Tuesday 8 July 2014

BABE OF THE DAY - JANET LEIGH...



JANET LEIGH, she of PSYCHO fame (who
can forget the shower scene?), is our BABE Of The
DAY this time around.  (Y'know, that reminds me - I
meant to hang up my jacket when I came in - better
do it now - and hang up my cap as well.)

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kid, here are some interesting things I've read about Psycho: 1) It was the first Hollywood film ever to show a toilet on screen 2)It was filmed in black & white to save money and not because they wanted it to look atmospheric 3)The shower scene was originally intended to be silent !! Can you imagine that iconic scene without the screeching strings ?! A head-scratching moment is when Marion Crane's sister goes down to the cellar and finds Mrs. Bates - she touches her on the shoulder and the corpse slowly turns to face the audience. It's a classic moment but how is the corpse of Mrs. Bates turning around ? I suppose we have to overlook trivialities like that.

Kid said...

I'd have to watch it to refresh my memory, CJ, but is it possible the camera is revolving around her? Or perhaps because it's a rocking chair (if I recall correctly), it swivels around at her touch. It's a bit like when the audience first sees Boris as the Frankenstein monster, I suppose. He comes to the door with his back to it, then turns around so that we see his fizzog. A more sophisticated director would have shot the scene from the back, over Karloff's shoulder, registered the surprise of Henry's group - then cut straight to Karloff's face - and then done the succession of close-up shots.

Anonymous said...

Kid, I haven't seen Psycho for a long time either but I'm sure the corpse turns rather than the camera revolving around it - and yes, it is a rocking chair but I don't see why it would swivel around on its' own just because the occupant was lightly touched on the shoulder. I suppose it was difficult to think of a way to slowly reveal that "Mrs. Bates" was a dessicated corpse - but it's a great moment all the same. My father once said that if it wasn't for Psycho nobody would remember Alfred Hitchcock - I'm not sure about that but Psycho is definitely the film he's most remembered for.

Kid said...

It may not have swivelled in 'real life', but I was suggesting that was perhaps Hitchcock's rationale behind the figure turning to the camera. It's a movie, remember, CJ - lot's of things happen in movies that don't happen in real life. They have their own logic. Or perhaps it was just her head turning, there being no muscle to anchor it to the neck. If she'd have pushed harder, the head might have fallen off.

Comicsfan said...

Those titanium bras certainly *ahem* made their point. I think Joan Crawford must have stocked up on them, as well.

Kid said...

Bring back 'sweater girls' is what I say, CF. Now why do I suddenly feel like a drink of milk?

Anonymous said...

Kid, you are probably right that the chair is meant to be slowly swivelling around - as you say, it's a film and we have to allow for artistic licence. By the way, did any of my three "revelations" in my first comment surprise you or did you know them already (assuming they are even true of course) ?

Kid said...

To be honest, CJ, I don't recall if I'd ever read any of these things before - which probably means I didn't. I can't imagine why a Hitchcock movie would need to save money 'though. Now I'm going to watch out for toilets in movies older than Psycho. See what you've done to me - you've made me a toilet watcher.

Gey Blabby said...

About Colin's points in his first post:
1) Toilet bowls were a no-no in those days, especially if they were being flushed. When The Mamas & The Papas released their first album in the mid-60s, they used a cover photo of the band in a bathroom with the toilet in full view. Soon enough, the record company changed the cover to hide it from view; fortunately, I still have the original printing.
2) Hitchcock being Hitchcock meant his reasons for filming in B&W weren't straightforward. Doubts over the subject matter made it harder to raise money from the film company. By that time, too, he had a few years experience of making his TV show both cheaply and in B&W, and the gorier parts of the film might be more acceptable in B&W, while retaining their shock value.
3) Hitchcock wanted silence, Herrmann disagreed, and fortunately the music he provided was so good that Hitch relented and used it. When a similar situation arose some years later on Torn Curtain, he got his way and rejected Herrmann's music.

Kid said...

Never mind showing toilets, GB - even saying the word on national TV was a no-no, so I've heard. Thanks for the info, which I'm sure CJ will find as interesting as I did.

Anonymous said...

Yes, thanks GB ! Kid, did you expect your Babe of the Day feature to end up discussing Hollywood film music - that's what makes these blogs so fascinating as you never know where they'll lead.

moonmando said...

I'm pretty sure you could hang a wet dufflecoat on that mean looking bra worn on the lovely miss Leigh. Also,probably need some engineering experience at the local tech, to prise it off!...

Kid said...

Well, for me, it seems to be leading down the toilet, CJ - as far as what I'll be looking for in old movies.

******

Ah, you've been taking the funny pills again, Moony. You be careful you don't overdo them now - you're not used it.

TC said...

Somehow, I always assumed that Mrs. Bates' chair swiveled around, but I don't have any evidence to prove it.

I've heard rumors that Psycho was filmed in color but released in black-and-white, or that it was filmed in B&W because it would have been too gruesome in color.

Kid said...

That's what I'd always assumed, TC, but I'll have to watch it again to see exactly what's what. I don't have it on DVD, so I'll have to wait 'til it comes on telly again.



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