouette of himself, he even picked the opening music for the series. The now familiar strains of Gounod’s“The Funeral March of the Marionette”are forever associated with Alfred Hitchcock Presents….
When the idea of a television show was first proposed to Hitchcock, he was hesitant. But he agreed after he was allowed to introduce each episode and also given script supervision. Not only was Hitchcock given a platform to promote his upcoming films, but he also was allowed to make fun of television and advertising, which further delighted both him and his audience.
Hitch highlighted his own paranioa in films like Vertigo and North by Northwest. He had a fear of being stopped by the police and therefore he didn’t drive a car.
*Hitchcock had a sense of humor that was highly unusual. His favorite dinner party was one where the food was entirely blue. Hosted in the thirties for the actress Gertrude Lawrence. Hitchcock said of the dinner, “”Even when you broke your roll. It looked like a brown roll but when you broke it open it was blue. Blue soup, thick blue soup. Blue trout. Blue chicken. Blue ice cream.”…..
Six Degrees of Film 