Pat Hitchcock
Emmy TV Legends interview

What was your full name at birth?

My full name at birth was Patricia Alma Hitchcock.

When were you born and where were you born?

I was born July 7, 1928, in London at 153 Cromwell Road. And they have just put a blue plaque there, which was very exciting. (edit: to commemorate the director. It was his second place of living.)

So you grew up there?

Yes. And we also had a house in the country, in Guildford, Surrey, and we went there every weekend.

And during that week you were in London?

Yes, I was in London, I was at school. Up until the age of eight, I was at school in London. Then at eight, I was sent to boarding school, which is what they do with English people, which I think is absolutely archaic. I think it's awful. But they send them off there, because that's what they've always done.

What were your parents' names and what did they do for a living?

My mother's name was Elma Lucy Reville, that was her maiden name, and my father was Alfred Joseph Hitchcock and he was a director. She was actually in the business before he was. She worked with many directors.

Did they meet through movies?

My mother was in the movie business before my father, this was in the silent movies. She saw this young man coming in with this big envelope, which had a lot of drawings in and, he actually studied to be an engineer, but then decided to get into picture business, so he took all these things out and he finally got a job writing the titles for the movies.

And so that's how they met at the studio?

That's how they met at the studio, yes.

Was it unusual for a woman, your mother, to be working?

It was in those days. We're finding out that there were more than we thought, but she was ahead of him in every way.

So would you consider her to be a pioneer?

I don't think she was exactly a pioneer, I think that's sort of giving it a little bit more... but she was in the very early days of the movies.

I know that you've recently written a book about your mother. Why did you decide to do that?

I've decided to write a book about my mother because I don't think she ever got the credit for being as good as she was. My father depended on her for everything. In the early days, she wrote the scripts, and then she became a continuity, and finally she's just worked with him all the time.

Officially, what was her position though at the studio?

In those days, you sort of did everything. I would probably say continuity.

Which is, sort of a script supervisor?

Script supervisor, and watching everything on the set.

And did she worked in the post-production area as well?

I don't think a lot of that, no. I think she was more pre-production.

What traits do you think you inherited from your parents?

Determination. It's the one trait I got from both of them.

Do you wanna elaborate on that a little bit?

Well, I'm very determined to do things the way I think they should be done, which sometimes is good and sometimes it isn't.

What were your hobbies when you were growing up?

I like to swim, I like to ride. I always love to ride. We had horses in England, and when we came to this country, we had a ranch in Northern California. I had horses right there and I've always loved horses.

In what kind of cultural environment were you growing up then with your parents in the city of London?

I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean?

I guess what were your influences, things you were listening in the radio, the things you were reading...

Actually, what I did mostly was go to the theater with my parents. I would go when they had musicals... I think that influenced me that that's what I wanted to do.

Did you get to meet any of these people, were they collegues of your parents?

Some of them were very good friends. There was an Englishman called Ivor Novello, who was a musical comedy star. He was one of their closest friends. I just met people who were working with them, it never occurred to me that they were stars. It wasn't quite like it is today.

What did you want to be when you grow up?

I always wanted to be an actress from the very beginning. Having gone to the theater so much, I decided that's what I wanna do.

Did you ever appear on your father's sets?

Oh yeah, my mother would take me to my father's sets on every picture, and I loved doing that. It wasn't anything sensational to me, it was just... that's where he worked and that's where we went to see him.

What are some of your fondest memories of being on those early sets.

Well, I just remember watching them shoot the movie. I remember meeting a lot of his stars, I remember meeting Margaret Lockwood... and these people to me were just people who worked with my father.

What do you remember about her, specifically?

I think I remember Margaret Lockwood because I've seen so many pictures of me on the set.

But did you talk to her?

To certain extent I talked to her.

As a kid, were you inquisitive about what was going on, or were you quiet...

If I went on to the set, I was supposed to be very quiet. That's what you did, you didn't play around like they do today.

So you just observed?

Yes.

How did you end up coming to United States?

We came to the United States because my father had an offer from David Selznick, who produced Gone with the Wind, to come over and make a picture from the story of Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, and that's when we came over. They came over in 1937 to meet with mr Selznick and then we've all moved here in March of 1939.

And you came through New York?

We came through New York. It was a very hard time, because in September 1939 war was declared, and my father was devastated because his mother was in England. I remember him trying to get a call through and the operator was saying: "there are no calls to that country because it is at war". And he was devastated, just devastated. My mother then went over to get her mother and sister and bring them over, which she did, and they lived here until they passed away.

