The visionary film maker directed over 50 marvelous movies in his career. But a number of his projects never got to see the light of day.
Number 13 – 1922
Alfred Hitchcock’s directorial debut was in the 1925 movie The Pleasure garden. Since the audio format was not introduced up until much later, Hitchcock’s first movies were silent films. The movie Number 13 was also known as Mrs. Peabody. The story involved a group of British residents living in a low income building owned by the Peabody Trust.
Prominent actors of the era – Clare Greet and Ernest Thesiger were attached to the project. Alfred Hitchcock wanted only British actors to play a part in the movie. When the project ran out of budget, Greet offered money out of her own pocket to bankroll the venture. Hitchcock was so impressed with her generosity that he later cast her in six other Hitchcock blockbusters in the later years.
Forbidden Territory – 1933
The movie was supposed to be based on a book of the same name written by Dennis Wheatley. Hitchcock was so impressed with the story he wanted to reserve the rights to the book right away. But his obligations to the Studio forbade him from working on personal projects. So Hitchcock asked one of his British pals to secure the right while he works behind the camera to make the project a reality.
Hitchcock was stopped from directing the movie because of the Studio. But the movie’s story and spy-thriller genre would have fallen right into his alley. It was a movie about a person traveling to Russia based on a coded message to free one of his friends imprisoned there. Hitchcock’s wife also worked on the movie from behind the scenes.
Hitchcock’s Titanic Movie – 1939
Alfred Hitchcock wanted to make a Titanic movie only after 27 years of the horrific incident. This would have been Hitchcock’s first major Hollywood production. He reportedly even traveled to America to speak to studios and reserve the rights to the movie.
If reports are to be trusted, Hitchcock signed a deal with Selznick International Pictures, that was looking for a director in 1939 for the Titanic movie. The British government stopped the project because World War Two was almost upon us. Selznick Pictures and Hitchcock settled for another story that became the movie Rebecca. It won the best Picture Academy award a year later.
Greenmantle – 1942
Hitchcock’s fascination with spy movies caught steam after he was denied Forbidden Territory. His next project that he almost went on to direct was Greenmantle – based on the 1916 novel by John Buchan. The book is widely claimed to be the progenitor of modern spy movies.
Hitchcock’s choice for the lead roles were Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. the movie did not happen but he still managed to get the actor duo for his 1946 blockbuster Notorious. Greenmantle had the potential to surpass North By Northwest.
Unnamed Nazi Documentary – 1945
Hitchcock was already making anti-Nazi movies with 39 Steps and Notorious. The government of United Kingdom later contracted Hitchcock to lead a film crew video documenting the horrors of the Third Reich during 1945. It is rumored that a complete copy of the documentary exists somewhere but the governments have forbidden it from being released because it is too full of gore and violence.
Hamlet – 1948
Alfred Hitchcock had pitched the idea to Cary Grant, according to the actress in Cary Grant, The Making Of a Hollywood Legend. The movie would have been a modern retelling of the Shakespearean classic. A legal battle with another benefactor who claimed to hold the rights to the story derailed the project. Hitchcock got his share of Shakespeare with North By Northwest – a movie full of references to the English author’s original works.
The Blind Man – 1960
Hitchcock’s only project associated with Disneyland, the Blind Man had a unique story well ahead of its time. A blind man named Jimmy Shearing gains sight after an cornea transplant from a murder victim. But Shearing starts to have visions of the murder after seeing a Wild West show at Disneyland. And he must now catch the killer before it is too late.
R.R.R.R – 1965
The movie was about a group of Italian thieves trying to steal valuable coins worth the greatest rated value – R.R.R.R. Hitchcock evidently hired Italian writers to write the story. But the language barrier was the first and final nail in the coffin. It was after that project that Hitchcock’s downward spiral began.
The Short Night – Late 1970s
The Short Night was Alfred Hitchcock’s final attempt at creating a spy thriller movie. The story involved a British double agent who races against time to save his family. An American agent sent to stop him fall in love with the British agent’s wife. Big names like Sean Connery and Clint Eastwood were attached to the project. Walter Matthau was going to be the villain. Hitchcock retired on account of his failing health before the movie could ever be made.
Honorable Mentions – The Bramble Bush (1951), No Bail For The Judge (1954-1959), Flamingo Feather (1956), The Wreck Of The Mary Deare (1959), Mary Rose (1964), Frenzy (1968)
