Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds 🦅

Inspite of Tippi’s bone structure for days, Suzanne is much more sexy and pretty

In the early 80s Suzanne lost a lot of weight and she had crazy good bone structure. That’s the Suzanne I grew up watching in TV movies and it’s how I think of her when I hear her name mentioned, I didn’t see Newhart until the 00s. This TV movie is the version of her in most familiar with.

When I saw the Birds for the first time I also picked up on the les vibes and I think it’s how she first appears on screen. The lesbianish wool pants, the gardening, the dirt of her face, the way she looks a Tippi. You can’t come back from that even when she reveals she’s Mitch’s former lover.

I miss Suzanne. She was a great actress.

Is her character considered a lesbian or fag hag? I've seen the movie several times, and it never occurred to me that she was anything but a slightly bohemian ex-girlfriend of Rod Taylor who still carried a torch for him.

It was just the slightest bit lesbo vibe. Fag hag? Do you know what that term means? I always read her like R4. Boho.

I confuse her with Paula Prentiss.

Hitch did prefer his female love objects blonde.

The character wasn’t meant to be a lesbian or a fag hag (not sure you know what that means either). She was supposed to be earthy and bohemian as opposed to Tippi’s vapid rich girl. I remember once freeze framing Annie’s bookshelves and desk and the set dresser did a great job getting the character across. It was a few years ago so I don’t remember details now.

For whatever reason many people have picked up on a lesbian vibe from the character. For me as I said it was the first scene she’s in and I thought it was just me. I remember going on the now defunct IMDb boards and being surprised that there was a long thread discussing it. Some people just thought she’d have to be gay to quit her life and live in a small town but that doesn’t make sense. Then again many people do confuse homosexuality and asexuality so maybe not. Now that it’s out there it’s probably become a “don’t think of a pink elephant” type thing. If you hear that the character has lesbian vibes before you see the movie you’ll probably find them!

Who would have ever guessed that Tippi would outlive Suzanne? Not me.

I more or less agree with r4 or r8s assesment. I think some people might get les vibes from the scene where they are in Annie's living room and Pleschette is sort of giving her a once over. I thought the character had a slight bisexual vibe but not lesbian. I always assumed that Mitch's intensely close relationship with his mother led to their parting (or perhaps he lost interest ) and Annie stayed to be close to him. Remember what she says about how his mother warmed to her once she realized that she was "no longer a threat ". In any casting the casting in this film was absolute perfection. You don't see perfect casting like this anymore. Modern movies just cast the same 3 or 4 "flavor of the week " actors again and again even if they are completely fucking incompatible with their roles.

Hitchcock was too busy fussing over all the fake birds to worry about subtleties of characterisation and the fact he had a disastrously bad non-actress in the main role.

R7 I remember seeing or reading an interview with Pleschette where she recounted a cast member warning her to be careful around Hitchcock because "he doesn't like brunettes and he doesn't like you ".

I wouldn’t have guessed that anyone would outlive Suzanne r9! not Tippi and certainly not Bob Newhart! She had an incredible strength and vitality and toughness about her. She always struck me as the type who would be a great, loyal friend if you got on her good side but one tough broad of you got on her bad side. I “know” her more from Carson appearances than her performances and none of her roles ever captured her spark. I’m sure like my grandparents who were about her age, she started smoking frightfully young. I lost all 4 grandparents to lung cancer/lung disease. Ho hum.

The mother/son relationship was sort of emotional incest really. I thought Hitch captured that really well in the scene where they’re cleaning up after dinner. Mitch and his mother are interacting like an old married couple, their body language says married couple, he’s calling her dear, the sister looks like their daughter and Melanie is outside (playing the piano I think?) separated from them physically and otherwise.

^ Are you commenting on the fact that Tandy and Hedren have a similar skinny head?

Suzanne is dead because she smoked like a chimney.

She made a movie with Tony Curtis in the 1960s, "40 Pounds of Trouble", which seems to have disappeared.

I never got a lez vibe from the Annie character either, especially with the old birdwatcher at the café butching the town to bits!

No, she always struck me as a slightly beatnicky straight woman who was wasting her life because she couldn't let go. Bodega Bay is a tiny place and a long way from anywhere, and the movie shows us a good-looking woman who's living in a town that wouldn't have any college-educated single men other than Mitch, and zero resident lesbians. What kind of a love life could she have there, other than hoping she could find a birdwatcher under retirement age, who was willing to stick around for a bit when the sun went down.

Typecasting no doubt. She was so remarkably beautiful a bit later in life, but such a tough broad.

Had it been made 10 yrs earlier, one could envision Ruth Roman playing Annie and again a similar dyke vibe.

I totally forgot about the old bird lady. What a scene that was, and the old Irish drunk shouting “‘tis the end of the world”

Is Grace Kelly a lesbian or fag hag in Rear Window. Jeff is a repressed homo - well at least he doesn't seem to be laying any pipe in Lisa's holes.

R8 and R10, I missed that vibe, but I was probably too busy having an orgasm over the gorgeous 1963 clothes. Upon review, OK, maybe I see where there could be a wee little lesbian vibe in that early scene.

[quote] In the early 80s Suzanne lost a lot of weight and she had crazy good bone structure.

Weight ? In 1968 she looks darn good to me

For sure but she was never this thin in the 60s was she? Maybe she was I’m not too familiar with her 60s work.

For sure but she was never this thin in the 60s was she? Maybe she was I’m not too familiar with her 60s work.

Why is gorgeous Suzanne P̶l̶e̶s̶h̶e̶t̶t̶e̶ Plefeces

She's just someone who hit her peak closer to 45 than 20. Her features and coloring were always beautiful, but she looked so much sexier and elegant as a mature woman. She'd wear a chignon and a beautiful dress, talk like a trucker.

Watch Suzie deal with a snot issue . . .

Tippi's hair is awful. I saw The Birds as a kid in the late 80s and thought it was an old-lady wig. Her neat little suit was cute but still too old for a woman of her age in 1963. But that was very much Hitch's style.

Suzanne's hair is kind of dishevelled. She has the Italian cut of Sophia Loren but she can't be bothered to set it in her bumfuck town. It's a good character note.

I often wondered if Tippi’s clothes were too old for her by 1963 standards. I know I had to keep reminding myself that these people are supposed to me 25-early 30s at most but it’s hard to see that with modern eyes. Lots of things make them all seem much older to me. Tippi’s suit and hairstyle, the Brandy drinking, Rod Taylor looking like the father of today’s 32 year old, Jessica looking far too old to have given birth 11 years ago, the patriarch being dead.

Wow, not one mention of the book that this film is drawn from? I thought Dataloungers were supposed to be so literate. The character was lesbian in the book, as was its author, Daphne du Maurier.

As I remember, all the kids went running down the hill screaming after uncovering them scissoring in the supply closet.

And the scene where she bullies her to spend the night and then gets her bombed? Hitch showed us everything but the cockbelt for Christ sakes!

Watched this with a straight friend many years ago and he commented on the lesbian "undertones" (or whatever term he used) in that scene.

Iirc, Hedren, wears one green suit throughout the entire film.

I LOVED Pleshette in "The Bob Newhart Show". In retrospect, I realize she had a tougher job than Newhart- having to react, or-non-react, to him.

Off-topic, but to my little kid eyes, the Chicago apartment the Newhart's lived in was the most exciting, glamorous, sophisticated, ultimate pad evah; what, with the sunken living room, and all,

I've thought about Annie and her supposed lesbian undertones quite a while and it just doesn't make sense. She absolutely does ping, no question, but there's no reason for it. Why would a closeted lesbian stay in a tiny little town to be near her ex-boyfriend? There are easier ways to stay closeted.

The closest to an explanation (in Hitchcockian terms) that I can think of is that she and Mitch are both exhibiting what back then would have been described as "disordered sexuality," lesbianism for her and incest for him, and the birds were a kind of judgement meant to destroy that which is unnatural.

[quote]I remember once freeze framing Annie’s bookshelves and desk and the set dresser did a great job getting the character across.

I take it you're referring to this one . . .

Lesbian, you say?

And that super butch bird lady was a total lez! She wasn’t going to take any crap from the hot city slicker up trolling for cock! She wanted to spook & frighten her to death.

Oh bullshit, r29.....

Plashit was a drunk. You have to smoke and drink gallons of gin and / or whisky daily to get a voice that deep. IF you 're a male, I can't imagine how much she guzzled.

Years ago I (and a few hundred others) saw this movie at a theater in Jersey City that shows old films.

When that hysterical woman goes on her epic rant ("I think you're evil! EVIL!") and Tippi Hedrin abruptly slaps her across the face, the audience burst into laughter & applause.

Rod Taylor.

Yum.

R38, Merv Griffin used to have Ethel Griffies on his afternoon talk show regularly.

[quote]Wow, not one mention of the book that this film is drawn from? I thought Dataloungers were supposed to be so literate. The character was lesbian in the book, as was its author, Daphne du Maurier.

There is no lesbian character in the short story (not book). The characters are a farmhand, his wife and children who live in a small isolated cottage, and a few other townspeople who appear briefly. For the movie, Hitchcock kept only the idea of the bird attacks; the plot and characters in the movie are completely different from Du Maurier's story.

Suzanne lived in an apartment building on WeHo where she was also the manager and she supposedly ruled with an iron fist. Al Martino, the old crooner, has a daughter who lives there now and keeps a Facebook dedicated to preserving old LA and old showbiz. She has posted often about Suzanne including posting some pictures of her condo (when she was living there). She and her second husband lived very well. Lots of international travel, yachts, partying and yep smoking and drinking. In the picture of her condo there are those crystal holders for hard liquor ? (can you tell I’m tee total lol) everywhere in her living room and a bar filled with those same hard liquor holders in her library. Some old queen on Alison’s page said the second husband was known around BH for “liking the bottom of a glass”. I’m sure, she too, was knocking back a few.

