On July 17, 1959 the immortal classic ‘North By Northwest’ made its Los Angeles premiere and will be the final of the four films Alfred Hitchcock made with Cary Grant (Suspicion ‘41, Notorious ‘46, To Catch A Thief ‘51).
While the film has become one of the standards by which all thrillers are judged by – it was not an easy film to get made, either behind or in front of the camera
From the outset there were questions around the plot, the casting, and even the title.
Somehow ‘The Man On Lincoln’s Nose’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it (that was a title considered!)
It wasn’t until late into pre-production that Cary Grant signed on to the film (Jimmy Stewart was connected to the production for some time).
As we see with so many Hollywood classics fate aligned and the stars came together to give us, what many call cinematic perfection or as close as you are likely to find.
Did you know that there are wildly conflicting thoughts on who actually came up with the story (Hitchcock vs. Lehman)?
Did you also know Hitchcock dumped Jimmy Stewart in favor of Grant over his disappointment in Stewart’s performance in ‘Vertigo’ a movie which now is considered the best film of all time (even better than Citizen Kane)?
And of course, the tie into Bond you may ask…the helicopter scene in ‘From Russia With Love’ was added by Richard Maibaum as an homage to the great crop duster scene from ‘North By Northwest’.
Check out all the seasons of The Latch Key Kids Podcast especially Season One ‘Breaking Bond’ streaming now on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.