Hitchcock

It's lucky it didn't reach the house.

Yeah.

You know...

there's gonna be a lot more jobs at that factory in Milwaukee come June.

I could put in a word.

You can't leave us, Henry. She needs us both.

Can you stop being a mama's boy for one second?

I'm not trying to hurt you, but Jesus, you gotta live your own life sometime.

That woman can take care of her own god...

Oh, good evening.

Well, brother has been killing brother since Cain and Abel...

yet even I didn't see that coming.

I was as blindsided as poor old Henry down there.

And apparently, the authorities shared my naiveté.

In other words, they believed the young man's story.

That Henry fell, hit his head on a stone...

and died of smoke asphyxiation.

On the other hand, if they hadn't believed him...

Ed Gein would never have had the opportunity...

to commit those heinous crimes for which he became most famous.

And we, of course, well...

we wouldn't have our little movie, would we?

Here he comes!

This thing's gonna be gigantic. I wish I had 20 percent of the take.

Does tonight's incredible reaction surprise you, Mr. Hitchcock?

No. When I was planning North by Northwest...

I could already hear the screams and the laughter.

Any questions, my dear?

Pity.

Mr. Hitchcock, you've directed 46 motion pictures.

You're the most famous director in the history of the medium.

But you're 60 years old.

Shouldn't you just quit while you're ahead?

Muhammad had the eyes of peeping toms gouged out with arrows.

Well, that must have been rather painful.

And talking of arrows...

did you read that little snippet from

A.H. Weiler's review in The New York Times?

He said he found the climax to be "overdrawn."

Well, I doubt Mr. Weiler has had a climax in years.

" North by Northwestreminds us of Mr. Hitchcock's earlier...

more inventive spy thrillers."

And there is an accompanying list.

"The New Masters of Suspense."

Why do they keep looking for new ones when they still have the original?

Oh, don't be maudlin. You know how much it aggravates me.

Just stop reading them.

You've been reading them for a week.

Tell me, my dear, do you think I'm too old?

Yes, you're a true relic.

And lest we forget, a notably corpulent one.

You always know precisely where to plunge the dagger, don't you?

Right between the shoulder blades. I learned it from your pictures.

And where, may I ask, are you off to?

I'm going to have brunch with Whit, after I drop you off at the studio.

Would you care to join us?

We have just established that I am far too corpulent to be seen in broad daylight.

Oh, you'll feel better when you find a new project.

Hasn't Peggy unearthed any decent books for you recently?

Yes, sleeping pills with dust jackets.

So, what do you think?

Very presentable.

Hurry up, dear. You're pruning.

Good morning.

Mrs. Hitchcock. Mr. Hitchcock.

Sirs.

Thank you.

There's a project out there waiting for you, Hitch.

I promise you.

I hope so. Thank you, my dear.

Have a good day.

I'm treading water, Peggy.

I need something fresh, something different.

Without expensive stars to pretty it up.

Fox is offering you The Diary of Anne Frank for the third time.

The audience would spend the entire picture...

waiting for Miss Frank to discover the corpse I'd hidden in the attic.

- Wouldn't you agree, Nunzio? - Si.

MGM wants you for the lan Fleming book Casino Royale , with Cary Grant.

Definitely your style.

Doesn't she know I just made that movie? It was called North by Northwest.

And style, my dear, is mere self-plagiarism.

Ooh! Scusi.

Nice, clean, nasty little piece of work. That's what I'm looking for.

I shall see what I can find.

Serves you right.

Yeah.

You know, Hitch always says...

that your private life is in danger of being more entertaining than any of your plots.

Well, I'm surprised he let me have you for the whole afternoon.

Especially looking so beautiful.

So, tell me, what are you working on these days?

Me? Oh.

- I'm satisfied working in my garden. - Oh!

Well, that's one lucky garden.

You know, all this relentless sycophancy is actually giving me indigestion.

What are you after?

I was hoping...

that you may be able to apply your considerable pruning skills to this.

Ah...

All is finally revealed.

Whit, you are a little predictable, you know?

The most fun I ever had was working with you.

Anything come up, my dear? Anything at all?

Nothing suitable.

Is that water, or do I need to call Alma?

Do whatever you want.

Anthony Boucher says this book Psycho by Robert Bloch...

is fiendishly entertaining.

Mmm. Sounds ghastly. Everyone in town has already passed.

And who is everyone, pray?

Well, the story department finished the coverage this morning.

This is about Ed Gein, the mass murderer from Wisconsin.

- Mmm-hmm. - Oh, yeah.

"Graphic elements of brutal violence...

voyeurism, transvestitism and incest."

Very nice.

Not your average run-of-the-mill nutcase, is he, dear?

You're kidding.

Peggy, this is the boy who dug up his own mother.

Hungry?

Famished.

Well, you can have half a grapefruit later if you're good.

Now, listen, Hitch...

Whit gave me the galleys to his new book yesterday at lunch.

I've already got some ideas about how we can adapt it.

It's elegant, it's sophisticated, it's full of intrigue.

You mean the book, or Mr. Whitfield Cook?

This could be the one, Hitch.

I'll read it later.

There are calories in that, you know?

Ma?

Ma?

Aren't you cold?

No need to be afraid, Ma.

Oh, God.

I just want you to read this little bit here.

It takes place in the motel bathroom.

"Mary started to scream.

"And then the curtains parted farther...

and a hand appeared, holding a butcher's knife."

"lt was the knife that, a moment later, cut off her scream..."

"and her head."

Charming. Doris Day should do it as a musical.

That is nothing but low-budget, horror movie claptrap.

But what if someone really good made a horror picture?

Just think of the shock value.

Killing off your leading lady halfway through.

I mean, you are intrigued, are you not, my dear?

Come on, admit it.

Admit it.

Actually, I think it's a huge mistake.

You shouldn't wait till halfway through. Kill her off after 30 minutes.

Well.

Peggy, I want you to summon your minions.

Minions?

Right away.

Certainly. And who might they be?

Get them started by buying copies of Psycho.

How many do you need?

All of them. Every copy, nationwide.

Scour every bookshop, every library. And I mean everywhere.

Psycho is going to be my next movie,

and I don't want anyone to know the ending...

until they see it in the theater.

Look at that.

Are you sure about this?

It's just so unlike you.

That is exactly the point, my dear.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press.

Good afternoon.

I see you've all been devouring the article on Mr. Ed Gein.

Violent chap...

and the real-life inspiration behind Psycho .

All of us harbor dark recesses of violence...

and horror.

Fascinating, isn't it?

When the Wisconsin Police Department raided Mr. Gein's farm...

they opened the door, and voilà.

They discovered 10 female heads with the tops sawn off.

Pass these around, would you? And have a look.

Masks of human skin...

a pair of lips on a draw string for a window shade.

Oh, yes, and a jar containing human noses and other...

Is this really going to be your next picture, Mr. Hitchcock?

Well, that is my intention. Yes, Madam.

My only wish is that Ed Gein...

looks a little more like William Holden instead of Elmer Fudd.

Oh, by the way, try the finger sandwiches. They're real fingers.

Bloody hell!

Now, don't pretend you're not upset he hasn't read it.

I'm not. I'm a big boy, I can take it.

Well, I loved it. It must have been great fun to research.

Do you really think he will read it?

Ah...

Speak of the devil. Hitch...

I ran all over town trying to find a copy of Psycho , but I simply cannot find one.

I wonder how that could have happened.

Yeah.

Don't stop looking on my behalf.