How did the war in general affect you?

Well, it affected us because we had friends and family over there, that's how it affected us. It was devastating because there wasn't anything we could do. My father's family didn't want to come over here, so they then moved to our house in the country in Guildford, so then they stayed there during the war.

In terms of David O. Selznick, he was known for his publicity techniques. When you came over, was there a big boohaha? Were you brought out for photographs and things like that?

I think... David Selznick was one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I don't remember any publicity at all.

Was there a big announcement though that your father is coming over to make movies?

At the studios there was, yes, but not at the house.

And how would you describe the marketing that was done to get people to know that your dad was coming down here to make movies?

I don't know that I was conscious of it at all. I was only ten years of age, so I really wasn't conscious of publicity at that age.

How did you come to get your first stage role in the US?

I got my first stage role in New York through a writer called John Van Druten. My father was making a movie called Suspicion and Auriol Lee said that a friend of hers was looking for a girl to play his very long part. In fact, it was one of the longest parts at that time that had ever been written for a woman. And she said: I'd like to have Pat read for them. So, my parents said that she can read for him, but only under the condition she doesn't know what she's reading for, because they don't want me to get all excited about reading for a leading part. So, John Van Druten came over and asked if I'd helped him over because there was a part in the play and he needed to do some cuts, but he needed somebody to read the part. And of course I believed him, naturally. That's how I got the part.

So you had no idea?

No, I had no idea at all.

And when were you told?

I was told, oh I think it was about three weeks later. They had some photographers come over to the house and my father then told me that I had gotten the leading part in this play, and if the play had been a success, they were gonna use all these pictures in live magazine. Well, the play wasn't a success. It opened three weeks after Pearl Harbor, so what can I tell you?

Bad timing?

Not very good.

You mentioned about how it was one of the bigger parts for juvenile.

No, it was for the female lead. It was way before all these long long parts, the things that they are doing in one-woman shows (Wiki) and all these. And they said it was the next to Lady Macbeth's, that it was that long, because I was on the stage all the time.

Was it a demanding part for you in terms of memorizing the lines?

No, because I memorize lines very early, or at least I used to.

So this was your first part and you were ready to go?

Yeah, I loved it. I had good time.

And can you just describe the feeling of being on stage for the first time?

It was just normal for me. I've done plays at school and I just enjoyed it!

When you say you did plays in school, was this in England?

No, I did plays at school over here.

Where did you go to high school?

I went to school at Marymount High School in west Los Angeles.

And you also went to school at Marymount College?

No, I never went to school at Marymount College.

What kind of plays did you do at school?

We did all sorts of plays at school. I can't remember any of them now, but we did regular ones.

Talk about your next role on Broadway.

My next role on Broadway was called Violet and it was written by Whitfield Cook, who had written a series of stories about Violet, who was a little Mrs. Fixit. Her parents had been married... her father had two wives, and so they had two families. It could have been very good, it could have been funny, but unfortunately they couldn't get the director they wanted and to Whitfield Cook directed it himself. And was a big mistake because they needed a director. And so that lasted three weeks, too. (Marymount subject continues) I went there for my junior year in high school. My parents were going to be in England making a picture and I wanted to go to boarding school rather than stay all by myself.

Oh, I see, so it was a boarding school that you went to there?

Yes.

Did you do any theater there as well?

No, I didn't do much theater. I don't remember doing any theater there at all.

Where did you go to college?

I went to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

How did you decide to do that?

The only good drama school was Catholic University in Washington. Now, they all have marvelous dramas in schools. But I didn't have the grades to get in there. So, I went over to UCLA to check it, and I didn't have the money to register, so I went home, as I lived very close, and my father said: would you rather go to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London? So I said yes. So that's what I did.

You didn't need a lot of convincing?

No, not at all.

What was it like studying over there? Did they have philosophy of acting...

No, it was perfect for me because it was just solid doing plays, diction, it was very normal.

Did you hear any influence of that? Did they talk about Stanislavsky?

In England?

Yes.

No, not at all.

What were the kinds of things that they were teaching you in terms of the mechanics of acting?

Well, it would be all the mechanics: diction, dance, everything.

And do you remember the kinds of things you did there in terms of workshops...

No, you just did plays.

Was there Shakespeare, the classical stuff?

We did Shakespeare, we did all that.

Was there something that you excelled at in terms of the mechanics?

