Lifeboat (1944) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this months episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron are adrift with the enemy as they discuss “Lifeboat.”

The Picture:

Picture Title: Lifeboat

Written by: John Steinbeck and screenplay by Jo Swerling

Starring: Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, Mary Anderson, John Hodiak, Henry Hull, Heather Angel, Hume Cronyn and Canada Lee

Directed by:Alfred Hitchcock

Year Released: 1944

Our Favourite Trivia:

DIRECTOR CAMEO: In “before” and “after” pictures in a newspaper advertisement for Reduco Obesity Slayer. The pictures were genuine, as he had just been on a crash diet dropping from three hundred to two hundred pounds. In Rope (1948), a neon sign advertising “Reduco” with Hitchcock’s famous silhouette is seen outside the Manhattan apartment where the movie takes place

This is the only movie Sir Alfred Hitchcock made for Twentieth Century Fox, under Darryl F. Zanuck at the time. Hitchcock was borrowed by Fox while under contract with Producer David O. Selznick.

This movie was shot entirely on a restricted set in which the boat was secured in a large studio tank. Sir Alfred Hitchcock, always striving for realism, insisted that the boat never remain stationary and that there always be an added touch of ocean mist and fog compounded by oil forced through dry ice.

Sir Alfred Hitchcock insisted on shooting this movie in sequence, which meant most of the actors and actresses had to be paid for the entire shoot. When studio head Darryl F. Zanuck objected, Hitchcock insisted this was necessary to shape the unconventional narrative.

The harsh conditions of the shoot took its toll: actors and actresses were soaked with water and oil, which led to two cases of pneumonia for Tallulah Bankhead, an illness for Mary Anderson, and two cracked ribs for Hume Cronyn according to his autobiography. Production was temporarily halted twice and Tallulah Bankhead was given a puppy by Sir Alfred Hitchcock for being such a good sport. He had already named the dog Hitchcock.

To get all of the camera angles he needed, Sir Alfred Hitchcock used four boats for the movie. Two were the complete lifeboat. The other two were cut in half, one lengthwise fore to aft, and the other from port to starboard.

In “The Dark Side of Genius”, Donald Spoto wrote that Tallulah Bankhead would climb a ladder every day to reach the tank where the filming took place. She never wore underwear and regularly received an ovation from the crew. When advised of this situation, Sir Alfred Hitchcock observed, “I don’t know if this is a matter for the costume department, make-up, or hairdressing.”

Tallulah Bankhead was noted for her fierce political positions, including a vehement hatred of the Axis powers during World War II. Although co-star Walter Slezak was an outspoken critic of the German government, his Austrian background and the Nazi character he played in this movie put him firmly in Bankhead’s sites, and she insulted him constantly. When Italy surrendered during filming, and Slezak expressed the hope that this would bring the war to an early end, Bankhead spat out “I hope they spill every drop of German blood there is. I hate them all! And I HATE YOU!” All he could say was “I’m sorry about that, Tallulah.”

Canada Lee (Joe Spencer) was allowed to write his own lines.

Although this movie did good business in New York City and other big cities, it failed to attract audiences in smaller theatres and rural areas. As a result, it was a rare Sir Alfred Hitchcock movie that lost money at the box-office.

Next Picture:

We didn’t randomly draw this month, instead we decided to celebrate the 60th anniversary of “Psycho.”

Feedback:

Follow the show on Facebook or Twitter @PresentingHitchcock

Subscribe to Presenting Hitchcock