She is considered none of those things OP. Did you see the movie? She fell in love with Mitch and did not leave the community. Turns out she’s a good woman too., perhaps better than Tippi’s character. School teacher was one of the only dependable jobs for women when the pic was made.

R31. Why do you compound obvious ignorance with just plain stupid lying? It makes you look like a pathological fool.

Of course Suzanne was a lesbian. Hitch famously disliked non-blondes. She had a fling with Rod before realising she preferred pussy to thick Australian cock. He, slightly wounded, retreats to the arms of his mother. She, not wanting to leave the only financial security she has in the form of her house, stays put near her friend Rod and his mother Jessica, who does not find lezzies a threat. Being brunette in addition to being an invert, she is almost slightly asexual and prefers her bedtime companions to be hard liquor and a good book.

This is classic Hitch.

Hitchcock would LOVE hearing us discuss that Annie had a lesbian vibe, or was a lesbian even though she was Mitch's ex. He loved this kind of stuff, and I believe he could have put it in there regardless of what the book says.

I prefer young Susanne, not because she wasn't attractive in middle age (note the rhinoplasties, more than one). I just see so much more of a potential great actress in her when she was young. Later she played Bob Newhart's wife - a wife job which is the lowest.

In her television archive interview she starts off by saying (she wasn’t asked) that she hasn’t had a nose job. It just comes out of nowhere and of course my immediate thought was “she’s had a nose job” because why else would you bring it up out of context.

I never saw Newhart until fairly recently and my opinion is that Suzanne grew into the role and as the seasons went by Emily became more like Suzanne until in the final season Emily was 98% the Suzanne who appeared on Carson. She gave a really good performance after Newhart playing an incestuous mother in a TV movie. It was a reminder of how good she could be with the right material.

I think the Jessica Tandy character seemed like more of a frigid dyke with a secret than the Suzanne Pleshette character. She kept chickens for christ’s sake.

What a great movie. Hitchcock was a master. And, the Rear Window....

R52, frigid dyke and dyke are not synonymous. Not getting any because of lack of partners or because of a fixation on someone in her past does not make Annie "frigid."

Suzanne Pleshette was a Jewish girl from a theatrical family, growing up in Brooklyn Heights. Even this nose was not original, and it got smaller and smaller, wink wink, as she got older.

R46, It was no secret that Tommy Gallagher liked to drink. Did Suzanne continue to live there with Tom Poston after they married?

[quote] Not getting any because of lack of partners or because of a fixation on someone in her past does not make Annie "frigid."

You don't know much about Hitchcock's filmography, do you. And he's talking about Jessica Tandy, not Suzanne.

The scene with Tippi sitting quietly on the bench smoking, looking fantastic, while the kids are singing in the one-room school and the crows are gathering behind her on the playground equipment, is great film-making.

R55 Thanks I couldn’t remember his name for the life of me when I posted earlier. Both husbands were Tom I should have remembered that. Did you know them? Obviously I did not so Alison Martino’s conversation was my first time hearing anything about Suzanne’s life during her second marriage. Yes, per that guy in Alison’s video, Tom Poston moved into the Empire West with Suzanne and lived there for a few years but she did sell up and move at some point. She owned a few units there. I can’t recall now if it was before she got sick or if she moved after she got sick. She moved to some other well known building (which again I can’t remember the name of) on Wilshire.

And you just know that Mitch had a fucking log!

Tommy Gallagher did not hold onto his looks as he aged at all.

Well if he was a alcoholic drinking hard liquor that’s not surprising. Even my Irish alcoholic uncles knew to stay away from the hard stuff and they still aged like shit.

Ridiculous. Whiskey doesn't age you any faster than beer or wine. That's a total myth. A drunk is a drunk. Periodt. It's the smoking drinking improper eating lifestyle that catches up with people.

[quote] Merv Griffin used to have Ethel Griffies on his afternoon talk show regularly.

Now THAT, OP, is a fag hag.

[quote]She made a movie with Tony Curtis in the 1960s, "40 Pounds of Trouble", which seems to have disappeared.

It was remake of the Shirley Temple/Adolphe Menjou movie (based on a Damon Runyon story) "Little Miss Marker." Also remade as "Sorrowful Jones" with Bob Hope and Lucy, and again under the original title with Walter Matthau, Julie Andrews, and Tony Curtis once again.

According to another thread here on DL, Suzy was good friends with Eva Gabor.

The Birds is long before my time, but I've watched a lot of Pleshette throughout her career and there is no evidence of a nose job. People make up weird shit here all the time. I've had 2 septorhinoplasty and I don't see how her nose was altered in any way. It was a nice nose, but not unusually small. I suspect those who say she had surgery are concerned with her being Jewish? Her face really thinned out and her beauty became more striking in the 1970s and eighties. But neither the width or the projection of her nose changed.

Ah, I love this thread. Agree that Pleshette’s character had a lez vibe and Tippi’s character seemed old and brittle. And speaking of old and brittle, I really didn’t understand how Tandy’s character had a middle-aged son and a (annoyingly simpery) tween daughter.

I’ve seen it twice and can’t remember much about it. My kids thought it wasn’t scary at all.

How did Tippi know Mitch's sister was Cathy and not Kathy? That’s always bugged me.

I wondered that too, so I looked the actors up. At the time of filming in 1962, Tandy was 52, Taylor was 32, and Veronica Cartwright was 12-13 playing 11. Assuming the characters were meant to about the same ages, it’s not implausible she could have 2 kids that far apart in age.

Tippi and Rod were born just a few days apart in 1930.

When I was a kid, Rod Taylor on screen made me all tingly.

I think it doesn’t help that people looked older then. Rod liked middle aged and Jessica looked matronly and grandmotherly. Today, a 33 year old actor would look like Rod’s son with few exceptions so it wouldn’t look so unlikely that Tandy’s character was the mother of both Mitch and the little girl. I knew so many women who had kids with a 20 year age gap but they had about 10 kids in between. It all adds to the suspense of the film and the tension and the general mood. All the characters are holding secrets and all of them are quite mysterious and complex.

"I suspect those who say she had surgery are concerned with her being Jewish?"

R66, SHE was far more concerned than any of us are. When your face thins, the nose looks larger. Hers nose was THINNED. Get over it. And get to an ophthalmologist immediately.

Was there a better TV married couple than Suzanne and Bob?

"The closest to an explanation (in Hitchcockian terms) that I can think of is that she and Mitch are both exhibiting what back then would have been described as "disordered sexuality," lesbianism for her and incest for him, and the birds were a kind of judgement meant to destroy that which is unnatural. "

Then why did the "lesbian" get killed, while the too-close mother and son drive away together, treating Melanie like a daughter rather than a wife/daughter-in-law?

Nah, I think that Annie was meant to be straight, and someone who had to be removed as a romantic rival, because romantic rivals always get removed in movies, one way or another. Not that the central relationship between Mitch and Melanie goes anywhere, but if Annie is meant to represent anything, it's the stultifying effect of life in a small town in the middle of nowhere. She's a beautiful, sophisticated, well-educated woman, who spends her days teaching and her nights reading and pining over an old boyfriend. And of course the only other residents we get to know are Mitch's mother and sister, it's like Melanie walks into a town where everyone is pining over the man she wants.

GOD, yes, R73. Dozens of them. Rob and Laura, Archie and Edith, Roseanne and Dan, Burns and Allen, Frank and Marie Barone, Ralph and Alice Kramden, George and Louise....etc etc etc. Bob and Emily don't make the top 50.

I saw Rod Taylor on an old rerun of Murder She Wrote and couldn't believe how horribly he aged. Why didn't he take better care of himself?

Regarding nose jobs: Am I the only one who remembers that a too-severe nose job will shrink with age?

If a person gets a dainty little nose when they're young, and the doctor removes too much cartilage, by middle age the remaining cartilage will have poor circulation and will shrink a little. Of course the worst-case scenario is Michal Jackson territory, where circulation to the tip is lost completely, the more normal course is for the tip of the nose to get smaller in middle age, smaller than the surgeon or patient intended.

So yes, it's possible that La Pleshette's nose got smaller with age, without additional nose jobs.

Was there a better TV married couple than Suzanne and Bob?

Perhaps one.

Hitchcock once said he would have beeb gay if not for marrying his wife. Some of that gayness ended up in films like Rope. He made the SP character as Lebianish as he could for the time.

Why doesn't someone ask Camille Paglia what she thinks about this burning issue? She's the one with the boner for The Birds, AND she's a lesbian!

Honestly (and contrary to what some of you have said) The Birds is a ludicrously bad movie.

Camille Paglia's book on "The Birds" is soooo lame. To her, it's about "Nature striking back." Yeah, sure Camille.

Wake up, darlin'. "The Birds" is about SEX. In fact, the birds themselves ARE sex. When sexual attraction enters sweet little Bodega Bay, all hell breaks loose. And the final scene in the attic is rape--like Janet Leigh in the shower. I mean...HELLLLLOOOOOO.

Suzanne's cousin, John, was on "Knot's Landing".

R83 I thought about John. Suzanne had the looks in the family! John always reminded me of a cooler version of Woody Allen. At least a more butch one.

Who's slept on Suzanne?

This has got to be one of the youngest pictures of her out there. She’s in high school. Does her nose look that different? She 23 of 28 in the list

Another still in school picture

I saw her interview on the archive on TVemmylegends. It's a great one to watch, as she sits there and talks for 3 hours in her home.