Well, I enjoyed doing comedy more than anything else. That was sort of my forte over there.

When did you come to that conclusion?

Just from the different parts I did. I could do comedy and Shakespeare, which was great because a lot of people don't realize that he had great comedies, so I enjoyed them.

How would you describe your acting style?

I don't have any special style at all.

Do you play yourself, or do you...

No, you don't play yourself, but I'm very adaptable and I don't have any special style.

How did you come to make your screen debut?

Actually, the first thing I did on the screen was when my father came over to make a movie called Stage Fright over in London and I had a very tiny part in that.

What was your part in that movie?

I was just a student at the Royal Academy.

So you were... attending the Royal Academy when the movie was being made?

Yes, it was a story with Jane Wyman. She was a student at the academy.

I know that Marlene Dietrich was in that movie. Did you get to meet her?

I got to meet her and I liked her so much, she was wonderful people. She gave me so many hints and taught me a lot of technique and she would say: make sure they have your key light in such and such a place. Well, obviously I'm not gonna say: "I want the key light right there". But she was very sweet, she was a wonderful person.

And now, being on the set of your father's film, how did that change your perception of... at one time, you were visitor, and now you're acting in one of his movies.

It didn't change it at all. He would say what he wanted and that was it.

How would you describe his demeanor on one of his sets?

Very quiet, he cared a lot about the actors and everything was very quiet and calm. He would explain to you what he wanted and you would do it and that was it.

What was his relationship with actors on a movie set?

He had a great relationship with actors. Most actors loved working with him because it was so easy. They knew exactly what they wanted.

Did you see his story boards? I know he did a lot of pre-planning. Was that something you would see on a set?

Oh no, of course not! He wouldn't take the story boards on the set. He knew exactly what he wanted. That was all done ahead of time. He was totally prepared.

I know you also made another movie around that time which was called The Mudlark. Can you tell me what that was?

Yeah, that was a picture with Irene Dunne and with Alec Guinness, and it was about a young boy who goes inside Windsor Castle.

What part did you play?

I just played a maid.

Anything you remember about those two leads?

No, I just enjoyed Alec tremendously, he was great.

Was he a big star?

Oh yes.

Can you tell me a little bit about your third role on Broadway, The High Ground?

The High Ground was with Margaret Webster, who was Dame May Whitty's daughter, who had done a lot of directing. She was wonderful. I really, really enjoyed her, she was great. And I'll tell you who else was in it who is now a big star: Marian Seldes.

How did you get the part in your father's next film, Strangers on a Train?

He just felt I would be right for the part.

Did you have do audition, or do a screen test?

No, he didn't audition people at all. He didn't need to. He'd seen their work, so he would hire them for that.

Had you seen that script and suggested that you wanted to do it?

No.

You just seemed to be the right person for the role?

That's what he thought.

Did they have to match your look so that you resemble the character in the movie?

No, actually I would have loved to have played both parts, but unfortunately I didn't look old enough to play Laura Elliott's part.

So there was some consideration that you could play both parts?

No, there was no consideration. I said I'd love to have played it.

Can you talk a little about working with Robert Walker?

Robert Walker was a wonderful person. I knew him when he first came to Hollywood and I was delighted when he was... in Strangers on a Train. And we had a great time.

What was he like personally?

Very sweet. One of the nicest people I've ever met.

And what about professionally?

Oh, he was a great actor. I think that was one of his best parts. I don't think he ever got a part that was that good.

Can you talk a little bit about your working relationship with your father? Now you had a really big part on this movie.

Well, there really wasn't anything unusual about it. We would discuss, just like with anybody else, we would discuss a scene and do it. We didn't try out stuff.

Where was Strangers on a Train filmed?

Right here at Warner Brothers in Hollywood?

What is your most vivid memory about shooting that movie?

I don't know that I have any... I know watching them shoot the merry-go-round sequence was probably the most exciting. We all loved that, that was really good.

So you were present on a set for that?

Yes. Actually, there was a place in Woodland Hills that had a lake, and that's where they shot it. That's all gone now, there's nothing left.

So they built that whole set?

Yes.

How was the movie received?

I think it was received quite well.

And what about your performance in particular?

It was fine with me.

Were you at the premiere?

I don't think it had a premiere. Not every movie had a premiere.

These days, do you get fan mail regarding this movie?

Yes, I do. I still get fan mail for Strangers on a Train, which I'm very happy about.

Do they request anything?

No, I always send them... usually they just want a signed picture.

