“I abhor conflict but I draw the line with my work. It pains me when I see people who don’t live up to their full potential.”
–Alfred Hitchcock
The TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents originally ran between 1955 and 1965, and in the mid-90’s, one of the over the air TV channels ran blocks of the reruns. Each episode was a half hour long. In said mid-90’s, I had gotten rid of Cablevision when they upped the price to 28 bucks a month. I concluded this was way too much of my hard earned dough to spend on channels I wasn’t watching, so I installed an antenna in the attic, and never looked back. The reruns were quite entertaining. I often binge watched them, mostly because there wasn’t much else to do or watch at night. I liked the black and white format, and the plot twists. Although after a few episodes, these became predictable. Likewise, Hitchcock’s movies were (and are) entertaining, especially the décor, the double-entendres, and (sometimes) advanced storylines. Although compared to something with newer technology from someone like say David Lynch, Hitchcock seems more nostalgic than something to be taken seriously. However, that nostalgia isn’t anything to dismiss, and that’s likely one of the reasons I picked up Hitchcock’s Blondes.
For the record, Hitchcock made a few movies after Marnie (1964) that departed from his formulaic blonde leading lady, as well as some before. But, there are enough instances of this occurrence that we certainly can conclude he had a fetish of sorts for the young, blonde actress. The book takes the reader through Hitchcock’s life, chronologically from his early days in England, then Germany, moving up the ranks of the industry, and eventually moving to Hollywood in 1939. It also describes his relationship with his wife Alma (screenwriter), daughter Pat (actress and producer), and other Hollywood types (writers, producers, and agents) that he worked with. The reader comes away from the book with the conclusion that he was a stickler for details when making his films (which might be admirable on a professional level), but also a colossal creep-O.
Hitchcock’s Blondes spends a great deal of time describing the lives of the leading ladies (both personal and professional), with the majority of the time devoted between the movies Spellbound (1945, Ingrid Bergman), and Marnie (1964, Tippi Hedren). While the stories are interesting from the standpoint of describing the lives and careers of each actress (and Leamer does a good job of this), the Hitchcock interactions are mostly the same with a few notable exceptions. He was a narcissist who delighted in telling off-color jokes, reciting dirty limericks, and relishing opportunities to demonstrate his intellectual superiority. In other words, he was insecure, likely about his short appearance and obesity. Kim Novak (Vertigo) was a big target of his intellectual condescension, while Tippi Hedren (the Birds) suffered physically and emotionally in a sadistic fashion as a result of Hitchcock’s relentless harassment. And then there is some additional downright crazy stuff in this book – Leamer seems obsessed with all the details of the on and off screen romances from the leading ladies, their alcoholism, and financial difficulties (at times it almost reads like a Jackie Collins novel). Detailed depictions of their marriages, divorces, and affairs appear in each section. The berating of Kim Novak by her agent as “fat” is absolutely ridiculous, as well as other criticisms of her acting in Vertigo. Overall, I liked learning more about the lives of the actresses, how they were cast, and even the descriptions of Hitchcock’s process in making of his films. However, the usual Hollywood drama, including the broken marriages, alcoholism, and other tragedy, is more than a bit depressing, as is learning about Hitchcock’s retaliation against them.
Leamer, Laurence. Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession. 2023. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 2023.