After watching her talk for about 20 minutes, I thought Jesus she is so full of herself, but by the end of the interview I loved her. Strangely she actually said midway, that people don't like her when they first meet her then end up being great friends with her - and I could see why.

She was absolutely what you see is what you get. You could also tell she would have been the matriarchal crew member in anything she worked on and the co-workers would have loved her. She was a grade A Broad, who probably stayed up all night drinking scotch and smoking with the camera and lighting men. Those types of women never alienate anyone, as the men all love them and the women do too.

I bet Hitchock hated her, as he wouldn't have been able to intimidate her or separate her from the rest of the crew.

R89, etc. her nose was wider at the bottom than it was on Bob Newhart. They use to have a picture on the top of her Wiki page that clearly showed it. Subtle, but wider. Are one of those people who insists that certain older stars never had facelifts? How about Suzanne?

R90 Doesn’t she say in that interview that she stayed great friends with Hitchcock and was so close he had her up in his home in Carmel shortly before he died? She drops a lot of names but I’m pretty sure that’s what she said about her relationship with Hitchcock and it surprised me because he doesn’t seem toxins of man who would like her type.

Any gossip on the second husband? He was her manager, never worked during their marriage and a few sites have him listed as an oil millionaire. Really? An oil millionaire was living in a condo in WeHo? With no second home? One site says he was a gambler and playboy who was previously married to a Vegas showgirl. Weird pairing. I’m not sure what type I imagined her with because Troy and Tom Poston were weird choices too but that guy sounds a bit shifty.

R57 scared the crap out of me

My Dad dated Suzanne Pleshette back in the 60s (before he met and married my mom). She was very pretty-- really pretty blue eyes.

It's funny to me because Lez was my impression of her character when I first saw The Birds but until this thread I never heard or read anyone else who thought so. She was very beautiful that's for sure. I think maybe more than anything it was the voice for me, but I'm not sure.

Daphne Du Maurier's sapphic proclivities are no secret, and the performances by Judith Anderson in Rebecca and Suzanne Pleshette in The Birds, both written by Du Maurier, are iconic for lesbian film buffs. Judith Anderson, btw, was a lesbian and obviously enjoyed herself immensely in that role. There is that scene where she is inhaling the scent of one of the dead Rebecca's dresses that is over the top.

No - it's simply the fact that, in the film, there's palpable chemistry between the two young women (whether it's real or expertly directed, I don't know). Also, the teacher doesn't really seem jealous over her former boyfriend. She seems more keen to keep her new female friend to herself. At least that's how I feel it

Suzanne always struck me as being a lipstick lesbian, and I heard that her second husband Gallagher was gay or bisexual. He lived in WeHo after all. Troy Donahue was also bisexual with many gay affairs. I don't know how Tom Poston fit into the equation, but Suzy appears to have had a type.

She was a great choice to play Karen's mother on Will and Grace.

R102 and r103. That Gallagher guy looks as straight as they come!

The cravat is a bit much 🧐

[quote]the performances by Judith Anderson in Rebecca and Suzanne Pleshette in The Birds, both written by Du Maurier, are iconic for lesbian film buffs

Du Maurier did not write the film version of The Birds, or have anything to do with it beyond selling her short story to Hitchcock. The only thing Hitchcock kept is the idea of the bird attacks — everything else, including the Suzanne Pleshette character, was devised by Hitchcock and the scriptwriter Evan Hunter.

Here’s a copy of the short story for anyone interested. It’s only 31 pages.

I recall her being asked on a talk show if she ever had to do a kissing scene with an actor she personally found disgusting and she replied, "Yes, there was one . . . ", but she refused to name him.

Of course Suzanne was a frequent guest of Roddy.

Why did she marry Troy Donahue?

More Suzanne - in her sassy green and white beachwear. But the film belongs to Ricardo Montalban's red trunks and the unearthly beauty of Lee Remick. You can see why Sondheim fell in love with her.

IMO, the simple answer is that Hitchcock thought blonde women were at the pinnacle. So, a brown-haired actress, even though beautiful, was put into the disheveled and possibly lesbian role.

R30, there’s nothing age-inappropriate about Tippi Hedren’s hair or clothing in The Birds. Why would you think that?

Tippi and Rod Taylor were both 33 in 1963. 33-year-olds in the early '60s didn’t look like teenagers and didn’t want to. Most of them were living fully adult lives, with mortgages, spouses and children. Prior to the late ‘60s, adults actually wanted to look like adults.

R46, thanks for the stories. Nice details! By the way, those “crystal holders for hard liquor” are decanters.

"The character was lesbian in the book."

Where does it say that? At any rate, I never thought Pleshette's character in "The Birds" was a lesbian. She just wasn't the same type as the flaxen-haired, tiny-boned Hedren in her chic pale green suit.

Oowee R111. You're right. Is it wrong that I want to fuck Ricardo Montalban right damn now? Stat. And yes Lee Remick with not a spit of makeup on was that beautiful? Her body and her face. Roddy found her angles quickly because she's had perfectly recessed eyes and a slightly boyish look. REAL & ethereal in the light of day. I got into a DL argument once when I said that Lee Remick should have played Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. I feel vindicated. Holly should so lovely, with freckles and mountain girl eyes.

Ricardo - next time show me some ASS!

R111 I remember being knocked out by Remick when I first saw that clip. Unearthly beauty is a pretty apt description. She is just so incredibly lovely she knocks your socks off (

I've seen a number of those films and I always end up smiling like an idiot through the entire thing. They are always so interesting with the configuration of guests and they are always so relaxed and you just want to be there.

Roddy must have been a wonderful man to have had such get togethers with such marvelous, wonderful guests.

R115 Mascara, lipstick , maybe powder to take the shine off the t-zone, and that's it.

Love this story about Pleshette:

[quote]Pleshette's down-to-earth but elegant manner was caught during an anecdote that Carson was relating to her about working with a farm tractor in Nebraska. When he asked her, "Have you ever ridden on a tractor?" she replied smoothly, "Johnny, I've never even been in a Chevrolet."

I loved Roddy in Inside Daisy Clover. OMG, he played such a bitch and he was brilliant in a small but wonderful part.

[quote]Mascara, lipstick , maybe powder to take the shine off the t-zone, and that's it.

Yes, Ricardo Montalban looked hot.

I never had a problem with the ages of any of the actors or characters in The Birds. I wrote a short excellent paper on The Birds, and Suture, for a Semiotics class. I guess it was excellent. I got an A. It's a totally perverse and enjoyable flick, released 1960. Admirably tight direction and editing, as with Psycho (1963). I prefer The Birds though the music is better in Pyscho.

I had a neighbor who knew Suzanne when she was a teen and he said she was a lovely, well behaved girl and funny. He knew her dad and they would meet at a diner every now and then. He had a daughter who was about her age at the time and he would bring her.

OP, I love the little bird in your title. I have no idea how you did that but it's adorable.

"I remember being knocked out by Remick when I first saw that clip. Unearthly beauty is a pretty apt description. She is just so incredibly lovely she knocks your socks off."

Lee knocked JFK's socks off.

[quote] I saw Rod Taylor on an old rerun of Murder She Wrote and couldn't believe how horribly he aged. Why didn't he take better care of himself?

Love for booze + delicate Anglo Saxon genes =

R121 Your post is confusing, but Psycho was released in 1960 and The Birds in 1963. Are you talking about Suture, the non-Hitchcock movie that was released in 1993?

R124 I assume JFK fancied Lee Remick because they were both Irish Catholic.

Thanks, R126, I am wondering the same thing. I love suspense, thrillers and horror from that that late '50s/early'60s period and was hoping I had found another one, previously unknown to me. I'm still hoping ... R121?

Not sure what you’re referring to regarding the music, R121. Yes, Psycho has a great score, but The Birds has none. The only music in The Birds is the short piano piece Melanie plays, and the annoying song the kids sing at the school.

I say that Hermann's score for Psycho is one of the greatest film scores of all time.

Bernard Herrmann was a genius. The last film he did the score for was "Taxi Driver." He should have won an Oscar for that. He should have won an Oscar for "Psycho." His work was brilliant. But he never won an Oscar, despite truly deserving one.

The movie featured gay cook book author Richard Deacon.

[quote] I assume JFK fancied Lee Remick because they were both Irish Catholic.

̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶t̶h̶ ̶I̶r̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶C̶a̶t̶h̶o̶l̶i̶c̶ because she had a vagina.

[quote] if she ever had to do a kissing scene with an actor she personally found disgusting and she replied, "Yes, there was one . . . ", but she refused to name him.

Wild guess,

Since when did JFK need a reason to "fancy" an attractive woman with a pulse?

The Birds came out in 1963, people! Those of you who want Suzanne's character to have an active lesbian sex life and do not understand the *hints* and subtly are just too dumb for words.

[quote] the *hints* and subtly

With such a Rorschach test I just see a hip girl living in the country/

The subtle *hints* of Lesbianism in The Birds was bearable.

The Lesbianism in The Children's Hour was painful. (Wyler was a great director but he couldn't do much with 3 non-actors)

"Bernard Herrmann was a genius. The last film he did the score for was "Taxi Driver."

I never understood his score for Taxi Driver - romantic sax for a killer.

R133 Yikes. Talk about zero chemistry.

Where’s Christopher’s Plumber?

r133 Lee Remick was neither Irish nor Catholic.

"I never understood his score for Taxi Driver - romantic sax for a killer."

The sax wasn't meant for "a killer." It was meant to represent an alluring, but sordid, side to the city. That's how I interpreted it, anyway. I loved the score. It was indeed, to use a hackneyed word, haunting.

She looked and sounded Irish Catholic.

IMDb says Lee has Irish and English ancestry.

