THE BIRDS 60TH ANNIVERSARY VIA FATHOM/TCM

One of Alfred Hitchcock's most ruffling (ahem) movies returns to theaters via TCM and Fathom Events for its 60th anniversary. It is, as might be expected, The Birds, which will be hosted by revered, movie critic/historian, Leonard Maltin.  

Based on a story by Daphne du Maurier, and adapted for the screen by Evan Hunter (better known as bestselling author, Ed McBain), The Birds is part clever allegory and part cataclysmic weirdness. Thanks to Hitch, it vaunts immaculate pacing and is enriched by frightful visuals, rendered by Disney Studios' esteemed animator, Ub Iwerks.

Rod (The Time Machine) Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy, Veronica Cartwright and Tippi Hedren (in her breakthrough role) comprise its forefront cast. They do an outstanding job drawing us into their characters (even allowing an admissible romance to bloom), as our fine, feathered fiends descend upon humble Bodega Bay, California. 

The Birds is also the granddaddy of quotidian-beast-revolt pictures, a precursor to Jaws, Frogs, Willard, Ben, Stanley, Cujo, Grizzly, Claws, Alligator, Crocodile, Squirm, Day of the Animals, War of the Insects, The Deadly Bees, Empire of the Ants, Kingdom of the Spiders, et al. In addition, it establishes a last-act claustrophobia that envisages George A. Romero/John A. Russo's Night of the Living Dead. 

The Birds, however, pushed its unwonted envelope with subtle, cawing grace, as demonstrated by a scene where a crow-flock occupies a climbing cage, near a schoolhouse where the unsuspecting children harmonize "Risselty Rossilty," in what might be Hitch's greatest ascent. 

The Birds is the epitome of crème d' la crème cinema and will reinstall its fluttering unease in select theaters, October 22 & 23. Be there to be scared! 😁 

Collectible Time: Warren Montgomery Psycho Print

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is one of my all-time favorite movies, and Anthony Perkins one of my all-time favorite actors. As good fortunate would have it, one of my all-time favorite artists, Warren Montgomery, has paid tribute to them both.

Montgomery's 11" x 17" print is a demented dandy, as it features Perkins' troubled Norman Bates (Prime Prince of Mamma's Boys) looming over his Hopper-esque house, with the movie's title and cast featured along the bottom, making this a grand, alternate, theatrical poster for the classic thriller. (Too bad this fine work of art wasn't commissioned as an official emblem for Psycho's Oct '20 TCM/Fandango, theatrical re-release.) 

Montgomery has chilled my macabre fancy to the bone with his haunting homage, and he will no doubt do the same for you if you purchase a copy of his masterful salute. (It's sure to make a great Mother's Day gift, tee hee.) Order Montgomery's Psycho print (or any of his wondrous products) at 

https://willlillcomics.bigcartel.com/category/original-artwork?fbclid=IwAR1lE2V9OQLge0_8xuPPMdW9OrRLydpXfg4dWXspWDYpo8mlz_3UHsnhUvc

HAPPY 60TH, NORTH BY NORTHWEST!!!

Alfred Hitchcock was a master at placing innocent, identifiable people into extraordinary, harrowing circumstances.

One of the director's best examples is MGM's "North by Northwest", which hits its 60th anniversary release date (per its Chicago premiere) on July 1.

"North by Northwest" is a tale of mistaken identity, where Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill, a New York businessman cut from the "Mad Men" cloth, is framed for murder in an enemy-agent attempt to smuggle some top-secret microfilm from the United States.

The content is pulpy and sweeping, featuring on-the-run, Bondian intrigue and piles of paranoia. 

To stir these ingredients, Ernest "Sabrina" Lehman's script streams with cunning calculation: an astute match for Hitch's jolting build-ups. The Mount Rushmore finale is stupendous and nail-biting; the moments with Grant and Eva Marie Saint's Eve Kendall are intelligent and steamy. (Saint is an excellent example of Hitch's proverbial icy blonde, but her character also applies a welcoming warmth that fills several, important interludes.)

The rest of the cast is as adroit, with Jessie Royce Landis as Thornhill's supportive but doubtful mom; James Mason as the wily Phillip Vandamm; Martin Landau as his stony henchman, Leonard; and Leo G. Carroll as the helpful, agency-with-no-name Professor. I'm also fond of Malcolm "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" Atterbury's cameo as the "crossroads man", whose enigmatic appearance proves the perfect prelude to one of cinema's most memorable moments.   

To add to the production's high caliber, Bernard Herrmann's score is pure, agitated grandeur, as are Saul Bass' ominous, opening graphics. Robert Burk's photography is rich and refined, creating one of Hitch's best looking efforts.

In all aspects, "North by Northwest" is the pinnacle of the thriller genre. To mark its superiority, re-experience it today or enter its splendor for the first time. "North by Northwest" isn't called a classic for nothing: Satisfaction guaranteed. 

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: HITCHCOCK VS CASTLE/PSYCHO MEETS HOMICIDAL