Seraphic Secret

Robert J. Avrech: Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Religious Zionist. Republican. Movie fanatic. Gun owner. Helplessly and hopelessly in love with my wife since age nine.

Tippi Hedren

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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“I turned my hair dark and have received much better parts ever since… I was sometimes greeted as Miss Lamarr in dimly lit restaurants. Personally, I liked the idea of escaping from all that bland, blonde innocence and thought the whole thing was very funny, but I don’t think Hedy found the comparisons very amusing.“
—Joan Bennett

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Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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“They say the movies should be more like life; I think life should be more like the movies.”
—Myrna Loy

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How to End The Birds

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Final scene of The Birds, 1963

Following the final attack of the birds, the Brenners escape the house—a key scene with the principals that remained to be shot. Hitchcock was still pondering the film’s ending. Should the birds keep up their attack? Why were the birds attacking? Why? The moron millions would want some answer, and he hated tidy answers.

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Twenty Greatest Movies of the 1960s: The Birds

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Tippi Hedrin and Rod Taylor in The Birds.
Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor in The Birds.

We continue our survey of the Twenty Greatest Movies of the 1960s.

For the Twenty Greatest Movies of the 1950s, click here.

For the Twenty Greatest Movies of the 1940s, click here.

For the Twenty Greatest Movies of the 1930s click here.

For the Twenty Greatest Movies of the 1920s click here.

7. The Birds, 1963

It is a shame, but the behind-the scenes drama of the making of The Birds, specifically Hitchcock’s unforgivable abuse of Tippi Hedrin, has, in some circles, become the dominant narrative of this spellbinding, if often mysterious movie.

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