Suzanne was a great storyteller. I remember her saying that she liked Steve McQueen as a friend, but he was the cheapest person she ever met. Whenever the check would be about to arrive at a restaurant, Steve would always have to run to the bathroom.

I first remember her in "A Rage To Live", where she got to have sex with Bradford Dillman, Peter Graves, Ben Gazzarra, etc. Hot and trashy for it's time.

Rod Taylor reminded me of Aldo Ray. Both fell apart physically, but for one brief shining moment, they were absolute sexual perfection.

Also, what the hell did Suzanne see in fucking TOM POSTON?

I read that at his funeral Suzanne said in her eulogy that he was a great schtup and had a big dick. They got together when she was very young and then again after she divorced Troy before reconnecting decades later.

I liked the score too, R142. I just don't think it fit the film for a bloody second.

Ha ha, R146. In reality that would have hurt more than anything. Tom Poston was a fugly jerk, I agree with R145. Suzanne must have been desperate in her later years.

I never got a lesbian vibe from suzanne s character in the birds.

She was never going to outlive Tippi as she was a heavy smoker. That is almost a sure bet you dont make old bones.

I recently read the tippi biography. I was not impressed. She blew most of her own money making her stupid movie about lions. SHe had crappy taste in husbands too. I will say tho up until recently she was still very very beautiful and was the best preserved of the old time stars. She d obviously had plastic surgery but not too much and it looked perfect.

Suzanne's pretty great in this.....

One thing about all those wonderful beach clips: somebody's always doing crossword puzzles.

One thing about those beach party clips: there is always somebody doing crossword puzzles.

She was also good in Columbo. She wasn't the murderer, but a witness to the murder, who Eddie Albert sets his evil sights on.

Soon after The Birds came out Tippi married some guy who had a bunch of sons from a previous marriage. I guess she had self esteem issues and didn’t know her worth. CAn you imagine being that beautiful and connected and newly famous and you settle for some average guy with so much baggage.

I found the book that tells the story of Tom and Suzanne’s relationship. It’s called “My Boyfriend’s Back”. After her divorce from Troy she was in NYC staying at the Plaza. She sent Tom (who she had previously had a fling with) a telegram that said “In need of your services”

Rod Taylor in The Time Machine and The Birds was a TOTAL HUNK.

It doesn't look like much has changed in Bodega Bay. Anyone ever been?

Hunky Rod Taylor he was a more believable masculine man than Paul Newman who looked like a demi-god male-model.

"It doesn't look like much has changed in Bodega Bay. Anyone ever been? "

Yeah, I go a couple of times a year. The town is still small, but larger than it was in 1963. There's some areas with McMansions and golf courses now, where well-to-do retirees live, south of the main town shown in the picture. If you have questions, I'll be here for a while.

I think the 1963 town was no bigger than the area shown in this photo. Not a big lesbian dating pool now, how could there have been any in 1963.

No one's mentioned one of Pleshette's most notorious roles.

I did, Karen Walker's mother.

She should be a DL icon just for the campfest that was The Queen of Mean.

The Palace does not serve wet lettuce!!

[quote]Ridiculous. Whiskey doesn't age you any faster than beer or wine. That's a total myth.

I agree

On working with Patty....

Pleshette’s condo at the Empire West

......

......

Never has a pair of seemingly innocent lovebirds wreaked as much havoc as in Alfred Hitchcock’s apocalyptic masterpiece The Birds. Quintessential Hitchcock blond Tippi Hedren stars as Melanie Daniels, the San Francisco outsider who descends upon the sleepy enclave of Bodega Bay with those troublemaking outsider lovebirds. Clad in her formfitting sage skirt suit and glamorous fur that would make Cate Blanchett’s Carol Aird swoon, Melanie also sports a most impeccable updo that The Birds just can’t help but dive into. While Melanie’s trip to Bodega Bay is ostensibly to better aquaint herself with the rugged Mitch (Rod Taylor), it’s her scenes with Mitch’s spurned friend Annie (a sumptuously husky-voiced and decidedly pants-sporting Suzanne Pleshette) that sizzle with tension. Scenes of Melanie and Annie smoking are so iconic that there are entire YouTube mash-ups dedicated to them.

Beyond the calculable lesbian energy set off when Melanie and Annie interact, and Melanie’s fabulous wardrobe, there’s an argument to be made for those lovebirds (they’re called lovebirds, after all) as an allegory for forbidden love shaking things up. Bodega Bay was perfectly fine and set in its ways before Melanie, with her progressive ideas and those winged outsiders, turned up and created a feathered maelstrom. — Tracy E. Gilchrist

R164. I think the human being in that picture would look unrecognisable without their mascara.

Thanks R164. Very interesting interview. I ended up watching the entire long interview. So, Anne Bancroft was a bitch. I mean Patty was too but she was just a kid being taken advantage of by Bancroft to do her dirty work for her.

LORDY, Anne Bancroft was NOT a bitch, she was protective of her role like everyone else was. Listen to it again and see if you can COMPREHEND, R170.

I’m a Bancroft fan and we don’t have her side of the story but in Pleshette’s version of the truth Bancroft behaved really badly and took out her issues with those above her on a her replacement. I’m not sure why people let actors away with behaving badly because at the end of the day it’s a job. We are all vicious to the fraus in our offices here but if an ACTOR is protective of a role all is forgiven? Meh. Grow up and be glad you’re not stuck in a cubicle.

No, taking a child out to eat only to fill her head with how to get back at the woman who took your role to the point of encouraging the child to physically hurt that woman (no, Pleshette doesn't come right out and say this but she strongly hints at it) isn't just protecting your role, it's being a bitch, maybe a psychotic bitch at that. If Patty had anyone to really look after her they would not have allowed Bancroft to to continue to even talk to her.

Patty Duke was a lousy actress all her life. The kind that gets overpraised because she's so "busy" all the time with her bad acting. All she could do was kick and scream and twitch with that terrible affected speech pattern. Was she deaf?

She says she also did Seesaw but she's not listed as replacing Bancroft (Lee Grant is). I wonder if she did the tour.

I'd forgotten this:

That same year, she was one of two finalists for the role of Louise/Gypsy in the original production of Gypsy. During the run of The Cold Wind and the Warm, she spent mornings taking striptease lessons from Jerome Robbins for the role in Gypsy.[17] In his autobiography, Arthur Laurents, the play's author stated, "It came down to between Suzanne Pleshette and Sandra Church. Suzanne was the better actress, but Sandra was the better singer. We went with Sandra."

She did Seesaw in Williamstown I think. I’ve seen some pictures from the production posted on one of the theatre forums.

Those were easier to find than I thought!

Bancroft was a monstrous bitch, read Frank Langella's memoir for more details

What always bothered me about the Children's birthday cake scene was that real seagulls would have been ALL OVER that birthday cake and sandwiches.

Am I the only one who wondered why all of the children in the school were approximately 10 years old ?

R181 There's a website somewhere which explains that all of the children in the school were played by 4 kids in duplicated shots.

I always thought of Tom Poston as his handyman character on Newhart but after seeing his intelligence and wit on various game show reruns, and knowing that Suzanne Pleshette loved and married him, i have new regard for him.

[quote]Anne Bancroft was NOT a bitch,

She was absolutely DELIGHTED to help Joan Crawford pull her little stunt at the Oscars, and was decidedly chilly and judgmental in interviews for decades. I don't know about this situation in particular since we have limited information, but I would bet actual cash money that she was indeed a bitch.

Suzanne and Tom....1959

"She says she also did Seesaw but she's not listed as replacing Bancroft (Lee Grant is)"

R175, Suzanne didn't do SEESAW, she did TWO FOR THE SEESAW. Do you not know the fucking difference?

I don't think Suzanne had the sex with her husbands. I do believe she talked like she did, but she was more about getting her nails done and waiting for cocktail hour. She had a pretty high opinion of herself but she was cool. A drinker for sure.

Seesaw the musical was based on the non musical Two for the Seesaw. I believe Bancroft was the original Gittel Mosca and Henry Fonda was the original Jerry Ryan. I wish I could have seen the original straight play with Bancroft and Fonda, even if she is a bitch.

This thread is dying of lesbian death bed.

Oh cram it, Lainie.

I agree, R189, I have no interest in Lesbians and this movie is one of Hitchcock's lesser movies.

He was too busy with the fake special effects to exert his usual issues,

The Ethel Griffies' impersonation of Daphne de Maurier might be an interesting subtext but, as I say, I have no interest in Lesbians.

Talk about burying the lead-- R185 failed to mention that DL icon CONSTANCE FORD was also in that production!

^ I tell you, I’ve been to Bodega Bay and it’s wall to wall carpeting!

But is it wall-to-wall carpet munchers?

You have to go by car because the bush was too thick to make a decent landing strip.

You bet your ass I was, r192!

How many gay guys are in that clip at R111???

Suzanne was one of the most accessible celebrities, she was everywhere. I worked in Beverly Hills from 1977-1988 and a Suzanne Pleshette sighting was like seeing the mailman. She loved all the trappings of celebrity (far more than she enjoyed the actual work imo). She was out on the town just about every night, she was out to lunch everyday, she was in the Polo Lounge every Saturday. Her office was on Beverly near Nate n Al's and that's where I saw her most often at lunchtime. La Scala was another favorite. A long closed restaurant called Ma Maison was practically her second home. The more 'sceney' a place was the more she loved it. I've heard from friends who were servers that she had an ego and could be a difficult customer because she was very picky about where she sat and she ordered stuff that wasn't on the menu and wanted particular chefs to cook her meal but she was very nice to 'fans' or anyone who approached her. I was young and very cheeky and I would give her a big wave if I saw her sitting outside or say hello if I passed her and she would always respond or give me a big wave back like we were best friends. It was very sweet.

