North by Northwest

Last night, I saw a really interesting program. Don't know what network it was on, though I think it might have been Turner, and I don't know what the name of it was, though it was probably something like 'The Making of North by Northwest'. In fact, the bare description would likely sound tedious and boring -- but this was anything but that.

The program was narrated by a number of people, including Eva Marie Saint (who I gather is now known as Eva Kennon, or something like that), and others whose names I never caught but who sounded like the film's writer and camera director. There were others, too, including Martin Landau, who as it turns out does a wicked Alfred Hitchcock impression. All of them spoke at length about the making of the movie -- what it was like to work with Hitchcock, what the Department of the Interior thought of them planning to scramble over Mount Rushmore, how they got that plane so close to Cary Grant, and why the boy put his fingers in his ears.

It was a fascinating show. Once again, I find that listings wouldn't have clued me in that I'd have enjoyed it. Tivo couldn't have told me either, I'd bet. All that would have worked was a personal recommendation.

So I'm recommending it.