Happy 50th Anniversary, Psycho

[admin tim]

Fifty years ago today, the film Psycho premiered, and cinema has never been the same since.

Maybe the definitive psychological horror film, but Alfred Hitchcock is still a scumbag.

[Howard Brown]

Oh man, I thought I was having another birthday....Nina told me that its in 6 months from now.

Nevermind.....

[String]

Maybe the definitive psychological horror film, but Alfred Hitchcock is still a scumbag.

Why a scumbag?

[admin tim]

String:

From Ripperologist #70:


In spite of Thriller's status as the premium program of its kind (more on that shortly) and its popularity among viewers (especially among the coveted 18-35 year old male demographic), it was, unfortunately, cancelled after only two seasons. I remember being saddened and angered by this event, for Thriller was one of my favorite programs at a time of my life when I used to spend several hours a day watching television. Today, one might naturally attribute such a seemingly poor decision to mere network executive buffoonery, the type of which would definitely occur six years later when NBC cancelled another immensely popular series, Star Trek, likewise after a run of only two years. The truth of the matter, however, is one of the television industry’s dirtiest little secrets.

As was mentioned earlier, Thriller began life as an imitation of the successful program Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which since 1955 had been carried by CBS, the chief rival to Thriller’s network, NBC. Like Walt Disney, Alfred Hitchcock viewed his competition as parasites, but with an air of benign contempt. He was, after all, the acknowledged ‘Master of Suspense’, and everyone else, well, they were just second-rate imitators.

However, Alfred Hitchcock switched his affiliation to NBC at the beginning of the 1960 television season, the same season that Thriller began, and this event set the stage for what would soon become a disaster for Thriller and its production staff. Once Thriller hit its stride in the middle of its first season, and literally became slicker and better week by week, its ratings began to consistently surpass those of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. According to William Frye, the one producer most responsible for Thriller’s success, this fact was not lost on Alfred Hitchcock. As William Frye was later quoted on the matter, “Don’t think that Hitchcock and Joan Harrison (the producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents) weren’t watching Thriller”.

The end came quickly. Alfred Hitchcock, irked by Thriller’s consistent high quality and superior ratings, then issued a Machiavellian ultimatum to NBC; he wouldn’t continue unless Thriller was withdrawn for one year. This act would be tantamount to canceling Thriller outright, and Hitchcock undoubtedly knew this. The network hesitated, but as William Frye ruefully recalled, “Hitchcock’s clout at NBC was greater than Karloff’s.” The decision was made to axe the series.

As anticipated, Alfred Hitchcock Presents benefited immediately from Thriller’s demise during the 1962 television season. Now retooled and retitled The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, the series began presenting unabashed horror episodes, something that Hitchcock had always previously eschewed. William Frye observed this shameless metamorphosis with undisguised annoyance. “Not only did they begin using similar stories,” he points out, “but they started using the same directors.”

At least Star Trek received another year's reprieve when hordes of angry fans besieged NBC by mail after its cancellation was announced, demanding that the series be reinstated. Probably at least as many fans would have supported Thriller as well (remember, they knew nothing of Alfred Hitchcock’s behind-the-scenes machinations), but, unfortunately, no such organized letter-writing campaign was implemented on its behalf, and it just went gently into that good night. One might wonder why, if Thriller were so popular, that one of the other two major networks didn’t pick it up from NBC. We’ll probably never know for certain, but one can readily surmise that the television industry was as incestuous in 1962 as it is today. Surely the executives at ABC and CBS knew the true reason underlying Thriller’s surprise cancellation, and they weren’t about to run afoul of an industry heavyweight like Alfred Hitchcock. Thriller had, for all practical purposes, become radioactive, and would henceforth be doomed to syndication.