Her husband was known as the 'Irish Prince of Beverly Hills'. I never saw them together but I often saw him rolling through town in his Rolls Royce, window open, arm dangling out to show off monogrammed cuffs, Rolex and Gucci bracelet, yelling out at locals in a loud Texan accent. People would be waving back and cracking jokes with him and I found it all a bit eye rolling but friends who served him had only good things to say. I have no idea where he came from, what he did or how he got the nickname.

I fondly recall sitting across the aisle from Suzanne and her new husband Tom Poston, at a performance of "The Producers" on Broadway. May 2001. I think they had been married that afternoon.

I think R35 is correct in stating the "subtext" of the plot in "The Birds". The terror is externalized because of the unspeakable (and considering the time, Freudian) subconscious, or suppressed sexual yearnings of the characters, esp. Mitch and the "unhealthy" smothering by his mother (who gets her eyes eaten by the birds). The question for me has been whether Hitchcock just accepted these cliched explanations of human behavior as ready-made structures for the plots and characters of his films, or whether he was mocking the automatic assumptions of his middle-class American audience. I was watching "Psycho" recently, and the movie begins with the camera slyly & voyeuristically sliding up the wall and in through the open window of the hot hotel bedroom, where the main character in the film has just finished a sweaty lunch-hour "quickie" before returning to her job. It seemed so obvious, in light of the morals of the time, that revealing this secret "pre-marital" sex at the very outset of the story means absolutely that Janet Leigh HAS to die before the conclusion of the film. She's "immoral" and she's not going to make it through the film alive. She's a slut and she has to die, it's just that simple. It's a wickedly sly judgment on Hitchcock's part.

The neighbor got his eyes pecked out, not the mother

R200, Jessica Tandy does not get her eyes eaten by the birds. She sees the eyeless farmer and freaks out.

^^Gosh, you're right. I just read a synopsis of the plot. I had remembered that wrong. I wonder how many years it's been since I watched this one.

Does Annie get her eyes pecked out? I recall Mitch shielding her face from Melanie and the kid with his jacket but I don’t recall if we get a closeup of her injuries like we do with the farmer.

No, we just see her head turn quickly and Melanie react in horror, R204. It's implied.

When I Was 11, The Birds was the scariest thing I'd ever seen. Annie's death was horrific and the birds chasing the kids as they left school terrified me. Watching Tippi sit there smoking was crazy. Hitchcock aced that sequence. The tension building was almost scream inducing. And that fucking song. Damn that song the kids sang made the hair on my neck stand on end. I can never unhear it.

btw, that was the late Carol Lynley on the right in r39's photo of models.

Yes, r207, with Miss Ann-Margret and Miss Pamela Tiffin.

Best line in the movie, from the airport scene: "I'll have the fried chicken."

R187

Well, one of Suzanne's closest friends was Tina Sinatra who bearded for Robert Wagner for 2, 3 yrs circa 1969,1970, 1971. Take it for what its worth. Suzie was also very close to Angie Dickinson.

R156

Yes, I've been to Bodega Bay. Though the movie was filmed there back in !962, they turned that fact into a cottage industry. Tippi used to visit each July & sign autographs down at the Tides Restaurant. . Only thing that looks like it did in the movie is the schoolhouse which is a private residence so you can look at it but can't go on the property of course. The house used as the residence for Annie (Pleshette) was a fake front only; same for the one used for the Brenners (Taylor, Cartwright, Tandy) though there was a house there on the other side of the bay- it was modified for the movie. IN addition as I recall, roads and streets don't exactly match up the way that they were shown in the film. Taylor St for example was used for the scene where the children flee from the school to head home, yet it is about 4 blocks from where the schoolhouse is situated.

Annie could've made the jaunt to Guerneville -- it's not that far away. I don't know if was full of carpet munchers in the olden days.

R211 was that like the very close friendship between Nancy Sinatra Sr and Barbara Stanwyck?

Tippi Hedren talks about Hitchcock's obsession with her...

Pleshette on Hitchcock and The Birds - starts around 5 minute mark

R205 The deadly high Monkey Bars are enough to spook any child.

Veronica's interview is great......

To add to R212, the general store exterior and street scenes of "downtown" Bodega Bay were shot on the Universal lot.

Bodega Bay doesn't have a downtown, just a scatter of stores and restaurants along the coastal highway.

This isn't Jessica Tandy's best work. In fact, I think she's miscast.

Here's Mario Cantone recreating the school song from The Birds.

Hilarious.

It starts at 2:30

Here's Mario Cantone recreating the school song from The Birds.

Hilarious.

It starts at 2:30

R223, you must be the only person on planet Earth that thinks anything, that's anything, Mario Cantone does or says is "hilarious."

I agree with R224. That guy is absolutely, revoltingly obnoxious and is not funny AT ALL.

R223- Is correct. Mario Cantone is HILARIOUS at times.

Isn't he the one who played Charlotte's friend on SATC? If so, I could not stand him.

R226, He does a very funny Liza imitation.

R228-He also does a very funny imitation of Julia Child.

He also does a very funny three-part imitation of Bette Davis -- young, middle-aged and post-stroke.

Cantone is annoying AND funny. Talented guy. A little court jester-ish. Wait for the Judy/Liza duet here.

Dirty, disgusting, filthy, lice-ridden boids.

R111, I just got around to watching your clip – thanks for posting that! It really deserves its own thread.

I love seeing home movies of stars from before 1970 or so. In those pre-paparazzi and pre-social media days, there were generally only posed publicity pictures or perhaps pictures from a big, formal party. Seeing these folks relaxing like any ordinary group of (mostly) young adults was wonderful and fascinating.

Others have commented on how gorgeous Lee Remick was – indeed, she was luminous. I had forgotten how handsome Dennis Hopper was in his younger days. And Ricardo … God, what a body. By far the best body at that party even though he was 44 years old (although I also like the lean, natural look many of the men have). Was that Mrs Montalban he had his arm around, or was it not, explaining why he laughingly covered her face? Oh, and who was the big, hairy guy in the yellow trunks, the one who positioned the dog on his crotch? I like big, hairy guys.

And Suzanne Pleshette drinking Bud from a can – a reminder that, in those days, you drank domestic beer or you didn’t drink beer. And everybody smoked, but nobody had tattoos.

Who is white speedo with writing on it and white muscle tea? Roddy? I claimed Dennis was a good looking twink in another thread and everyone shot me down, so I'm glad to see someone else agrees.

muscle-t.

Thank you, r233: I agree those films are mesmerizing. That's Bill Colleran, Lee's husband. He died in 2000: Per the NYTimes:

Bill Colleran, a film and television director whose work ranged from documentaries to musical variety shows, died on June 1 in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 77.

The cause was a stroke, his family said.

Born William Arthur Colleran in Edgerton, Wis., he began his career in the story department at 20th Century Fox, then served in the Navy during World War II. In the late 1940's he became an assistant to the director Louis de Rochemont and worked on the films '13 Rue Madeleine' and 'Boomerang.' He also worked with de Rochemont on 'Lost Boundaries,' a 1949 film about racism, and on the documentary 'Windjammer' (1958), a wide-screen chronicle of the 17,000-mile cruise of a Norwegian training vessel. Mr. Colleran directed the 1964 filming of 'Hamlet,' a Broadway production staged by John Gielgud.

In the early 1950's Mr. Colleran became the associate director of the weekly television variety show 'Your Hit Parade,' staging and directing musical numbers on the show. He also directed television specials featuring stars like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds, and was executive producer of 'The Judy Garland Show.'

Mr. Colleran's marriage to the actress Lee Remick ended in divorce. He is survived by a daughter, Kate; a son, Matthew; two sisters; and two grandchildren.

r233: I also agree with you that Colleran was sexy. He had a 1960s fit Dadbod.

Well, er, Pleshette was briefly married to Troy Donahue. I always assumed it was a lavender marriage for both but after looking him up, I'm not so sure.

There have been lots of deni als about Donahue, who was married briefly FOUR times (each marriage lasted no more than two years) and he had a son with a short-lived fling that he only found out about years later, and he was briefly linked to Chinese opera singer Zheng Cao before he died. So who knows, but despite that history he pinged to high heaven for this eldergay, who remembers him well.

Sometimes the person inside the actor is more interesting than anything the actor has the skill to project. I suspect this might have been true about Donahue, who was a wodden actor but seemed troubled and far from stupid personally. Maybe that's what was pinging.

^*wooden actor

He had a daughter too, conceived shortly before he married Pleshette as she was born in 64. He reconnected with her in his later years and when his estate received some compensation after his death from a lawsuit over some heart medication he was taking, the daughter sued Donohue’s sister for her share. The court documents were posted here not too long ago.

I saw a color photo of my mother from about 1962. She would have been 15 and she was all dressed up for some occasion, maybe Easter. She looked like she was 50. Seriously.

Will there next be a "Marnie" thread?

Mind muh laig, Marnie.

"Yew - get - outta - mah - house!"

The amateur person in 'Marnie' is painful to watch. Even fat-faced Grace couldn't have saved 'Marnie'.

R245 - It's the script that's amateurish - or at least. the second most amateurish entity, one of Hitch's worst. Only the magnetism of Connery, who somehow managed to film it straight-faced, sans irony, saved it from utter camp. And, personally, I think it was also the film in which he was at his most stunning.

It's the Sean Connery's wig that's amateurish, the worst I've ever seen it. And R246 what are you talking about Marnie NOT being utter camp???

R247, "Marnie" has Martin "WML?" Gabel and Melody "Y&R" Thomas.

Haven’t seen Marnie in a while but I remember Sean’s accent standing out like a sore thumb. His sister was the Annie Hayworth of Marnie and could have been played by Pleshette again. The mother gave a great performance but seemed out of place because Tippi was terribly wooden and out of her depth.

