Mar. 31, 1962 - Starring in Alfred Hitchcock’s film “The Birds,” currently before the cameras in California, are Rod Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy and ‘Tippi’ Hedren. Hitchcock signed Miss Hedren, a New York model, to a contract after having seen her in a television commercial. He insisted that she enclose her first name in single quotation-marks but would not explain why. “I signed her because she is a classic beauty,” he said. “Movies don’t have them anymore. Grace Kelly was the last.” This is Miss Hedren’s first film and, according to Hitchcock, hers is the starring role. Commenting on his technique with actors, Hitchcock elaborated, “I tell them why they are doing what they are doing,” he said. “I show them how a particular shot fits into the movie. I just explained to Miss Hedren why she had to look back as she stopped to pick up a child. Because in the movie, the next shot will be a close-up of a raven flying at her head.” The director has a sketch for every shot, some of which will be on the screen only two-thirds of a second.
