North by Northwest is a very good movie, but not nearly as good as Rear Window or Strangers on a Train. Trust The Ghost Of FReepers Past on this matter. LOL!
SoaT took some liberties with the plot. I think the play is closer to the original book (which I've not read) but I don't think the Hayes Office would have allowed the original plot to be used. In it, Guy Hanes is finally badgered into committing "his" murder (just before intermission) but Bruno doesn't just fade into the woodwork. In the end, a private detective hired by Bruno's father's family figures out that Guy Hanes had committed the murder as a result of endless pressure by Bruno. Rather than go to the police, however, he figures out that Guy Hanes has already suffered enough.
Trust but verify. The best Alfred Hitchock movies (IMHO) are two classics made before he came to America: The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes.
BTW, Roberts should have cited Bob Hope's 1940 film, The Ghost Breakers, if only for this clip.