R249

Not his sister, (Diane Baker) plays Lil who is technically a former sister in law. Lil was the sister of his first wife Estelle.

Hitchcock wanted Pleshette for the sister part in Marnie. She turned him down because it wasn't the starring role.

R251

Which if true is odd since she'd just had a supporting role in his previous film THE BiRDS.

Marnie and The Birds aren't very good movies. This discussion has been fun, but there is no great film or performance there. Eldergays have crap attached to them. Elder Hitchcock did too.

The Birds is Hitchcock's most successful film.

It's been a zillion years since I've seen it but I think I liked Marni. It was a psychological film wasn't it where she had some kind of trauma to deal with and a crazy mom or something?

That's the one, R255, it's a mess of bullshit psychology, marital rape, and a terrible leading performance from Hedren.

Sean Connery is extremely sexy in it, though, so while it's a mess of a film it's not entirely without merit.

R252, I can see why an actress who'd gotten noticed for a supporting role in a big prestigious hit like "The Birds" might want to see if she could use the momentum to make the leap to leading roles, and stardom in her own right.

Particularly if she'd read the script for "Marnie".

The Birds does a very good job of setting a mood. I enjoy it much more than the highly over-rated Vertigo.

R251, Considering some of the crappy films Pleshette was making circa 1964, I would think another with Hitchcock would have benefited her resume.

Youngblood Hawke (Movie) Jeanne Green 1964

A Distant Trumpet (Movie) Kitty Mainwaring 1964

Fate Is The Hunter (Movie) Martha Webster 1964

R254. IMDB says Psycho and The Birds are equally successful; they both raked in $32 million.

Rod Taylor was one handsome man.

Thanks for the info, R236/R111. Bill Colleran - another victim of the Woodland Hills curse. There must be something in the water that kills so many entertainment personalities in that corner of the Valley.

(I am joking. I know WH is the location of the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. That place must have a capacity of thousands. It seems like every other person connected with Hollywood has ended his or her days there. I don't work in the industry, but I've watched a lot of movies and TV. Will they let me in, too, when I get (even) old(er)?)

The Birds isn't A list Hitchcock but it's definitely a strong B+.

And, the real Bodega Bay is NOTHING like the film which was mostly (and very cleverly) a collage of bits and pieces of the real location(s) with the backlot at Universal and lots of terrific matte paintings.

AND, I don't think Annie is actually a lesbian; she's just supposed to be very "real" and earthy as opposed to the very artificial Melanie. Annie is very obviously checking out Melanie when they meet but it's less "Mmmmmm, I wanna jump these high class bones" and more amusement that this society dame has the hots for Mitch, a 32 year old man with an umbilical chord still wrapped around his neck. Melanie amuses Annie as does the thought that Melanie will have to go up against the disapproving gaze of Lydia just like Annie had to do when she dated Mitch.

R263, good point about Annie. There was also the amusement and bemusement at the idea of wearing a champagne mink coat that probably cost $10,000 1963 dollars for a weekend trip to a scruffy country fishing village. Melanie looked like a fool in that coat - a stylish and well-dressed fool, but a fool nonetheless.

She talks about turning down Marnie in R216. Also mentions staying close friends with Hitchcock. Interestingly, she also claims Hitch recited naughty poems to her, Tippi considers the dirty poems harassment. Pleshette sat on his lap and read them back to him. Not saying Tippi wasn’t harassed by Hitch, just interesting how two people can handle the same situation.

R247 - Connery's hair (on top of his head, that is) has never interested me much; however, I deeply appreciate the hair on the rest of him. And the wide red lips, and the voice, and the hands, and the insolent eyes.

And I said "utter" camp, I didn't say it wasn't camp at all - I said, Only Connery's straightfaced performance saved it from "utter camp".

I know nuance is dying in our modern world, but . . .

Hitch's most successful film in terms of box office was "Psycho", which at the time made $50 million, the equivalent of about $400 million today.

People who think "Marnie" gets a b+ should be tied to a chair and forced to watch "Notorious" 50 times. If "Notorious" gets an A+, which it does, and inadequate at that for sheer elegance, style, photography, the performances of two of the most magnetic stars ever to grace the screen, and that fadeout - how the fuck does a piece cheap claptrap like "Marnie" get a "strong B+"??!!

Oh, did I forget to mention "Rebecca"?! The scene in the boathouse with Olivier and Fontaine when she finds out the truth about the first Mrs De Winter, compared to that idiotic scene in Marnie's Mum's house where we find out the truth about her past??!. "

Please "Marnie" gets a D. Sean's sexual magnetism notwithstanding. Sorry - Hitch was asleep at the switch on this one.

R256 - Spot on in your thumbnail description. My own was lengthier but in total agreement.

I read a review of Notorious that said noted it that it was a very effective suspense movie without resorting to any action or chase scenes. Grant showed a dark side that you did not see very often (in a lot of ways Claude Rains Nazi was more sympathetic). It might be Bergman's best golden age of Hollywood role, and the mother makes Mrs. Danvers seem like Little Mary Sunshine. It might be my favorite Hitchcock from the 40's, although Shadow of a Doubt is up there as well.

Jessica Tandy is a very good phone actress.

R26 8 - Agree about Shadow of a Doubt, it is right up there with Notorious and Rebecca. It was also alleged to be Hitch's favourite of all his films, and a comment on the innocence of an America that no longer exists, if it ever did.

Notorious also points up the hypocrisy of the (unnamed but obviously FBI/CIA) "good guys" who are willing to throw an innocent woman into a Nazi's bed, washing their hands of all moral responsibility for it because their target is a bad guy. Grant's bitterness at their hypocrisy as he struggles against his growing feeling for Bergman was one of the nuances of the film.

All of which the dreadful Marnie lacks.

Jessica Tandy clinging and scared, worrying about losing Rod Taylor to a younger woman, but I wonder how she would've reacted if she'd known she would end up with Morgan Freeman.

"I don't think Annie is actually a lesbian"

I agree with a lot of what you say, R263, Annie was the "real" one. However, I see her as a lesbian who didn't know she was lesbian, a woman clinging to something she could never have, not wanting any other man or any other life. She hadn't figured it all out, and there was no support for people like this - extremely common at the time. I've know a few.

I just wish that Hitch had left in that scene that showed what Mitch was doing to Aarin Asker out in the Brenner barn.

Alfred Hitchcock was inspired to film THE BIRDS after reading a newspaper article about a coastal town that experienced something similar. I vaguely remember reading that seagulls were eating contaminated or spoiled shellfish. The shellfish were contaminated by untreated wastewater and sewage. Somehow the birds contacted a bacteria that affected how they flew and they just started flying into buildings for a few days.

^Very interesting. And there is a fascinating article in today’s NYTImes about how North America has lost 3 BILLION BIRDS!!!

I think they know who’s killing them (major industrial polluters, pesticides) and are going to come back for revenge one more time before going instinct!!!

[quote]Oh, did I forget to mention "Rebecca"?! The scene in the boathouse with Olivier and Fontaine when she finds out the truth about the first Mrs De Winter, compared to that idiotic scene in Marnie's Mum's house where we find out the truth about her past??!. "

Never seen it.

My favorite Hitchcocks are "Shadow of a Doubt" and "Strangers on a Train." I also like "The Lady Vanishes" and "Foreign Correspondent" quite a bit.

"Shadow of a Doubt" was filmed in Santa Rosa, CA, which, like Bodega Bay, is in Sonoma County.

Hitchcock loved that part of the country. There’s a book called “Footsteps in the Fog” about his affinity for using the Bay Area in his movies. He kept a house in Monterey.

A sad moment. But my heart did a little pitter-pat every time Mitch took his jacket off.

'Notorious" is an excellent film. The last 10 minutes are riveting.

Tippie grew up in some little town in Minnesota. Suzanne's father was the manager of The Paramount Theater in Times Square (which had live acts like Frank Sinatra back then). She was surrounded by show people her whole life. By the time Suzanne got to Hollywood, she had seen it all at least twice. Hitchcock probably didn't faze her at all.

R277

I read that SHADOW OF A DOUBT was Hitch' favorites of his films.

[quote] North America has lost 3 BILLION BIRDS!!!

Sliced and diced in windfarms and fried in solar farms. Then sold across America at KFC,

R282 She pretty much says exactly that in the interview above ^^ Not at all intimidated by him or any of the guys in power at the time.

The solar electric Ivanpah facility routinely incinerates birds in flight.

R265, I suspect the biggest difference is that Tippi felt vulnerable and weak, whereas Suzanne felt confident in herself and her ability to fight off unwelcome advances. In general, Suzanne Pleshette radiated self-confidence and strength. I think she could take care of herself and knew it. I think she also liked men, and I don’t mean just sexually. I mean she seems like a woman who enjoyed the company of men. tl;dr: What R282 said.

I will get flamed for this, but I can’t help but think that constantly treating women who have suffered harassment as helpless victims who are scarred for life by the awful trauma of a man leering at them and reciting dirty poems does not promote the kind of self-confidence and strength that Suzanne had.

R247, Notorious is wonderful, yes. For me, the problem with Rebecca is that I can’t stand Joan Fontaine. I promise that I’m not Miss DeH, but she is just such damn simp. That dishwater hair, that timid manner – I know it’s in the book, but it bothers me less on paper than on screen – it suits JF perfectly because she’s such a dishwater person. There’s nothing vivid about her.

I’ve never seen Shadow of a Doubt because I can’t stand Joseph Cotton, either. Many people think he was terribly handsome in his heyday. I think he was a male Joan Fontaine. Dull as dishwater. Worse than Joan, because Joan was, I must admit, conventionally pretty. I don’t think Cotton was handsome at all. They both look … attenuated, somehow. As though you started out with an attractive person but then watered them down.

