Jump to: navigation, search

Hitchcock Chronology: 1940

Overview

Image Gallery

Images from the Hitchcock Gallery (click to view larger versions or search for all relevant images)...

Month by Month

January

  • 7th - The Los Angeles Times reports that Hitchcock is amongst those helping organise the Franco-British War Relief Dinner-Dance, which is due to be held at the Ambassador on 17 January.
  • Hitchcock is briefly involved with the production of Walter Wanger's film The House Across the Bay[1]

February

March

April

May

June

  • 13th - Hitchcock attends the première of the Bette Davis film All This and Heaven Too at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles.[10]

July

August

  • Hitchcock purchases the 200 acre "Heart o' the Mountains" estate in Scotts Valley, California and this becomes the family's second home and weekend retreat.[14]
  • Hitchcock commences filming on Mr and Mrs Smith for RKO, starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery.[15]
  • 27th - Foreign Correspondent is given a preview screening at the Four Star Theater in Los Angeles with a limited number of seats available to the public.[16]
  • British producer Michael Balcon is quoted in British and American newspapers denouncing the "famous directors" of Britain who have elected to hide out the war in Hollywood. Although not mentioning him by name, his reference to a certain "plump young junior technician" is deeply hurtful to Hitchcock.[17]

September

  • 4th - Variety reports that Hitchcock is travelling from New York to Los Angeles.[18]
  • 9th - In preparation for leaving England, Alma Reville's mother Lucy and sister Eveline are issued with American visas — numbers SEC.5.1612 and SEC.5.1613 respectively.
  • 23rd - Alma Reville's mother Lucy and sister Eveline leave England for the safety of America. They depart from Liverpool aboard the Samaria.
  • 25th - Foreign Correspondent receives its Hollywood première at the Four Star Theater.[19]

October

  • 3rd - Alma Reville's mother Lucy and sister Eveline arrive into New York aboard the Samaria and pass through Immigration.
  • 28th - The Hitchcocks and Joan Harrison attend a Halloween party at the opening night of the Palladium ballroom on Sunset Boulevard.[20]

November

December

  • 12th - Loew's Grand Theatre, Atlanta, hosts the "anniversary premiere" screening of Selznick's Gone With the Wind. A plane carrying Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier and Hitchcock to Atlanta is unable to land due to fog and diverts to Augusta (150 miles away). Leigh, Olivier and Hitchcock miss the screening and fly back to Los Angeles the following day.[22]
  • 18th - Variety names Hitchcock as the second highest grossing director of 1940, behind Victor Fleming (Gone With the Wind).[23]

See Also...

Notes & References

  1. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 255
  2. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 255-6
  3. Wikpedia: Neutrality Acts of 1930s
  4. Project Genome: BBC Radio Times Archive.
  5. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 253
  6. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 256
  7. "Tennis Matches to Aid British War Relief Fund" in Los Angeles Times (21/Apr/1940)
  8. Variety (04/May/1940) - Sailings. The details are confirmed on the passenger manifest for the Manhattan, where Alma's name is listed was typed as "ALENA HITCHCOCK", with a handwritten correction to "Alma L. Hitchcock". Oddly, Alma's mother is named as "NELLIE BELMONT, ENGLAND".
  9. Variety (15/May/1940) - Arrivals.
  10. "Bette Davis Acclaimed by Throng" in Los Angeles Times (14/Jun/1940)
  11. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 272
  12. Variety (03/Jul/1940) - L.A. to N.Y.
  13. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, pages 275-6
  14. "Alfred Hitchcock found contentment in SV" by Marion Dale Pokriots (Scotts Valley Historical Society)
  15. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 276
  16. "Preview Set at Four Star" in Los Angeles Times (27/Aug/1940)
  17. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, pages 272-4
  18. Variety (04/Sep/1940) - N.Y. to L.A.
  19. "New Four Star Premiere Gets Gala Trimmings" in Los Angeles Times (24/Sep/1940)
  20. "Palladium Will Open to Halloween Throngs" in Los Angeles Times (27/Oct/1940)
  21. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, pages 277-8
  22. As reported in several U.S. local newspapers, e.g. Ogden Standard Examiner (13/Dec/1940) and TIME (23/Dec/1940).
  23. "Top 1940 Stars and Pix" in Variety (18/Dec/1940)

Hitchcock Chronology
1890s 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
months - - Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun - -
months - - Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec - -