Aug. 22, 1963 - Universal Pictures will distribute “Marnie,” an Alfred Hitchcock suspense drama scheduled for production starting in October. The screenplay is an adaptation by Mrs. Jay Presson Allen of Winston Graham’s novel about a sexually disturbed kleptomaniac. The film will star Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. The director's first choice to play the title role, Princess Grace of Monaco, withdrew from the project when the citizens of Monaco objected to her appearing in a film, especially as a sexually disturbed thief. Also, when Princess Grace married Prince Rainier in 1956, she had not fulfilled her contract with MGM Studios, which could have prevented her from working for another studio. As a consequence of her departure from the film, Mr. Hitchcock put it aside to work on “The Birds,” a film currently performing well at the box office. In the end, Hitchcock opted to cast Miss Hedren as “Marnie.”
