Posted on 08/16/2012 10:41:16 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Actress Tippi Hedren has exposed her “The Birds” and “Marnie” director Alfred Hitchcock as a “dangerous deviant” who “ruined” her career in a shocking new HBO panel discussion held to promote upcoming biopic “The Girl.”
The actress, who is portrayed by Sienna Miller in the new film, held nothing back as she recalled the time she spent with the movie mogul behind some of Hollywood’s top thrillers.
Hedren told film executives and fans, “We are dealing with a brain here that was an unusual genius, and evil, and deviant, almost to the point of dangerous, because of the effect that he could have on people that were totally unsuspecting.”
“The Girl” supports Hedren’s claims that Hitchcock attempted to steal a kiss from his leading lady on the set of “The Birds,” and then put her in harm’s way by insisting she work with live birds for several days.
The actress said, “He ruined my career but he didn’t ruin my life. If this had happened today I would be a very rich woman.”
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.sfgate.com ...
What a vile, nasty b*tch. Out to sell a biopic, she has resorted to the destructive mantra of today’s women: when out to make a fast buck, simply shout “sexual harassment” and watch the frightened sycophants do your bidding.
As Sinatra said of Judith Campbell some years back, “Hell hath no fury like a prostitute with a book deal.”
I’ve heard stories about Hitchcock. Come on, we all know women were forced to submit to casting couch stuff to get roles back then.
There are thousands of stories like this from most of the women who starred in Hitchcock’s films. His perversities were not evident in all his films, but take a look at FRENZY again
and try to reconcile the “two Hitchcocks”. I’m afraid I agree generally with Tippi Hedren. Hitchcock had little regard for actors, and especially for the (mostly) blonde leading ladies he utilized.
She could be right...but then again, methinks it was really Harry Reid that was the b*stard and he’s just paid her off.
An unnamed source told me this.
And of course, I wouldn’t lie, would I?
50+ years ago Not Guilty.
The actress said, “He ruined my career but he didn’t ruin my life. If this had happened today I would be a very rich woman.”
If she is suggesting that she would sue because the Director tried to "steal a kiss." it is more likely that she would be laughed out of Court than made a "rich woman." Her case would not be helped by the fact that he sought realism by using live birds.
I am sorry to see this nonsense. I thought that she was once a very competent actress.
William Flax
“I’ve heard stories about Hitchcock. Come on, we all know women were forced to submit to casting couch stuff to get roles back then.”
Hollywood still does. The casting couch is alive and well.
And before Star Trek he was a lead actor in a horror flick that was the only movie with all the dialog in Esperanto.
This isn’t exactly new news. I’d read about the Hitchcock/Hedren friction many, many years ago. And Hitchcock did seem to have a history of being a bit of a creepy misogynist when it came to pretty women. Yet, on the other hand, Hitchcock doesn’t particularly have a slew of sleazy stories/scandals attached to him either, unlike many other directors and producers of the day.
Didn’t Hitchcock say that all actors were cattle? LOL!
Hitchcock had little regard for actors in general. He pretty much considered them “cattle” (his word). But, I’m fairly certain he didn’t treat women any worse than anyone else. Grant and Kelly had nothing but little but good to say about him, and they dealt with him extensively. We must keep in mind that Ms Hedren is a washed-up actress whose career really never blossomed and who now wants to make money dancing on someone else’s grave.
And it doesn't discriminate by sexual orientation.
Probably why he produced such great films.
How did Hitchcock ruin her career?
This sounds a lot like that no acting Sondra Locke saying Eastwood ruined her career. If she hadn;t dropped her britch’s for Eastwood she wouldn’t have had a career.
Same goes for Lauren Bacall who Bogart was sleeping with and Ali McGraw. McGraw was so bad she absolutely ruined “Winds of War”. Destroyed the whole movie all by her lonesome.
As Hitchcock said, “I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.”
Like many women of that age, she could be using the term “steal a kiss” instead of going into detail and getting graphic about what the activity actually was.
I’m afraid it’s not clear how attempting to steal a kiss is a terrible crime. In my view, that’s not even harassment. And how does working with birds for several days endanger one’s safety? Absurd. This woman has just publicly made a fool of herself.
Can’t remember who, but one of the old time actors told of going to dinner with Hitchcock on Hollywood or Sunset Blvd in the heyday of the great restaurants in that area. Hitchcock ordered a large steak supplemented by a 5 course meal with a great dessert.