In my humble opinion, the producers of Thriller missed a golden opportunity to cash in on its popularity, when they probably could have released a Thriller feature film shortly after cancellation of the series. After all, the time was ripe for such an event; Psycho had by then recently whetted the public's appetite for psychological horror, and, quite significantly, Alfred Hitchcock had made Psycho on a shoestring budget, mainly, and most importantly, by utilizing the production crew from his own television series. Had Thriller's producers done the same thing in a timely manner, this story might well have had a different ending. Again, we’ll probably never know for certain, but it is possible, even probable, that Alfred Hitchcock foresaw the possibility of such an event and took additional measures to ensure that such a Thriller film would never be made. At least this supposition would explain why Hitchcock was so keen to hire away as many of Thriller’s creative personnel as he could, following its demise.

Personally, I find the truth behind Thriller’s cancellation disgusting, even though more than 45 years has now elapsed since the deed was done. While I will continue to admire Alfred Hitchcock’s work, I will certainly never look at Alfred Hitchcock himself in the same way again, ever. He is one Hollywood God that has been proven to have feet of clay, and this whole sordid business between he and Thriller is as anticlimactic as it gets. That one man’s bloated ego could be allowed to destroy Thriller, which had risen to the top by blazing its own trail, is as gross an injustice as has ever been perpetrated in the entertainment industry.

[admin tim]

http://flashbak.com/production-9401-hitchcock-brings-some-very-ordinary-people-together-horror-and-death-ensue-37937/

[Chris G.]

Hi Tim

Thanks for this reminder of your article in Ripperologist 70 about Alfred Hitchcock's war against "Thriller." The "Alfred Hitchcock Hour" and Boris Karloff's "Thriller" play back-to-back early mornings here on a retro channel named "Me TV" and it's interesting to know this background information about how Hitchcock got his way in ridding himself of a rival on the airwaves. A bit of early U.S. television skullduggery.

All the best

Chris

[Chris G.]

Also in 1962 --



The Beatles 1962 - BBC Radio Documentary -- check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=9v2tO42-4Ls

[Robert Linford]

I think there's an interview where George Martin, commenting on how John and Paul's songwriting skills developed very rapidly, said that all he could get out of them at the start was Love Me Do. I've also seen it said that the album "Please Please Me" was more or less a studio version of the band's stage act at the time. If that's the case, I'm wondering why their first single wasn't something better than Love Me Do.

[Jon Simons]

, I'm wondering why their first single wasn't something better than Love Me Do.

I think it was the harmonica hook that sold this song to George Martin as the single, Robert.
Even the second single "Please Please Me" had that harmonica intro hook.

[Robert Linford]

Maybe, Jon. I heard that it was John's song and he was a bit miffed that Paul got to sing the solo part, but it had to be so because John had to play the harmonica. Presumably John did this on live performance too.

When they did Please Please Me there was also a harmonica part, at the start but also at the end while John and Paul were singing, presumably using studio technology. I think they got round this when playing live by playing the harmonica part on guitar.

[Jon Simons]

Maybe, Jon. I heard that it was John's song and he was a bit miffed that Paul got to sing the solo part, but it had to be so because John had to play the harmonica. Presumably John did this on live performance too..

Paul say`s the song was written 50/50 between them, but Lennon only remembered helping with the middle 8.

You can hear how nervous Paul is on his solo vocal. Apparently John originally did that part, but because of the harmonica bit, it was thrown on Paul at the recording session.

When they did Please Please Me there was also a harmonica part, at the start but also at the end while John and Paul were singing, presumably using studio technology. I think they got round this when playing live by playing the harmonica part on guitar.

Lennon originally wrote Please Please Me as a slow Roy Orbison style number, but they were persuaded to speed it up and add the harmonica (as it worked the last time).

Yes, they overdubbed the harmonica on at the end of the session.

[Robert Linford]

Jon, what's the latest you can recall them using a harmonica on single or album?

[Jon Simons]

Jon, what's the latest you can recall them using a harmonica on single or album?

Great question, Robert. I was just thinking about that
Did they use one on Rocky Raccoon - White Album 1968 ?

This is a great site for the background and details on Beatle songs:

http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/

edit - just checked and yes, Lennon played one on Rocky Raccoon -whether this was the last time they used one, I`d have to check ?

[Robert Linford]

Well remembered, Jon. I was thinking of The Word but that was long before.