Now let's talk a little bit about television. Did you appear in television in England when you were studying acting?

No, I didn't appear in any television in London. It was when I was over here after I'd made Strangers on a Train... actually, it was right after I got married in New York that I did all the live shows in New York, and then when we moved out here, I did all live television out here.

Can you talk a little bit about phenomenon of live television? What was it like to be doing a show in front of millions of people, or thousands of people?

Well, in live television you had to have had stage experience to really do live television well because there were no cuts, so you'd learned everything. I loved doing it, because I'm a very technical actor. I don't have to feel anything to get it across. I remember doing one show. I think it was Outward Bound. And I had a long long speech, and I was thinking while doing the speech: I think I'll pause a little more here, I think I'll do this and that. And I loved that, because I am a very technical actor.

So you weren't nervous?

No, not at all.

So they probably used you a lot.

If you had done stage work, it was just like doing a stage play.

And in terms of rehearsal times and things like that for these television shows, compared to theater, did you have just as much time, or enough time?

For the big shows, yes. For Playhouse 90 and for the Climax, we've had two or three weeks rehearsal.

Do you remember any memorable mishaps that happened on live television?

I can't remember. It's too far away.

But were there things that went wrong?

I'm sure things did, yeah.

And did people started recognising you... let's say when you were in New York appearing on television?

No, because I never had that big part. I did mainly character parts, which I loved doing.

What were the kinds of roles that you did?

One of the ones I did was the story of dr Krippin who killed women...dug them up... and it was the first time, he escaped with his girlfriend on the ship and it was the first time the ship had ever been used to catch a criminal.

I think this must have been the one with Thomas Mitchell?

Yes.

What do you remember about him?

Oh, he was very nice... I had known him before. He was really nice.

I think you mentioned Outward Bound as one of the shows that you appeared on. Any memories about Fletcher Markle, director and producer? Was he doing mostly television or did he do theater?

No, he was doing mainly television then.

I'd like to ask you about what was the first time that you actually saw television, as a viewer? What were your impressions of television?

I'm trying to think of when I... I imagine I would have seen it over here. I think everybody had the same reaction of how great it was to have it in your home.

Did you think that this is gonna lead to more acting roles?

No, because this was way before that.

Oh, so you'd seen it in the fourtees, maybe?

Oh, yes.

We just mentioned Outward Bound. There was another show that you did with Linda Darnell, I think it was a film show out here. Do you remember anything about working with her?

I don't remember one single thing. I have no idea what it was.

It was a Screen Directors Playhouse. Ok, you were just talking about Playhouse 90. What was the reputation of that show?

Playhouse 90 was considered one of the top dramatic shows. It was longer than most, I think it was two hours, I'm not sure. But they were all really classy stories and they really got the best people.

I know that one of them that you appeared in had Kingston Trio and Barbara Bel Geddes. Do you recall that?

Oh, I loved that, it was a great show. I don't remember what it was called, but it was really good. And they couldn't have been nicer. And I'd known Barbara Bel Geddes for quite some time.

And the director on that was a well-known director in television at the time, John Frankenheimer.

Oh yes. John Frankenheimer was one of the top directors in television.

How would you describe his demeanor on the set?

It was very professional.

Did he have a lot of energy?

Yes. There was nothing special.

I know that you've done some acting on a network radio. How was that experience different from other things you have done?

Oh, I did network radio right after I was married, because we were supposed to come right to the West Coast when we got back from our honeymoon and they decided not to send anybody to the West Coast. So then he got the job at CBS Radio in the mailroom. So then I started looking out for parts because we needed money - he was only making $34 a week. So, that's when I was doing a lot of the radio.

Were you doing accents, or did they asked you to do English parts, or anything like that?

No, I was just doing anything I can get.

One other sort of a little footnote on your television career that I wanted to mention is that you have been considered for the Bob Cummings Show. What do you remember about that?

Well, I was considered for the Bob Cummings Show, but I was pregnant, so it was a little difficult. The first show that they did, they were gonna do right before I had the baby. So you know, the timing just didn't work.

And that part Ann B. Davis would later...

I think that's the part, but I'm not really sure.

Now let's talk a little bit about Alfred Hitchcock Presents. To the best of your knowledge, how did that show come about?

It came about through my father and Joan Harrison, who used to work with him. They got the idea for the show.

What was the series about? How would you describe it?

They were all different stories. There was a different story every week, usually with a trick ending, which is what it became known for.

