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Vintage 1960s Halloween Film: The Birds

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Tippi Hedren

Cast and Hitchcock; note how elegantly Tippi's coat complements her hair color!

Flocking up before the attack on the schoolkids

We all know the story of The Birds: our feathered friends go mad and attack us. This 1963 film was based on a short story by Daphne Du Maurier, directed by Hitchcock, and stars Tippi Hedren (former model and mother of Melanie Griffith), Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and (child actress) Veronica Cartwright. Today, the special effects may look more campy than creepy, but even now we must admit this movie has style. Leading lady Hedren is the picture of cool blonde beauty as she lands her man, then attempts to fight off her winged enemies. The scenes of her battling the birds have inspired Halloween costumes and even a Barbie doll.

I think that the most impressive scene is when Melanie (Hedren) goes to pick up Cathy (Cartwright) at school, and she waits for the child on an outside bench. The children inside sing:

The butter came out a grizzle-y-grey. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, Now, now, now!

The cheese took legs and ran away! Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, willoby-wallaby, Now, now, now!

She let the critter get away. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, willoby-wallaby, Now, now, now!

I asked my wife to wash the floor. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, Now, now, now!

She gave me my hat and she showed me the door! Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, Now, now, now!

I married my wife in the month of June. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, Now, now, now!

I brought her off by the light of the moon. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, willoby-wallaby, Now, now, now!

She combed her hair but once a year. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, willoby-wallaby, Now, now, now!

Behind Melanie, the monkey bars are filled as more and more birds alight (see photo above). We know it before she does and combined with the weird little background song, this makes for a tense scene. The growing menace is scarier than the scene that follows, when the schoolkids are dive bombed, pecked and chased (which was probably plenty scary for them).

Enjoy!

Vintage 1960s film: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

The despicable Martha

The hapless Nick and his vomiting wife Honey

Well ick. I knew that this was about a feuding married couple, but I hadn't known just how horrible all the characters are. University professor George (Richard Burton) and Dean's daughter Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) are the miserable pair, and they have no problem infecting others with their venom and madness. They invite new math professor Nick and his wife Honey over for some very late night drinks, and are soon ripping each other to shreds in front of their company. Martha impresses us as a screeching Harpy, and while you may at first pity George, he quickly shows himself as aggressive and cruel. Using a little emotional blackmail, they soon have an unwilling audience, and as the nightmarish hours pass to morning and the alcohol flows, everyone falls apart. Unsavory secrets are revealed and none are left unscathed. Nick comes across as disloyal weakling and Honey is just pathetic, physically feeble and betrayed by her husband. The end packs an extra unpleasant punch.

While this play is classic Edward Albee and I'm sure that the film is well done, it just left me with a nasty feeling. Not one that I'll watch repeatedly.