Alex Carson
Alfred Hitchcock may have been one of the most respected directors of his time, but it seems that the filmmaker had a nasty habit of mistreating women both on and off the set of his films. Although Alfred claimed to be celibate, he seemed to have an inclination for developing obsessive fascinations with some of his leading ladies, including actresses Tippi Hedren and Grace Kelly. Nowadays, Alfred’s behavior would probably get him sued! However, there was not as much advocacy for sexual harassment victims in those days. While Alfred was allowed his reign of terror during his lifetime, the fate of his legacy is up in the air. Join Facts Verse as we explore why fans have lost all respect for Alfred Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock was a famous filmmaker that was born at the turn of the 20th century and lived until 1980. During his lifetime, that director created numerous films that have gone on to be considered some of the greatest of all time, including Vertigo, Psycho, and Rear Window. Alfred certainly had a knack for scaring the audience when it came to the creation of his beloved thrillers, but it also seems that he had an unfortunate knack for scaring some actresses on set.
Some of the many notable actresses that Alfred Hitchcock worked with during his time include Tippi Hedren, Grace Kelly, and Kim Novak. Of the three, Kim Novak was the only one that still had respect for the filmmaker once she was done working with him. Neither Tippi Hedren nor Grace Kelly were ever incredibly fond of Alfred, and Tippi claims that the director sexually harassed her and destroyed her career.
Although Alfred Hitchcock claimed that he was celibate, he seemed to have odd fascinations with many of his leading ladies. Alfred would move from actress to actress while finding inspiration for his films, often employing actresses for numerous pictures in sequence before finding a new star to enthrall him for another creative period. While there’s nothing wrong with finding new talent for your pictures, it seems that many of the women that Alfred took on as leading ladies became worse off by the time the relationship was over than they had been before. It appears that Alfred could be incredibly demanding on his leading ladies during the filming of his pictures, and some say that he also had a bad habit of trying to take things too far when the cameras weren’t rolling.
If Alfred Hitchcock were a modern filmmaker, the rumors that have been spread about him would likely get him blacklisted from the industry. This is ironic, considering that Alfred was said to have blacklisted women from the industry if they didn’t reciprocate his sexual advances. One such woman that Alfred apparently had blacklisted from Hollywood after she refused to start a romantic relationship with him was Tippi Hedren, who starred in Alfred’s famous film The Birds.
Alfred Hitchcock made his intentions very clear to Tippi Hedren, and she made it very clear that she had no interest in developing a romantic relationship with him. Because of this, Tippi says that the director proceeded to make her life on the set of The Birds a living hell, including forcing her to film with live birds for a period of five days that left the actress battered, bruised, and cut up. The director also reportedly took pleasure in throwing fake birds directly at her head during the filming of certain scenes.
Tippi Hedren is still alive today and has continued to speak out about all the strange things that Alfred Hitchcock put her through while she was working with him. While the director certainly had some kind of a romantic obsession with her, she remains adamant that the obsession was nothing like normal and healthy love. Instead, it was some kind of sick and deviant game that the director was playing. Although Tippi agreed that the filmmaker was a genius, she said that he was a dangerous one who put his mind to poor use.
Sadly, there weren’t many options for Tippi Hedren back during the days that she experienced harassment at the hands of Alfred Hitchcock. She refused his advances through and through, and it ended up costing Tippi her career. Although the actress would go on to work again in other capacities, Alfred’s attempts at getting her blacklisted proved very effective and detrimental to her career.
Tippi has shared her belief that she would be able to sue Alfred for a great deal of money if he were to have behaved towards her today in the same way that he had behaved towards her during the filming of The Birds. The #metoo movement has made it easier for stars nowadays to feel that they have some rights when it comes to on-set sexual harassment, but there’s still the matter of how we view works from the past that were made by filmmakers who never received their comeuppance. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Alfred Hitchcock’s attraction to Tippi Hedren started out innocently enough but quickly grew into a dangerous obsession. Alfred would get mad when he saw the actress talking to male members of the cast and crew and would proceed to punish her in any way that he could think of given his authority on the set. The director would also take every opportunity that he could to get Tippi alone, at which point he would proceed to force himself onto her and try to kiss her. When it became clear that he wasn’t going to be able to break down Tippi’s walls, Alfred stopped working with her and did his best to get her blacklisted from Hollywood.