When the coffee came, the director instructed the waiter, to do it all again from the beginning.
Sounds like an Orsen Welles bit.
One mustn’t forget how many of these women of rather modest acting ability were willing to bed anyone who might advance their careers.
Pretty blondes are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. She was a mediocre actress. These claims sound no differnt than any other man in a power position back in the 50’s and 60’s.
In comparison to Roman Polanski he sounds like a gentleman.
She will be remember as an sctress that was in 1-2 good films. Hitchcock will be remmebered as the best director EVER. In fact his movie Vertigo was just voted as the best movie EVER.
Shatner also had his own series before Trek, a fairly adult lawyer show called “For The People.” Not to mention, he was busy and making the rounds, guesting on virtually all the big-name drama shows.
It was well known at the time that Tippi Hedron hated Hitchcock. What’s not to hate? Now, if he had had Burt Lancaster’s looks, maybe he wouldn’t have been such a dangerous deviant.
Shatner also did the famous Twilight Zone airplane gremlin story before it was in the movie.
To add a little something, I was recently listening to a conversation that Veronica Cartwright (who was a young girl in “The Birds”) was having, about how she asked Hitchcock on the set about why he was filming something the way that he was, and she stated that he nicely explained the reasoning. I don’t believe he was an ogre. There would be a long documented history if he had been. I think he had some issues with pretty women (whom he obviously couldn’t attract), and it made him a little misogynistic. Nothing much more than that.
Poor thing. Most actresses would love to have such a “ruined” 60 year career and be able to pass down the legacy another two generations.
And there are many nearly pathologically ambitious wannabe's of both sexes and all persuasions who are more than willing to submit if it means possibly snagging a role. Maybe it was all innocence some time in the distant past, but not since the 1920s at least.
At least Hitchcock didn’t go after little girls like Roman Polanski.
I don't see how Hitchcock "ruined her career". She will always be known because she happened to star in two Hitchcock films. A lot of actors and actresses should be so lucky.
Some time ago, I read Donald Spoto's The Dark side of Genius. Hitchcock did have a "dark side", but it was basically sublimated and only barely makes an appearance in his films. He may have had some secret "deviant" desires, but they were kept in check. If all you can say is that he attempted to kiss a pretty actress and was rebuffed, you don't really have much. As to whether the scene with live birds was a deliberate attack; that's debatable. She could have refused to do the scene.
I'm a huge Hitchcock fan; but I do not consider The Birds or Marnie to be among Hitch's best work. However, each film has some interesting sequences; and both have superb casts. IMO, Psycho was his last truly great film. All the films he made after that show a lessening of his genius, IMO.
True. Recall that there were a LOT of seemingly innocent terms that are used as insider codes. Like the term “confirmed bachelor” being code for homosexuals like Rock Hudson.
You can bet, all things being equal when it comes to talent and looks, the actress with superior swallowing talent still gets the role.
What a delight it was losing sleep, yesterday, to get a chance to watch 24 hours of Lillian Gish on TCM, watching highlights of her 75 years in Hollywood.
They don't make 'em like that any more.
The other tip Shatner epitomizes is, "Don't take yourself too seriously."
It's kind of funny because the agent was also the first to represent (and name) Rock Hudson, and had to teach Hudson how not to be so effeminate in order to get past the first line of studio talent screeners.
Remember Jack Woltz, the fictional Movie Producer in The Godfather who found the horses head? In the original novel, he was portrayed as bedding child actresses, they cleaned it up a bit in the movie to imply he went after adult starlets.
The story I heard about Travolta is that he wasn’t born gay, but had to submit to the casting couch, and out of that guilt, became gay to rationalize what he was forced to do....I wouldn’t be surprised at all if that was the case.
Remember when George Takei “married” his gay partner?
Someone photo shopped him wearing a wedding veil and taking the place of the gremlin when Shatner pulled back the curtain. Hilarious.
I was looking for that pic the other day, can’t find it. Maybe it was deemed “too insensitive” and scrubbed from the ‘net.
Isn’t her 50 years of Not Guilty about to expire???
It's interesting to see how many ex-TZ actors appeared in Star Trek episodes.
Forced? or Willing to? There is a big difference, and I have a tiny suspicion it still happens today.
Even for intern roles in Washington
Hmmm. George Soros was raised as an Esperanto speaker...
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