How recognizable did the series make your father?

I think Alfred Hitchcock Presents really brought him to the public, even more because they got to see him. When he was doing the lead-ins, Norman Lloyd, who was the associate producer... and Norman said: oh, Hitch will never do [the lead-ins]. And he loved it! He had the best time doing all those lead-ins.

What did they reveal about your father's personality, those lead-ins?

What a great sense of humor he had.

How would you describe his sense of humor.

Well, he said: if you don't have a sense of humor about anything that happens, you might just as well quit.

Did you have any favorites among those introductions?

No.

Do you have any ideas about what did the sponsors thought of his comments? He would often make commentaries about the sponsors.

Oh, I think the sponsors loved it because then the people were listening to them.

How identified did your father become with the show's theme song?

The "Funeral March of a Marionette", that almost became his theme song, too, because they would play that whenever he appeared.

Did he choose that song?

I'm sure he did.

In general, what was the tone of the series?

Well, it was mystery. What else can you say?

And how important were those twist endings to the series?

They were tremendously important. Once they started in on them, people then... if they didn't have the twist ending, they didn't like it.

Some people that were associates with the series that I wanted to talk about... can you tell me a little bit about Norman Lloyd?

Norman Lloyd was the associate producer and he had worked with my father on pictures and they were very close friends and he still is a very close friend of mine. He helped with the people, with the stories, with all parts of the production.

And what about James Allardyce?

James Allardyce was a writer and wrote a lot of things for him.

How did you come to make your first appearance on the show?

I have no idea. Norman Lloyd asked me, I think. I think it was the first show... it was a famous, famous story about a young girl who goes with her mother to France, her mother becomes sick, they can't find her and it eventually turns out the mother had some disease, or something.

What was the shooting schedule in Alfred Hitchcock Presents?

The first one, which was the one I did, we did in two days, which was... you couldn't do it. From then on, after that it was three, or four days.

The Vanishing Lady is the one I think you're talking about. So that was shot in two days?

Yes.

Was there rehearsal time before that?

No.

So that's pretty quick.

That's what I'm saying, I just said that.

So, then they decided that they have to extend it?

Right, then they did three, or four days.

I wanted to mention a couple other shows that you appeared in, just anything that comes to mind about them. There was this show called The Belfrey (?), in which you played a school teacher. What do you remember about it?

I don't remember an awful lot about it. I was trying to think, as somebody asked me who was playing in it as well. and I couldn't remember that.

The names that I got: Jack Mylene (?)...

Oh yes, I've worked with him. I don't think he was in Belfrey.

There's a famous episode [of Alfred Hitchcock Presents] called "The Glass Eye" and you had a short scene with Jessica Tandy.

I don't remember that at all.

Few other episodes, one of them was directed by Paul Henreid. What do you recall about him?

He and his wife were the close friends of ours. I don't remember the show at all.

But then he ended up being a director in television...

Yes.

Another one was called "The Schartz-Metterklume Method", which was sort of a family affair.

Yes. My oldest daughter Mary, Norman Lloyd wanted her to play one of the children in it.

So you were both in it.

That's right.

What role did you play in it?

A maid, as usual.

Did you have a lot of maid parts?

Yes.

Did you ever appear in any of the hour-long episodes?

I don't remember. I think so, but I don't remember which ones.

Did your father have a favorite episode among all the ones that he had worked on?

I think the first one was one of his favorites.

Can you talk about another one, it was called "Lambs to the Slaughter".

That was one of the most famous one, where Barbara Bel Geddes kills her husband with the leg of lamb and then puts it in the oven. The police come and they know she's done it, but they don't know how. She invites them to dinner. They sit down and eat the leg of lamb.

What was your connection with the Alfred Hitchcock History magazine?

I was an associate editor, but mainly I handled fan club and fans.

In what way?

Well, wrote a different sort of fan appreciation things in the magazine.

What kind of connection was there to the show from this publication. Did they discover writers in this publication and used this...

Some they did, and then they found some stories from the magazine.

Were there any writers that you remember, that...

No, I don't remember.

Why did the series end?

I have no idea, probably because of lack of viewers, I would say.

What do you think is the legacy of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series?

I think that the stories were good, and... every so often my father would direct one and they would be very good.

Do you have a favorite role from the TV shows that you've been in?

No, I don't.

One thing we ask all the interviewees is about the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s. Were you aware that it existed and do you know anyone that was affected by it?