Tippi knew that she was likely going to suffer some setbacks in the industry as a result of denying Alfred Hitchcock’s sexual advances, but she also knew that it was the right thing to do. Sadly, there were likely many other women in similar positions that didn’t have the power to say no. After Alfred’s attempts at getting Tippi blacklisted from Hollywood, the actress didn’t work again for three years. Once she did manage to find work again, she was never allowed to receive leading lady parts like she had been previously. It appears that Alfred’s power was fairly great, and that he had a lot of sway in the industry when it came to his actresses.
Nowadays, Tippi Hedren continues to speak out about women’s rights on film sets. She has helped make a better Hollywood for her children and grandchildren, including daughter Melanie Griffith and granddaughter Dakota Johnson. While it’s pretty clear that no director would be allowed to act the way that Alfred Hitchcock did today, it still remains uncertain in the eyes of many how we should go about viewing works such as The Birds and Psycho.
Tippi Hedren was a blonde, and Alfred Hitchcock seemed to always develop obsessions with blonde actresses. Another blonde actress that Alfred developed an unhealthy obsession with was Psycho’s, Janet Leigh. Janet had to strip down to film Psycho‘s famous shower scene, and the director reportedly took great ire in tormenting her while she was nude. He was said to have snuck up upon her with a knife while she was unclothed, acting out the famous shower scene that was depicted in the film. While Janet was prepared to film the scene, she wasn’t prepared to have the director himself sneak up unannounced with a knife!
Janet Leigh reportedly didn’t have the best time filming Psycho, and the aforementioned incident is just one reason. Another blonde actress that Alfred was reported to have gotten on the bad side of is Grace Kelly. Alfred Hitchcock and Grace Kelly worked together on several films, including Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief. After a while, their relationship began to sour. As he did later with Tippi Hedren, Alfred made it very clear to Grace Kelly that he was sexually attracted to her. Like Tippi, Grace made it clear that she wasn’t interested. Thankfully, Grace Kelly proved to be too big of a star for the director to topple vengefully.
When Grace Kelly decided to leave Hollywood and marry the Prince of Monaco, becoming royalty herself, Alfred Hitchcock was reported to have been devastated. The famed filmmaker wanted to somehow keep the actress in Hollywood. That way, he could continue to torment and harass her with his unwanted sexual advances. Although Alfred Hitchcock was Hollywood royalty, he wasn’t real royalty. Alfred had finally found himself in a battle that he couldn’t win, having to surrender his unrequited love to the country of Monaco.
After Grace Kelly left to become the Princess of Monaco, Alfred Hitchcock still continued to try everything at his disposal to get the beloved celebrity back into his life. He continually attempted contact with her to try and get her to star in another one of his films, but the actress wasn’t interested in coming out of retirement for any reason. Once it became clear that he wasn’t going to be able to change Grace’s mind, Alfred began singing a different tune. He would do and say everything that he could do disparage Grace Kelly in the media. Alfred reportedly gave Grace the nickname of “Princess Disgrace”. Thankfully, most could see right through the prestigious director’s sad attempts to try and gain control in a situation where he never had any.
Now that it’s clear that Alfred Hitchcock didn’t treat his female stars very well on the set of his films, fans are reconsidering the widely respected director’s filmography, as well as his overall legacy in Hollywood. Now it’s time to hear from you: do you have a hard time enjoying Alfred Hitchcock’s films now that it’s been revealed that he was a sexual predator, or do you think that his actions were excusable given the different values of the time? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
