Writing with Hitchcock : The Collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and John Michael Hayes

Rating:
Summary: A Profitable Collaboration
Review: In 1953 John Michael Hayes met Alfred Hitchcock in the Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel for dinner. After indulging in much wine and food with the legendary director, the 33-year-old writer, who was just starting to earn his spurs as a film scenarist after a luminous period in radio, returned home and told his wife he was certain that Hitchcock would never hire him to collaborate with him on projects.

How wrong Hayes proved to be, to the distinct benefit of himself and the great director. Hayes believed he would not be hired since he frankly criticized some of Hitchcock's earlier films. As things turned out, Hitchcock admitted he had heard very little of what Hayes was saying. Instead he focused on his manner, believing him to be glib and confident of himself. They then went to work on their first project together, with Hayes writing the screenplay adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's renowned short story, "Rear Window."

Steven DeRosa takes us on a fascinating journey with a succinct dual biography of the two men, brilliant creative forces with styles in some ways different, in other ways similar, while also showcasing the four films on which they worked during their collaboration. Despite his formidable background and lengthy film experience, Hitchcock knew where to tread and how to back off, giving Hayes plenty of suggestions on settings while providing him with all the independence he needed to place his own brand on his screenplays, particularly the masterful dialogue that made him sought after from the time he arrived in Hollywood looking for work. We learn that Hayes, before working on films, was a smashing success as a writer on the Sam Spade radio series starring Howard Duff and Lurene Tuttle. It was while cranking out radio scripts and being compelled to meet pressureful deadlines that Hayes developed a discipline that led him later to be branded as "Hollywood's fastest writer."

Another fascinating collaboration was "To Catch a Thief," in which the French Riviera settings form a brilliant visual backdrop to a thriller in which Cary Grant plays a reformed jewel thief who is enticed back into action to help the local police catch that period's successor to Grant. Along the way he finds romance with Grace Kelly, who will not that long afterward return to the French Riviera to reign over Monte Carlo with new husband Prince Rainier.

DeRosa provides interesting details on the remake of "The Man Who Knew Too Much," this time, 22 years after the original was released, as a spectacular color film. We learn how this film, starring James Stewart and Doris Day,was crafted in a way to utilize the good points of the original version while building upon that success and providing excellent original material.

This book is a rare effort. Scarcely ever does a reader receive such a close perspective on the important relationship between two master craftsmen, a brilliant veteran director and a young screenwriter at the peak of his powers.

Rating:
Summary: A Profitable Collaboration
Review: In 1953 John Michael Hayes met Alfred Hitchcock in the Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel for dinner. After indulging in much wine and food with the legendary director, the 33-year-old writer, who was just starting to earn his spurs as a film scenarist after a luminous period in radio, returned home and told his wife he was certain that Hitchcock would never hire him to collaborate with him on projects.

How wrong Hayes proved to be, to the distinct benefit of himself and the great director. Hayes believed he would not be hired since he frankly criticized some of Hitchcock's earlier films. As things turned out, Hitchcock admitted he had heard very little of what Hayes was saying. Instead he focused on his manner, believing him to be glib and confident of himself. They then went to work on their first project together, with Hayes writing the screenplay adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's renowned short story, "Rear Window."

Steven DeRosa takes us on a fascinating journey with a succinct dual biography of the two men, brilliant creative forces with styles in some ways different, in other ways similar, while also showcasing the four films on which they worked during their collaboration. Despite his formidable background and lengthy film experience, Hitchcock knew where to tread and how to back off, giving Hayes plenty of suggestions on settings while providing him with all the independence he needed to place his own brand on his screenplays, particularly the masterful dialogue that made him sought after from the time he arrived in Hollywood looking for work. We learn that Hayes, before working on films, was a smashing success as a writer on the Sam Spade radio series starring Howard Duff and Lurene Tuttle. It was while cranking out radio scripts and being compelled to meet pressureful deadlines that Hayes developed a discipline that led him later to be branded as "Hollywood's fastest writer."

Another fascinating collaboration was "To Catch a Thief," in which the French Riviera settings form a brilliant visual backdrop to a thriller in which Cary Grant plays a reformed jewel thief who is enticed back into action to help the local police catch that period's successor to Grant. Along the way he finds romance with Grace Kelly, who will not that long afterward return to the French Riviera to reign over Monte Carlo with new husband Prince Rainier.

DeRosa provides interesting details on the remake of "The Man Who Knew Too Much," this time, 22 years after the original was released, as a spectacular color film. We learn how this film, starring James Stewart and Doris Day,was crafted in a way to utilize the good points of the original version while building upon that success and providing excellent original material.

This book is a rare effort. Scarcely ever does a reader receive such a close perspective on the important relationship between two master craftsmen, a brilliant veteran director and a young screenwriter at the peak of his powers.

Rating:
Summary: A fresh portrait of Hitch
Review: One of the most important writers to work side by side with Alfred Hitchcock was John Michael Hayes, who collaborated with the director on Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, The Trouble with Harry, and The Man Who Knew Too Much. These films made over a two-year period (1953-55) lifted Hitchcock to a level of popularity at a time when he seemed to be growing out of touch with his audience.