I don't know anybody who was affected by it. Obviously, if you were in the business, you knew about it.

Now I'd like to ask about the feature film Psycho. What was the first time you've heard about the movie?

My father told me about it, told me story and asked me if I would like to play the part in the beginning in the real estate office.

And what was Psycho's relationship to the Hitchcock television series?

I don't think there was any. I never knew anything.

Did he use the same people from the show, in terms of the production?

Well yes, because he wanted it to be comparatively inexpensive picture.

Was it a surprise hit for your father?

I think it was a surprise, yeah.

Can you talk a little bit about working with Janet Leigh?

I liked working with Janet, even though I didn't do it that much. But she's since become a very good friend and I think she was magnificent in the movie.

Was there a secrecy about the plot of the film, particularly about Janet Leigh's death 1/3 into the movie. Were you aware of that?

Yes, we naturally read the script so we knew what was gonna happen.

Did you get to see mother in person?

No.

What about the dailies?

Never. Actors didn't go to the dailies.

Why was it shot in black and white? Do you have any idea?

Because my father said it would be too gory in color.

Because of the shower sequence?

Because of the blood.

What kind of publicity was done for that movie? How did it become such a big success?

I think it was the shock and the suspense in the movie.

What do you think is the legacy of Psycho?

The legacy of Psycho? I don't think there is a legacy of Psycho (edit: Pat's probably the only one that thinks so). It was a movie!

But do you think it had an influence on the films that appeared since then?

No, I don't think so at all.

What has been your role in recent years to the restoration of his films?

My role has just been to make sure that it's done with the good taste that he had in his career.

In the 1970s, you made some appearances in Hollywood Television Theatre here in Los Angeles. What do you recall about that experience?

Not very much.

And this was with Norman Lloyd again?

Yes.

What advice would you give an aspiring actress?

I think it would be the same advice that my father gave me, which was: study your craft. That's it.

One thing that we do is we run the names of people we haven't discussed, but would like to give your impressions, or if you'd have an anecdote. First person I have is Dame May Whitty.

Oh, she was wonderful. I've known her for many years, and then I was in a play with her in the La Jolla Playhouse called Night Must Fall and she was a wonderful person.

What about Charles Bennett?

Charles Bennett worked with my mother and father in England and then over here as a writer.

David O. Selznick.

I thought he was very very nice to me and I was very fond of him.

Carole Lombard?

She was great, great sense of humor.

How did you know her?

Well, we had bought her house that she lived in before she married Clark Gable.

Cary Grant?

Very kind, very nice, very sweet person.

Ingrid Bergman.

Same, just exactly the same. We got along... she spent a lot of time at our house and we were very close to her and her family.

Joseph Cotten?

He was probably my father's closest friend. I was just really fond of him.

And you also get to see some of the filming of Shadow of a Doubt.

Yes, I coached a little girl who played the daughter in her part. She hasn't done anything before.

Tallulah Bankhead?

She was great. Just great, I loved her.

Ben Hecht?

I didn't know him as well. I knew him, but not very closely.

Claude Rains?

I loved him and I thought that he gave such an incredible performance in Notorious. I think that was my father's best movie.

Edith Head?

I was very fond of her.

And she was one of your father's closest collaborators.

Yes.

Bernard Herrmann?

He was very nice, I liked him very much.

Leo G. Carroll?

I worked with him a lot and we got along very well.

What about John Williams, the actor?

I did a play with him at the La Jolla Playhouse. We had a lot of fun.

What was he like as a person?

Oh, he was great.

And as an actor?

Same.

He had a long career. Was he a reliable type?

Oh, absolutely.

James Stewart?

He was very sweet, very nice.

Vera Miles?

I got along very well with her.

Did you ever worked with her? She was in Psycho, but you didn't share any scenes.

No, she was in later part of it.

Kim Novak?

She is a wonderful person.

Were you or your family friends with her as well?

No, she lives up in northern California. Or did, I think she's in Washington now.

Grace Kelly?

She was our closest friend.

Tippi Hedren?

I still see her and I still talk to her.

And you were also on the set of The Birds. Is that true? You saw some filming of that?

Yes.

Do you have some special memory of that?

No, it was just fascinating to watch, because there were mechanical birds, real birds, fake birds and you put them all together.

What about your family?

My family?

Yes.

Well, what about it? [laughs]

How important was it for you to have a career and also have a family?

Well, my family naturally came first! Of course!

And the last question is: how would you like to be remembered?

As a nice person.