Was Alfred Hitchcock a bad human being?

Question

He was reported be very cold and unsympathetic.

Please Note: I am a huge Hitchcock fan.

To Simmy: I don't care about his personal life. This is about his professional life and how he mistreated his cast and crew. Guess what...he had a major fallout with Tippi Hedren after Marnie. The same thing happened with Bernard Hermann and Paul Newman. He never worked with any hollywood actor after Torn Curtain.

Answer 1

Alfred Hitchcock was a perfectionist, and his reputation for hating actors is overhyped and undeserved. He just thought actors should stick to acting, and leave everything else to the director. Actually, he had an incredible sense of humor. Have you heard his elevator story?

"Well, it was quite shocking, I must say -- there was blood everywhere!" Alfred Hitchcock began suddenly from the rear of the elevator. We were in the New York St. Regis Hotel, heading down to the lobby. There was as light flush to his cheeks from the several frozen dauquiris he had just drunk in his suite. The elevator had just stopped and 3 people dressed for the evening had joined us, and immediately Mr. Hitchcock had started to speak, sounding as though he were in midsentence and projecting in that careful and familiar TV tone of his.
He went on, "There was as stream of blood coming from his ear and another from his mouth."
The people had recognized him immediately, but now they seemed purposely to avoid looking at him. He went right on, gazing beatifically ahead of him as the elevator stopped again and another well-dressed couple came aboard: "Of course, there was a huge pool of blood on the floor and his clothes were spattered with it -- Oh, it was a horrible mess."
No one on the elevator, it seemed, was breathing. "Blood all around! Well, I looked at the poor man and and I said, 'Good God, What happened to you?'" At that point the elevator doors opened onto the lobby, and Hitchcock said, "Do you know what he told me?" and then paused. After a moment, and quite reluctantly, the other passengers moved out of the elevator and then looked back at the director as they walked away.
After several foggy moments, I asked, "Well, what DID he say?" and Hitchcock smiled benevolently, taking my arm, and said, "Oh, nothing -- that's just my elevator story."
-- Peter Bogdonavich, in April Harper's Magazine

Answer 2

A bad human being.....hard to judge. I've heard he was a sadist....tied birds to Tippi Hedren while filming The Birds. Apparently the story goes, she nearly lost an eye---he could have cared less. He didn't like Tippi so much for her whining that he reportedly gave her daughter, Melanie Griffith, a blond doll (made to look like Tippi) in a box shaped like a coffin and said it was a Mommy doll. If that's true, he didn't sound like a nice guy. He was an artistic genius, of that there is no doubt!!! Sometimes, people who have that much talent and particularly in the suspense and macabre, are more antisocial types. Was that true of Hitchcock? How much of that was hype for a persona? How much was embellished by people who didn't like him?? I guess that depends on who you believe and what you want to think.....

Answer 3

He is often accused of misogyny as well, although personally I suspect he was simply misanthropic (didn't like anybody!)

Many great artists are lopsided or warped inside, it is what makes their art interesting. I love Hitchcock's movies. I would never want to be in the same room with him, but that isn't really a danger since he is dead...

I wouldn't judge him as "bad". Just weird. And probably a fairly unhappy person, so if anything, I might feel sorry for him.

Answer 4

I don't think he was the most perfect or warm human being. He gave Tippy Hendron so much trouble, she dropped out of Hollywood and pursued her love of wild cat rescues and sanctuary. But I believe he was a good person for the greatest part of his life.

Answer 5

If one is bothered by the type of person their idol is, one will not have many idols. I was concerned that both Jack London and Hemingway had major personality flaws. Just enjoy youe idols for their art and contributions.

Answer 6

Well ... he's certainly pretty cold now!

Dunno ... I've seen lots of interviews with stars who worked
with him that said he was a perfectionist, but other than that
a quiet, rather unassuming gentleman who would give you the
shirt off his back.

Never met the man. I would love to have, though.

Answer 7

My parents lived below him in the hills of L.A. And when there was a landslide from his property to ours during heavy rains in the 60's i believe...he was very kind to them & even thou the city said nothing was his fault he paid to fix everything and invited them to parties and gave them Xmas cards until he died. But everyone one has their strengths and weeknesses.

Answer 8

He was very creative,and at times that makes people temper mental or to seem cold.
It certainly does not mean that he was a bad person.

Answer 9

According to his family and friends, he was a very nice person. He was a strict director, but on Biography, they said he was a pleasant man.

Answer 10

Everyone is entitled to be an a$$hole....So what if he was!!! He was brilliant and conributed a lot to the film industry, he entertained millions of people with his talent!! Does him being an a$$hole make him a bad human being? Bad relative to whom?