This fascinating book details the relationship between Hayes and Hitchcock, exploring how the two collaborated on the writing and production of the films. Relying on a mass of documents from studio records to Hitchcock's and Hayes' personal papers, as well as anecdotal accounts, Steven DeRosa chronicles the ups and downs of this collaboration, and then analyzes the films themselves. DeRosa presents a fresh and complex portrait of the director while also providing one of the best accounts of the process of writing for film and the indignities screenwriters often endure.

Rating:
Summary: Hitchcock at his best
Review: The collaboration of Hitchcock and Hayes was an important one in their careers and in film history. This book works as a sort of cliff notes duel biography up until the point they meet and work together.

Their first project was REAR WINDOW. It was probably their best effort together. DeRosa does a very thorough job explaining the contributions of each man on that film. He offers interesting tidbits like how Grace Kelly's fashion model character closely resembled Hayes' own fashion model wife. DeRosa also examines the Thelma Ritter humorous sage character and how that archetype turns up again and again in Hayes scripts.

The book then goes on to other Hitchcock/Hayes efforts like TO CATCH A THIEF, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and the TROUBLE WITH HARRY. All of DeRosa's efforts here are worth your time. If you're a scriptwriter you'll enjoy the evolution of these screenplays from ideas and general story ideas to finished scripts.

The book concludes with the Hitchcock/Hayes falling out. DeRosa speculates that Hitchcock was never comfortable with a collaborator for long anyway, but that Hayes' notoriety in Hollywood hastened their breakup. It can be argued that both men did their best work together and though they both found success apart, they didn't reach the same levels by themselves. I liked this book a great deal and would recommend it to anyone who likes to study the process of film making.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: This book easily ranks as the most important about Hitch's filmmaking to come in the last decade. Not only does it give a vividly detailed account of the making of Hitch's ultimate masterpiece, Rear Window, but of three additional titles as well. Complete with juicy behind the scenes stories and interviews, facts and figures from the archives, a full accounting of how each script was prepared and what storylines and dialogue nearly reached the screen.

And if that weren't enough, this book is also an exceptional bio of a gifted screenwriter as well, John Michael Hayes. I hadn't realized how many other movies he'd written, let alone how many scripts he wrote that were never made. And this book really gives a sense of what it was like to write in Hollywood in the glory days of the fifties and sixties.

Rating:
Summary: a must for any fan of Hitchcock
Review: This book is about the successful teaming of Alfred Hitchcock and screenwriter John Michael Hayes. Hayes, a native New Englander, and recently a screenwriting professor at Dartmouth, wrote four films for Hitch, including Rear Window, To Catch a Thief and The Man Who Knew Too Much. They worked extraordinarily well together, Hitchcock bringing to the table his mastery of suspense and technique and Hayes his knack for sharp dialogue and strong characters. Predictably, ego, money and a battle for credit soon got in the way and ended their partnership. Steven DeRosa's research is impressive, and his style accessible, entertaining and informative.

Rating:
Summary: DETAILED LOOK AT HOW HITCH AND HAYES DID IT
Review: This book is really amazing. I thought that this was a very detailed book about John Michael Hayes and his rise to being a screenwriter, and how he came to work with Alfred Hitchcock. There are some great photos included that I've NEVER seen anywhere else before from Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, and more. I must say this is the best book that I've read about Hitchcock (and especially the best when it comes to talking about Rear Window). Whether you read this book for educational purposes or just pure enjoyment, you will be glad that you got it. I really recommend this to anyone that may wonder how a movie really comes about....how the REAL men do it!

Rating:
Summary: The Dark and the Light Side
Review: With big thumbs up from the likes of Donald Spoto (Hitch's biographer) and Joseph Stefano (screenwriter of Hitch's "Psycho") there's no question Steven DeRosa's "Writing with Hitchcock" is compulsory reading for the serious Hitchcock fan. But written with a style both enjoyable and accessible, this book will entertain and enlighten anyone with even a casual interest in the movies, mostly because there's a darn good story here

The jumping off point for this story is when Hitchcock was getting ready to film "Torn Curtain", one of his less successful spy adventures. Hitchcock ignored pleas from those close to him to call on John Michael Hayes for a rewrite. The resulting film was a disaster.

The author then brings us back ten years to when Hitchcock himself called on Hayes to pen "Rear Window" The results were so successful, the director kept Hayes on board for the next three films, which include: "To Catch a Thief," "The Trouble with Harry," and "The Man Who Knew Too Much."

The author describes the making of each film, with particular attention to the writing, as suggested by the title, while always providing a sense of the ever-changing dynamic between a powerful producer-director and a young Hollywood writer, courtesy of interviews with Hayes himself, as well as other surviving crew members. The story of their breakup is sad, but typical of Hollywood, where many make the mistake of beginning to believe their own press.

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT BOOK AND SITE
Review: With this book and his excellent website, Steven DeRosa has single-handedly forces Hitch's admirers to look beyond the master's famous profile and see the wealth of talent that backed him up. Brilliant job!