Aug. 13, 2025

Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock

Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock
Celebrate what would have been Alfred Hitchcock's 126th birthday with five questions about the legendary filmmaker's thrilling career. From "Psycho" to "The Birds," explore the techniques and masterpieces that made him cinema's greatest suspense director. If you'd like this podcast without commercial interruptions, use the Apple Podcast app and click the banner that says uninterrupted listening.
WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:10.519
Callaroga Shark Media. Greetings trivia fans. I'm Mark Ellison, and

2
00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:12.960
today we're celebrating what would have been the one hundred

3
00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.760
and twenty sixth birthday of the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.

4
00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:21.719
Question one, in which nineteen sixty Hitchcock film does a

5
00:00:21.800 --> 00:00:25.519
secretary steel money and end up at the infamous Bates Motel?

6
00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:34.520
Question two? What signature element did Alfred Hitchcock include in

7
00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:43.560
most of his films as a personal trademark? Question three?

8
00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:48.439
Which nineteen fifty eight Hitchcock thriller features James Stewart as

9
00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:51.840
a detective who develops an obsession with remaking a woman

10
00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:59.719
in the image of his lost love. Question four, in

11
00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:03.280
which which nineteen sixty three film did Hitchcock direct Tippy

12
00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:09.159
Hedron as a woman terrorized by flocks of attacking birds?

13
00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:15.840
Question five? What term did Hitchcock coin to describe an

14
00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:20.040
object or goal that drives the plot but becomes irrelevant

15
00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:24.920
to the outcome. We'll be right back with these suspenseful

16
00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:32.359
answers after this break. Welcome back, trivia fans. Let's reveal

17
00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:37.280
today's answers. Question one, which nineteen sixty film features the

18
00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:43.680
Baits Motel? Answer Psycho. This groundbreaking thriller starred Janet Lee

19
00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:49.359
as Marion Crane and Anthony Perkins as the disturbed Norman Bates.

20
00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:53.840
The film's famous shower scene and twist ending revolutionized horror

21
00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:58.400
cinema and established many conventions still used in thriller films today.

22
00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.599
Two Oh, What signature element did Hitchcock include in his films? Answer?

23
00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:09.199
Cameo appearances. Hitchcock appeared briefly in most of his films,

24
00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:13.360
often as a background character or bystander. These cameos became

25
00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:16.319
so popular with audiences that he sometimes had to appear

26
00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:19.159
early in the film to avoid distracting viewers who were

27
00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:23.680
watching for his appearance. Question three, which nineteen fifty eight

28
00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:29.280
thriller features James Stewart remaking a woman. Answer Vertigo. This

29
00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:34.599
psychological thriller, now considered one of Hitchcock's masterpieces, explores themes

30
00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:42.360
of obsession, identity, and manipulation. Stuart's character, retired detective Scottie Ferguson,

31
00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:47.080
becomes obsessed with transforming Kim Novak's character to match his

32
00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:52.719
memory of a dead woman. Question four, which nineteen sixty

33
00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:58.479
three film featured attacking birds. Answer the Birds, starring Tippy

34
00:02:58.520 --> 00:03:02.159
Hedron and Rod Taylor. This horror film depicted unexplained mass

35
00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:05.520
attacks by birds on the residents of a California coastal town.

36
00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:09.719
The film's special effects and mounting tension made it one

37
00:03:09.759 --> 00:03:15.360
of Hitchcock's most memorable and influential works. Question five, What

38
00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:20.520
term did Hitchcock coin for plot driving objects? Answer? Mcguffin

39
00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:25.159
or mcguffin. This term describes an object, device, or event

40
00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:29.000
that is necessary to the plot but ultimately insignificant to

41
00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:33.120
the story's resolution. Examples include the stolen money in Psycho

42
00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:36.599
or the government secrets in north By Northwest. The mcguffin

43
00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:40.919
serves to motivate characters and advance the plot that concludes

44
00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:44.879
today's five Daily Trivia questions. I'm Mark Ellison, and today's

45
00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:49.120
questions were crafted with the help of AI technology. If

46
00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:52.520
you'd like this episode without commercial interruptions, use the Apple

47
00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:56.919
podcast app and click the banner that says uninterrupted listening,

48
00:03:57.400 --> 00:04:01.840
See you tomorrow.