The American Film Institute Salute to Alfred Hitchcock (1979) (TV)

Director:

Marty Pasetta

Release Date:

12 March 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

On March 7, 1979, Alfred Hitchcock becomes the seventh recipient of the American Film Institute's Life Achievment Award...

Plot Keywords:

Awards Show | Actor | Actress | Cinema | Director

Cast

Judith Anderson	...	Herself
Ned Beatty	...	Himself
Ingrid Bergman	...	Herself
Mel Brooks	...	Himself
Michael Caine	...	Himself
Sean Connery	...	Himself
Olivia de Havilland	...	Herself
Henry Fonda	...	Himself
Joan Fontaine	...	Herself
Cary Grant	...	Himself
Edith Head	...	Herself
Tippi Hedren	...	Herself
Charlton Heston	...	Himself - President of the American Guilde of Actors'
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself
John Houseman	...	Himself
Cheryl Ladd	...	Herself
Ernest Lehman	...	Himself
Janet Leigh	...	Herself
Mervyn LeRoy	...	Himself
Norman Lloyd	...	Himself
Walter Matthau	...	Himself
Vera Miles	...	Herself
Gregory Peck	...	Himself
Anthony Perkins	...	Himself
Christopher Reeve	...	Himself
Diana Ross	...	Herself
George Stevens Jr.	...	Himself
James Stewart	...	Himself
Barbra Streisand	...	Herself
Rod Taylor	...	Himself
François Truffaut	...	Himself
Lew Wasserman	...	Himself
Robin Williams	...	Himself
Teresa Wright	...	Herself
Jane Wyman	...	Herself

Also Known As:

The AFI Salute to Alfred Hitchcock (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

American Film Institute (AFI)

Quotes:

Ingrid Bergman: Hitchcock is a gentleman farmer who raises gooseflesh.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The American Film Institute Salute to Jack Nicholson (1994) (TV)

Great Sad Moment of Movie History

This American Film Institute ceremony honoring Alfred Hitchcock is equal parts spectacular and very, very sad. It was broadcast in March of 1979 on CBS-TV.

Spectacular: the sheer number of great Hitchcock stars in attendance. Hitchcock's two most famous male stars, James Stewart and Cary Grant (who rarely appeared on TV) sat on either side of Hitchcock and his wife Alma at their table. Ingrid Bergman was the night's hostess. Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Sean Connery, Vera Miles, Rod Taylor, Judith Anderson, Joan Fontaine, and on and on and on attended, as well as such new stars as Barbra Streisand.

Clips from Hitchcock's great movies were shown: "Psycho," "North by Northwest," "Vertigo," "Rear Window," "Rebecca."

What was the sad part?

Alfred Hitchcock himself. He was 79 years old and just a year away from death. He could hardly understand the festivities in front of him. Camera shots showed him staring into space. Wife Alma didn't look much better. Hitchcock was supposedly preparing a new film. This show proved: he could never make another film again.

"They always give these things to them too late," Ingrid Bergman said backstage. (Now, young stars like Tom Hanks get the AFI award even if many years are ahead in their careers.)

Hitchcock wasn't quite as bad off as he looked. His stare simply reflected the fact that he didn't know where the cameras were. At show's end, he gave a (pre-recorded) speech with wit and love for Alma.

And, if you watch this, catch the great moment of film history at the very end: A tearful Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant give Hitchcock the key from "Notorious' and hug him firmly. Within a few years, they'd all be dead. But they met this one last time for a wonderful embrace.

A great show. Rent it if you can.