To me, Cotten is not at all handsome, and I see no manly presence in his performances … at least the ones I’ve seen, which is few because I don’t like him.

I would much rather watch Marnie and enjoy Connery's thrilling virility, even though I acknowledge it's not a very good film.

Cotton is wonderful in Shadow of A Doubt. You don't have to find Uncle Charlie handsome. It's Hitchcock's best cast film, in my opinion.

I agree about Cotten. I never cared for him at all. Because of his association with Orson Welles and Hitchcock, he gets a pass on his hammy overacting. It reached it's nadir in "Niagara", but it might be hard to notice since he had an actor and actress (Max Showalter and Marilyn Monroe) who were even worse.

I don't know anyone else but a datalounger who would give such a detailed analysis of Joseph Cotton's looks and persona...in 2019!

R290, Indeed, Patricia Collinge and Hume Cronyn are superb.

Suzanne was a great talk show guest.

Her friendship with Johnny cooled after he divorced Joanna. Joanna and Suzanne were very close. In fact, I don’t believe she ever got on the show again after his divorce but from the early 70s through to the mid 80s she was a guest a few times every year.

Shadow of a Doubt is one of my favorite movies! . I thought, in the Birds, that Annie was run off by Mitch's mother. He chose Mom and Annie was over it. Annie was an earthy type and Mitch's mother was a snob.

Cotten is superbly evil in Shadow of a Doubt. He is one of Hitchcock's best villains. The fact that he might be considered bland (not by me) adds to his character as a secretive serial killer.

Cotten is also great as a good guy in Since You Went Away, a World War II home-front epic from David O Selznick. It's pure propaganda but very effective, with a cast that includes Agnes Moorehead in one of her best bitchy roles. She and Cotten go at it in some delightfully snide dialogue.

I have to disagree about Cotten - partly because I never considered him a heart-throb in the first place, but I did think him a bloody good actor. "Distinguished" is the word I would have used. And he was wonderful in Shadow of a Doubt, poster upthread shouldn't deprive himself of an excellent film.

As for Fontaine, yes, she was perfect for the role of the Second Mrs De Winter. I read somewhere that this was either her first big film or her first film, not sure, but the rest of the cast were experienced stage-screen actors and were a bit condescending to her through filming until they saw the rushes and realised how well she was coming across in the part.

Fontaine was really quite pretty, regular features and lovely skin and hair, but in a sort of valentine card way that didn't carry much impact. Her sister had far more impact on the screen, perhaps it was a factor of the richer colouring, the black hair and huge dark eyes. I remember watching "Robin Hood" again a few years ago and looking at Flynn and de Havilland onscreen together and thinking, "The Gods really are unkind - they deprive most of us and save it up and then throw it all to jus a few people, like these two."

R281 - "The last ten minutes are riveting"

They are, indeed, there's a reason that fadeout is famous. It has been copied, too, and recently, but I can't put my finger on where, but I saw it and thought to myself, that either an homage or a stolen idea, probably both. It's masterful filmmaking and storytelling, with stars of exceptional charisma and skill, and I do not mean just Grant and Bergman.

Re Pleshette and Hitch: it does bear repeating that Hitch was obsessed with fragile blondes. His bawdiness woth Pleshette the tough dakrk-eyed brunette may have been more jocular and less intense, so she may not have come in for the scarier treatment Hedren did.

I live not far from Bodega Bay and every so often Tippi Hedron comes out and greets people at the Tides Restaurant. One year I went out to see her, she looked great. I didn't speak to her but there wasn't a huge crowd and I could have if I wasn't so socially inept.

Bodega and Bodega Bay are increasingly capitalizing on The Birds tourism. I don't mind, I really loved the movie and don't get tired of watching it. My favorite part is the opening scenes in the pet shop on Maiden Lane off Union Square in San Francisco. I'm from SF (in my 60s now) and I simply love seeing the city of my youth. The fashions, the much less populated city and north bay, great memories. The entire movie is camp, although we do get a lot of birds around here, especially ravens. They hang out in my big oak trees and are a screeching bunch especially about now when the acorns start to drop. Whenever I see a large gang of them I always think of the movie. Actually, my mouse pad features a scene from the movie with Tippi and Mrs. Bundy. I look at it every day, it's the photo below.

Cotten totally ruins Gaslight because, though he's supposedly from Scotland Yard, he doesn't even attempt an English accent.

That was a hoot, r 294. Like others have posted, she's the sort of fun broad you would love to hang out and drink with.

R302-Mrs. Bundy would be a HOOT to hang out with.

R299

Not all though. Of course maybe some weren't of his liking, didn't arouse interest or they handled him themselves in their own way. Eva Marie Saint, Janet Leigh for example. HITCHCOCK had grand designs on Vera Miles who was a mousy brown. She was incredibly talented which he knew. He was going to give her a huge build up and try to make her his star ideal. Miles dealt with him but never went public with her tales about what a creep he could be . She was suppose to star in VERTIGO; there are photographs out there of her from costume tests for the film. Whether intentionally or just be an act of timing Miles announced to Hitchcock that she'd just found out she was pregnant and either he would have to shelve the project for a year or use someone else. Hitchcock used Kim Novak instead who was borrowed from COLUMBIA. Hitchcock never forgave Miles. She still lowed him one more film under a contract and in late 1959 agreed to play the sister 'Lila' in PSyCHO. She kept clear of the old lech while on set. In the movie HITCHCOCK (2012) which revolves around the making if PSyCHO there was a scene in which Miles warns Janet Leigh about Hitchcock. Leigh had no trouble with him at all, wrote glowingly about his genius in her autobiography 'THERE REALLY WAS A HOLLYWOOD'.

On the set of MARNIE once he froze out Tippi Hedren after she rebuffed him Hitchcock allegedly made a play for 25 yr old Diane Baker. Baker has never discussed the matter publicly.

Vera Miles in the famous gray suit worn by Madeleine & Judy in VERTIGO.

Did Hitch ever have a sexual affair with an actress? Until the last few years when all the stories of his creepiness and lechery went public I had only read that he was sexually repressed and likely celibate for many years. I think I even read that he hadn’t had sex with his wife since the birth of their child. Just wondering if he ever went ahead and had an affair or if he would given the opportunity. His obsession as Tippi describes it - picking out her clothes, having her handwriting analyzed - seems like the behavior of someone with mental issues. Telling Tippi and Suzanne those silly poems seems juvenile and awkward. I’m wondering if he would even have been capable of having sex or if he would have been satisfied with having total control over his creations without consummating.

Good post, R306! I have wondered the exact same things since the tales of Hitchcock’s over the top lechery have come out as well....

I have never found a clear answer.

You hear stories about Hitchcock’s “obsessiveness” and sexual creepiness but no stories about an actual “mistress” or any detailed reports of either actual sexual assaults like Weinstein or making actresses his mistress like studio execs did with Marilyn Monroe.

I agree that Hitch sounds mental with his obsessions and creepiness but I have never heard one way or another whether he actual had any physical/sexual relationship with any of these actresses (be they willing or unwilling...).

"His obsession as Tippi describes it - picking out her clothes, having her handwriting analyzed..."

Clearly Hitchcock was extremely weird, but his fixation on women he can't have/doesn't really want sounds like the obsession of a homosexual. There was even a thread speculating that Hitchcock was a repressed gay here 10 or 12 years ago. It was fascinating until know-it-all David Ehrenstein came in and tried to kill it because it wasn't "true" in his opinion.

The biography I read said that Hitchcock had been celibate for many years, putting all his sexual energy into his films, and that his relationship with Hedren represented an attempt to stop being celibate. Which was creepy as all hell, because he didn't try to win her heart or anything, he tried to put her in a position where she wouldn't be able to say "no". Well she did in spite of the blowback, because in a world full of ambitiosexual actresses he managed to fixate on one of the few who'd turn him down even if it meant the end of her career.

I've wondered if he were really gay myself, I mean who wouldn't, but the relationship with Hedren certainly argues against that. Or maybe not completely, maybe it was some sort of attempt to be straight, where he picked a gal who he subconsciously knew wouldn't go for it.

R309, but is there any evidence that Hitchcock was interested in men, even in a way that was not overtly sexual? It seems to me that, if he were gay, even if were trying to deny it to himself, then somewhere in his life or work there'd be evidence that paid even half as much attention to an actor as he did to many actresses.

For example, there's John Gavin. Hitchcock was pretty withering in his comments about Gavin, who was as perfect a male specimen as appeared in any Hitchcock film. Granted, he put the shirtless scene of JG in Psycho (thanks, Hitch!), but are there other shirtless scenes in other movies? I can't think of any, but my knowledge of his movies is far from exhaustive.

Jesus Christ, Hitchcock was not gay - but he made at least two films about gay men/homosexual attraction. Rope and Strangers on A Train.

Have at it. You're welcome.

So crazy that I find this thread when I just decided to revisit this film today.

I'm loving all the queer and Freudian theories about the film in this thread, as well as appreciation of the late Suzanne Pleshette.

That wasn't the first time Novak had to step in quickly for a pregnant actress. Jennifer Jones was supposed to play the Greenwich Village witch in "Bell, Book, and Candle:. The original play featured Rex Harrison and Lili Palmer (oh how I would have loved to have seen that!), then it went to film and neither were available for that. D.O. Selznick had got the rights for the film for Jones to star in, but she got pregnant, Grace Kelly the next choice was getting married to Prince Rainier, so they brought Novak in, who, ironically, was filming "Vertigo" with Stewart for Hitch at the time.

