~ THE BIRDS...RELEASED IN 1963 ~
Greetings Ghosties!
Most who are familiar with the film The Birds, know that it was shot in Bodega Bay - CA
(about an hour and a half north of San Francisco). But how many of you know the TRUE inspiration for the film???
In August of 1961, the Santa Cruz area was bombarded by birds from the evening sky.
From as far south as Aptos, birds were crashing into chimneys, windows, car windshields, etc...
The next morning it was reported in the Santa Cruz Sentinel that some sort of weather having to do with dense fog had caused the birds to become disoriented. Several tons of dead birds were collected and removed. However, they had recently finished feeding which caused a lasting, rotten stench. According to the Sentinel, Mr.Hitchcock requested a copy of the edition featuring this article:
Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 18, 1961: page 1:
Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes; Thousands of Birds Floundering in Streets
"A massive flight of sooty shearwaters, fresh from a feast of anchovies, collided with shoreside structures from Pleasure Point to Rio Del Mar during the night. Residents were awakened about 3 am today by the rain of birds, slamming against their homes.
Dead and stunned seabirds littered the streets and roads in the foggy, early dawn. Startled by the invasion, residents rushed out on their lawns with flashlights, then rushed back inside as birds flew toward their light."
Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 21, 1961; page 4:
Alfred Hitchcock Using the Sentinel's Seabird Story
"Hollywood mystery producer Alfred Hitchcock phoned The Sentinel Saturday to let us know he is using last Friday's edition as research material for his latest thriller.
Hitchcock who owns a home in the hills near Scotts Valley, had phoned from Hollywood early Friday morning and requested a copy of the paper be mailed to him there."
The Birds was adapted from Daphne DuMaurier's 10-year-old novel, "The Birds", which ironically deals with the invasion of a small town by millions of birds.
No comments:
Post a Comment