Hitchcock Chronology: Universal Studios
Entries in the Hitchcock Chronology relating to Universal Studios...
1941
August
- 20th - Having earlier persuaded David O. Selznick to allow him to base his next film on an original story, Hitchcock submits a 134-page manuscript titled "Untitled Original Treatment by Alfred Hitchcock and Joan Harrison". The story involves an act of sabotage at an airplane factory, a cross-country chase, an explosion at a newly opened dam, and a villain falling from the Statue of Liberty. After further development on the screenplay, Selznick decides to let Hitchcock make the film for another studio and a deal is struck with Universal.[1]
December
- 17th - Hitchcock commences filming Saboteur for Universal, starring Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane.[2][3]
1942
May
- 7th - After hearing Gordon McDonell's "Uncle Charlie" story outline, Jack H. Skirball green-lights Shadow of a Doubt as Hitchcock's second film for Universal.[4]
September
- After a month of location shooting in Santa Rosa, production on Shadow of a Doubt moves to stage 22 at Universal Studios to film interior sequences.[5]
1962
March
- 31st - Location filming in Bodega Bay is completed and production of The Birds moves back to the sound stages at Universal Studios, with a brief stopover in San Francisco to film Tippi Hedren crossing Union Square.[6]
April
- 2nd - The studio-based filming on The Birds begins at Universal Studios. Initial filming concentrates on scenes inside the Brenner house, including the sparrow attack.[7]
July
- 11th - The lengthy post-production on The Birds begins, including the creation of a record-breaking 412 planned optical effects shots. Universal push for a completion date prior to March 3rd, 1963 in order to benefit from the Californian tax laws.[8]
1963
February
- In a meeting with Universal's marketing executives, Hitchcock reveals his marketing slogan for The Birds — "Gentlemen, here is how we'll announce the movie. Are you ready? ... The Birds is coming!"[9]
March
- 21st - The Birds premiere on the 27th at the Museum of Modern Art is cancelled. The museum's film curator Richard Giffith had grown increasingly uncomfortable that Universal was pushing for a red-carpet gala celebrity event and Hitchcock was concerned that the museum's facilities were substandard.[10]
May
- Cornish author Frank Baker writes to Hitchcock detailing similarities between Daphne du Maurier's short story and his own 1936 novel, also titled The Birds. Joseph Dubin, head of Universal Studios' legal department responds that "there is no actionable similarity between your work, the work of Miss du Maurier or the photoplay". Despite threatening to, Baker fails to take legal action.[11]
1964
August
- Hitchcock negotiates a new contract with Universal Studios. In return for transferring ownership of Shamley Productions and distribution rights to Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo, the director becomes the 3rd largest shareholder in the studio.[12]
1968
October
- With most of the location based filming complete, production on Topaz returns the Universal sound stages. Filming continues until April.[13]
1969
December
- Topaz is released in cinemas to disappointing reviews and a lacklustre box office. The film fails to recoup its $4,000,000 budget and is never re-released theatrically by Universal during Hitchcock's lifetime.[13]
1970
December
- 22nd - Universal Studios staff writer Estelle Conde provides Hitchcock with a 42 page synopsis of Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square. Conde's more concise 3 page précis of the novel's plot and main characters is delivered to Hitchcock on the 30th.[14]
1971
October
- 29th - Now back in America and reunited with Alma, Hitchcock sends the following memo to Universal Studios: "Principal photography has been completed on FRENZY"[15]
1975
May
- 29th - Visiting journalists and film critics attend luncheon at a specially constructed graveyard set on the Universal back lot to promote Deceit. The studio's prop department has set up tombstones with the names of the attendees on them.[16]
November
- Universal's music executive Harry Garfield recommends composer John Williams to Hitchcock after the director rejects the studios suggestion of Henry Mancini, who had written the rejected score to Frenzy (1972). Williams first seeks approval from his friend Bernard Herrman and then spends several weeks meeting with Hitchcock over lunch to discuss the score and classical music in general.[17]
1979
May
- 8th - Hitchcock's old friend Victor Saville, who had recently attended the director's AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, dies. Several sources regard Saville's death as a contributing factor to Hitchcock deciding to abandon any attempt to make The Short Night and to shut down his bungalow office at Universal.[18]
1980
January
- Too infirm to travel to London to receive his honourary knighthood directly from Queen Elizabeth II, the British Consuls-General of the United Kingdom to Los Angeles, Thomas Aston, makes a formal presentation to Hitchcock at his office at Universal in front of the press. When asked, "What does a knight do?", the director replies, "The first obvious thing he does, is go out into the night."[19]
1985
December
- Universal Studios names a street on the studio lot "Alfred Hitchcock Drive".[20]
References
- ↑ American Cinematographer (1993) - Saboteur: Hitchcock Set Free
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 304
- ↑ American Cinematographer (1993) - Saboteur: Hitchcock Set Free
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 308
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 319
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 123-25
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 127-28
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 167-68
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 184-85
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, pages 188-93
- ↑ The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds (2013) by Tony Lee Moral, page 32
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 653
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, chapter 17
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy: The Last Masterpiece (2012) by Raymond Foery, page 21
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy: The Last Masterpiece (2012) by Raymond Foery, page 97
- ↑ Variety (1975) - Pictures: Graveyard Stunting
- ↑ Sleeve notes from Family Plot (VCL 1110 1115, 2010)
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, pages 742-43
- ↑ Boston Globe (04/Jan/1980) - Names & Faces
- ↑ Toronto Star (18/Dec/1985) - Street named after Hudson
