Getting hitched on cameos.

• Author: Gehring, Wes D.
• Position: Cinematic Arts - Column

ALFRED HITCHCOCK (1899-1980), cinema's master of A suspense, arguably remains the most well-known director in movie history. Beyond the fact he was a legendary filmmaker, no small part of this fame and familiarity is tied to Hitchcock's signature cameo appearances in 39 of his 52 surviving major films. In Donald Spoto's biography of the director. The Dark Side of Genius. Hitchcock explained the motive behind these trademark guest spots. "The name of the director should be associated in the public's mind with a quality product. Actors come and go, but the name of the director should stay clearly in the mind of the audience."

Though these comments are perfectly consistent with someone who originally came out of advertising, the original catalyst was pure necessity. That is. several Hitchcock biographies, such as John Russell Taylor's Hitch. document that the first cameo, in "The Lodger" (1926), included Hitchcock "just because they needed another extra there and no one was at hand."

There is a wonderful paradox in these brief appearances. On one hand, they are fitting for a formalist director whose work often draws attention to the filmmaking process, such as the elaborate editing of the shower sequence in "Psycho" (1960). Conversely, there is irony in Hitchcock the part-time actor, since he is famous for his response to an accusation that he is once claimed. "All actors are cattle." The director playfully denied the remark, adding he simply had said, "They should be treated like cattle." (Of course, as a formalist filmmaker, he often created a player's performance through editing and other special effects, thus the cattle comment.)

Regardless. what follows me. at least for this critic, the five most entertaining Hitchcock cameos, because they work at being funny, too. The first and most amusingly lengthy (19 seconds) occurs in "Blackmail" (1929). The director is riding the London subway trying to read a book when a bratty boy seated in front of him turns around and pulls down Hitchcock's hat. Upset, the director complains to the child's mother, beginning with a poke to her shoulder, causing her to turn and give Hitchcock a hard time. With no punishment, the child proceeds to yank down the hat of another nearby man. and then turns yet again to face an uneasy Hitchcock. now too nervous to read. The scene ends with this comic stalemate.

"Lifeboat" (1944) provides the second highlighted example and easily the most inventive. How does one include...