I never heard anything about Novak being harassed by Hitch. But then, she was hardly fragile: a big healthy girl from Minnesota or somewhere, so I would guess not his type.

Thanks for the Vera Miles post, I didn't know any of that. Surprised Hitch wasn't taken with Leigh, she had the kind of figure hetero men of the era would kill other men for, small with a tiny waist but big breasts.

Also surprised to hear about Diana Baker - but she was a very refined sort of brunette, so perhaps not. He seemed to go for women who looked cool and classy outside but hints of burning up the sheets inside.

Otto Preminger also had a terrible reputation for bullying actors, particularly women. He was so brutal to Jean Simmons on the set of "Angel Face" that her co-star, Bob Mitchum, either hauled off and hit Preminger, or threatened to if Preminger didn't stop abusing Simmons.

As no one in his right mind would have thought Mitchum was bluffing, Preminger backed off and left Simmons alone for the rest of the filming.

Maybe someone should have done the same to Hitch.

^*Diane Baker

Perhaps Hitch didn't go near Diane Baker because she's gay, R314.

"I never heard anything about Novak being harassed by Hitch. But then, she was hardly fragile: a big healthy girl from Minnesota or somewhere, so I would guess not his type."

Harry Cohn referred to Kim as "My Polish cow".

I've always thought the numerous homosexual subtexts in Hitchcock's films (sometimes subtle, sometimes not) were simply there because homosexuality in his day existed in the dark, unspoken realm of things. His teasing of gay subjects was yet another a device to express how evil was all around us, even in the sunniest of settings (his whole oeuvre). In his films, homosexuality existed in the shadow of the mind, and was used as a plot device to introduce the viewer to things that were sinister.

How's THAT for politically incorrect?

miss pleshette looks awfully frumpy in the op pic, she looked much better almost twenty years later here,

Six years later, R319. "The Birds" was released in 1963.

Hitchcock's original (1934) version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" was on TCM yesterday. Peter Lorre, who was unable to speak English at the time, learned his lines phonetically.

She claims in the interview posted upthread that they purposely frumped her up with the costume and then again by giving her bad lighting, the DP apologised to her for what he was about to do. She says she was a-okay with it because a) she’s an ACTOR and b) being a stunning brunette grabs so much power onscreen that had they not frumped her up she would have blown the little blonde off the screen.

And somehow despite having an ego the size of Mt Rushmore she comes across as being very likeable and fun. 🤷‍♂️

[quote]And somehow despite having an ego the size of Mt Rushmore she comes across as being very likeable and fun.

Hey--don't drag us into this.

[quote]And somehow despite having an ego the size of Mt Rushmore she comes across as being very likeable and fun.

Trust us, her ego is bigger.

Hitchcock did, however, love Cary Grant. I think he probably was gay also but knew that men would never put up with his shenanigans.

Suzanne Pleshette never achieved true stardom. She never carried a film on her own and nothing she ever did on film came even close to being Oscar nominated. At best she was a utility actress, best known for a supporting role on a television sitcom.

That's completely true R326. Pleshette is mostly before my time but my mother used to say that actresses were either women or girls and that Suzanne was a woman. My mother is not a lesbian, ha. She used to give Leslie Ann Warren as example of someone who was always a girl, no matter her age. It became a bit of a game and it's a bit reductive. Madonna is a girl too, ha.

I guess I am saying that Pleshette is a real presence on film, TV and life. She was formidable.

Thank you so much for this thread, OP. So many interesting views and juicy gossip.

Nothin' wrong with that, r326.

R308

He was overly involved to the point of choosing their hose and type of shoes worn. If you notice in many of his films he has close-ups of their pumps. He loved womens shoes; like Tarantino loves dirty bare feet on his actresses.

R326 R329

Still, Pleshette was top notch. Agnes Moorehead, Dame Judith Anderson, Vera Miles; none of them ever became quite 'A' list but we all know that each of them was excellent.

R111 I want so badly to jump in a time machine and hang out at this party. Hayley, Hopper and Tuesday are all so cute. Lee is stunning. Whose house and good camera was this? Guessing maybe Roddy McDowall?

You're in for a treat R332. There are many more parties and home movies and b e a u t i f u l people to enjoy. Touched by the sun.

It was Roddys house and his camera. There are quite a few videos on that channel. The guy who uploaded them inherited them from Roddy. His father was someone and a friend of Roddy’s. He was trying to fundraiser money to hire a lipreader to transcribe what the guests were saying at one point. Then he was talking about doing a documentary. None of that materialised and he’s a bit of a libertarian loon if you read the comments but I’m so glad he shared the videos with us because they are gems.

Thanks so much for the Roddy prompts!

R28 LOVE the snot! In this age of every other reality star or true-crime interviewee bawling with no tears whatsoever, it seems so real.

R34 Yes Della, I adored that apartment, too. The ultimate in sophistication. I also liked the Jeffersons' place.

Wtf? I was convinced this film was made in the 1950s!!

[quote]He was trying to fundraiser money to hire a lipreader to transcribe what the guests were saying at one point.

No need for a lipreader to figure out what phrase Tony Perkins kept saying!

Thank you for that video, R333. Natalie Wood was beautiful and seems so sweet and cheerful. Does anyone know who the stunner is in the tight gray bathing suit, lighting a cigarette at about 1:00? He looks very familiar.

I don't think we need any lip readers, but it might be nice if somebody could annotate the names of the different parties as they appear...

Of course Pleshette never made it to the A-list, but she worked forever and always did a damn good job. If I were an actor, I'd rather have a career like hers than flaming out quickly, the way so many name actors do.

Still, doing another film with Hitchcock wouldn't have put her on top of the A-list, if she turned down "Marnie" it might have been because the script sucked, or because she knew that Hitchcock films would be a career dead end for her. Hitchcock was obsessed with blondes, slim fragile things like Kelly and Hedren (and not big healthy gals like Novak), he'd never offer her anything but a supporting role, and never one that would take too much focus away from the blonde lead. Sure, she took a lot of focus away from Hedren in "The Birds", but that wasn't his intent. Pleshette was just a better and more charismatic actress than Hedren, she did such a good job in a small and underwritten role that she got noticed just for being good.

The gas station explosion reaction scene needed to be cut or at least edited better. It kept cutting to those freeze frame expressions of Tippi doing her best 'shocked' and 'horrified' and looking about as authentic as a LV bag on Canal Street. I've seen the movie twice now at outdoor summer screenings and both times the audience erupted into laughter at that scene.

In my opinion, the real missed opportunity of Suzanne Pleshette's career was not being able to convert her sublime performance in the TV movie 'Flesh and Blood' into more movie opportunities. There's a long 10 minute scene in the middle of the movie that is the best acting Suzanne did in her entire career. She plays a mother who sleeps with her son (Tom Berenger) which is about as far from Emily Hartley as you can get, the cinematographer was the great Vilmos Zsigmond so the look and feel of the movie is as far from her 60s work as possible and she still looked fantastic. She did everything right to make the transition but it never happened which is a shame because she has something very unique. I've heard that she did a lot of writing, was very good and was very supportive of other women (especially artists) so you wonder what her career would have looked like had she been born a generation later. I notice some of you have said her husband was her manager, never a good idea is it, so maybe she needed a better team behind her but maybe he had nothing to do with it either; She was very well connected and her social circle was the ultra A list (the Wassermans, the Korshaks, the Sinatras) and that didn't do anything for her career wise either.

I haven't watched her archive interview yet so I am looking forward to that, maybe she gives some clues.

The scene I am talking about from F&B was unfortunately taken down from Youtube. The full 3 hour + movie is still there but the audio is missing from the last hour. Nevertheless, in case any of you are 'at liberty' and looking for something to do here is the link to the movie and the scene I mentioned runs from 1:20 to 1:33. It's well worth us for those of you appreciate Ms Pleshette.

"My mother is not a lesbian"

R327, what in hell does that have to do with your post? Are you twelve?

R343 Good post. I think she was fantastic in that movie and it was a difficult role. When I saw it [it showed up in my YT recommended videos] I assumed she was nominated for an Emmy for it but no. Probably the subject matter was too controversial.

The television academy interview will have you screaming at your monitor because the interviewer says 'there's one tv movie we have to discuss'. Pleshette lights up and says 'oh Flesh and Blood?' but the interview says no 'Leona Helmsley' and they go on to discuss that and never come back to Flesh and Blood. It would have been interesting to hear Pleshette's take on the movie and her performance because I agree it is her best work. I wonder if she thought that too. She mentions her writing but says she wrote under a false name and doesn't list anything she wrote. She does say why her connections never led to work. Basically, they saw her as 'Suzanne' and not as an actress and also she didn't want to jepordize the friendships by trying to get jobs from them. She says something along the lines of [paraphrasing from memory] 'am I going to miss out on these fabulous parties with all these fabulous people for a role that won't matter much in the long run. The acting work is just gravy' She also tells a story about quitting a role on 'Single Guy' because she felt the writers were anti-Semites or rather self loathing Jews and as a Jew herself she wouldn't play the character they wrote which was interesting. She basically said she had fuck you money and didn't have to take their shit so she wasn't afraid to turn down work either.

R342, it's the worst!

[QUOTE]Does anyone know who the stunner is in the tight gray bathing suit, lighting a cigarette at about 1:00? He looks very familiar.

I'm pretty certain that the man is GEORGE NADER.

It could be, R347, but Nader was 45 in 1965. The man in Roddy's movie looks younger. I was thinking it might be Brian Kelly, who played Porter Ricks on Flipper. Kelly was 34 at the time, but it doesn't quite look like him, either. Also, he was a TV actor, and the people I recognize were all movie people (or were in 1965; a lot ended up on TV, of course).