Alfred Hitchcock 1966-1980 (The Old Man is Still Alive, Part 6)

Alfred Hitchcock in a publicity photo for *Family Plot,* 1976, Universal Pictures

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Hitch’s most iconic decade – a decade of Technicolor grandeur and peril inflicted on famous blondes – came to an end in 1964 with Marnie, a critical and box office flop which wounded Hitchcock’s ego and left him unsure how to move forward in a changing world. His subsequent four final films – Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy, Family Plot – are the result of his efforts to mix up his formula for an era in which he felt ripped off by James Bond and mourned the decline of the Golden Age stars.

Hitchcock and Paul Newman on the set of *Torn Curtain,* 1966, Universal Pictures

SHOW NOTES:

Sources:

Who the Devil Made It? by Peter Bogdanovich

Hitchcock by Francois Truffaut

Alfred Hitchcock by Peter Ackroyd

Women and New Hollywood by Aaron Hunter and Martha Shearer

The Art of Alfred Hitchcock: Fifty Years of His Motion Pictures by Donald Spoto

Cahiers du Cinema: The 1960s (1960-1968) New Wave, New Cinema, Reevaluating Hollywood by Jim Hiller

“‘Torn Curtain’ is Hitchcock Tearing Your Nerves To Bits”, Diane Thomas, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 27, 1966

“‘Torn Curtain’ at 3 Theaters", Bosley Crowther, New York Times, July 28, 1966

“Cinema: Mystery in Mothballs”, Time, August 5, 1966

“Loving, Zabriskie Point, Topaz, The Damned, and Au Husard Balthazar”, Manny Farber, Artforum, May 1970

“‘Topaz’: Alfred Hitchcock at His Best,” Vincent Canby, New York Times, December 20, 1969

“Americana,” Pauline Kael, New Yorker, December 27, 1969

“Zombie,” Time, January 19, 1970

“Dear, What’s a Pull-In –– or, The Sausages-and-Mash Drama”, Penelope Gilliat, The New Yorker, June 24, 1972

“Frenzy,” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, 1972

“‘Hitchcock’: The Agony is Exquisite”, Vincent Canby, New York Times, July 2, 1972

“Hitchcock Skills for Mood and Imagery Are Recalled at Gala Benefit,” Paul Gardner , New York Times, April 30, 1974

“The Declining Years of Alfred Hitchcock,” Francois Truffaut, American Film, November 1984

“Kael: Outspoken in Print—and in Person,” Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times, September 7, 2001

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Still from *Frenzy,* 1972, Universal Pictures

Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

"I Knew a Guy” - Kevin MacLeod

"An Unknown Visitor” - Cold Case

"Pacing” - TinyTiny Trio

"Single Still - Vermouth

“Tarte Tatin” - Confectionery

“Kalsted” - Lillehammer

“Cobalt Blue” - Marble Run

“Chai Belltini” - Vermouth

“Dowdy” - Muffuletta

“Pips and Boil” - Confectionery

“Tessalit” - Azalai