BFI's THE GENIUS OF HITCHCOCK season - Hitchcock Cameos

Young and Innocent (1937)

Derrick De Marney stars as Robert Tisdall, a man who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when he discovers the body of a famous actress. When he is spotted leaving the scene of the crime to call for help, Robert is accused of her murder and forced to turn fugitive. In his efforts to evade capture, Robert is assisted by the beautiful Erica Burgoyne (Nova Pilbeam), the daughter of the local police chief constable, who soon becomes convinced of his innocence. When the pair is eventually spotted, they are forced to stay on the run together until they can prove his innocence. Hitchcock makes his cameo appearance outside the courthouse when the true perpetrator of the crime is brought to justice.

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Charlie Newton (Teresa Wright) lives a quiet and rather uneventful life in the idyllic town of Santa Rosa, California. One day, the family are unexpectedly visit by their Uncle Charlie, and young Charlie is thrilled that the uncle she idolizes has come to stay. Her feelings, however, are soon thrown into doubt when two detectives come to question him about a series of murders. Charlie initially refuses to believe her uncle is capable of the crimes but her suspicions grow as she notices him acting strange.  Hitchcock can be seen playing cards on the train that Charlie first takes to Santa Rosa to visit his family.

Strangers on a Train (1951)

Based on the 1950 novel of the same name, Strangers on a Train tells the story of Guy Haines (Farley Granger), an amateur tennis star who plots to commit the perfect murder with a stranger. Guy wants to put an end to his marriage to his unfaithful wife Miriam (Laura Elliott) so that he can marry Anne Morton, the daughter of a senator. As he journeys to meet Miriam, Guy meets a man named Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) on the train who suggests to him a plan to commit the perfect ‘criss-cross’ murders. Bruno will murder Miriam and in return Anthony would murder Bruno’s father. As both are strangers, Bruno explains that they would avoid suspicion because there would be no obvious motives. Hitchcock makes an appearance as Guy gets off the train after his fateful conversation with Bruno. 

Psycho (1960)

One of Hitchcock’s most acclaimed films, Psycho sees Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) flee her ordinary life with $40,000 stolen from her employer to start a new life with her divorced lover Sam Loomis (John Gavin). On route to his Californian home, Marion is forced to stop for the night at Bates Motel when the weather takes a turn for the worst. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), the motel’s owner, lives with his mother in a house overlooking the hotel. That night, Norman invites Marion to dinner and she soon discovers that Norman and his mother are not all they seem. Hitchcock makes his cameo appearance in the beginning of the film, he can be seen standing outside Marion’s office wearing a Stetson hat.