Cast of Characters

Tippi Hendren as Melanie Daniels

Rod Taylor as Mitch Brenner

Jessica Tandy as Lydia Brenner

Suzanne Pleshette as Annie Hayworth

Charles McGraw as Sebastian Sholes

Ruth McDevitt as Mrs. MacGruder

Lonny Chapman as Deke Carter

Joe Mantell as the Traveling Salesman

Doodles Weaver as the Fisherman

Malcolm Atterbury as Al Malone

John McGovern as the Postal Clerk

Karl Swenson as the Drunk

Richard Deacon as the Man in the Elevator

Elizabeth Wilson as Helen Carter

Bill Quinn as the Farm Hand

Doreen Lang as the Mother in the Cafe

Morgan Brittany as the Schoolchild

Flight of Fear

    In 1952, British novelist, short-story writer and playwright Dame Daphne du Maurier published a collection of tales called The Apple Tree. Among the stories in that book is a novelette that envisions what would happen if birds suddenly started attacking people for no apparent reason. Set in Britain after the end of World War II, “The Birds” follows the experiences of a farm worker and his family as they cope with the assaults.

    Two radio shows dramatized “The Birds: ”Lux Radio Theater  in 1953 and Escape in 1954.

    Then, esteemed director Alfred Hitchcock decided to produce a film loosely based on the story. In 1940, Hitchcock had won the Best Picture Oscar for a movie based on another du Maurier work, Rebecca.

    Released in 1963, Hitchcock’s The Birds centers on wealthy socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren, pictured above left) who develops an interest in handsome prosecutor Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) while stopping by a San Francisco pet store to pick up a bird. Intrigued, she ends up tracking Brenner to his mother's home in the rural fishing area of Bodega Bay. It's there where a seagull suddenly attacks Daniels. Brenner cares for her wound and their relationship develops as the bird attacks become more frequent and deadly.
    Hedren's performance as Melanie Daniels made her an instant star of the Minnesota actress but she earned her fame in the demanding role. According to some accounts, Hedren was so traumatized by a week of filming while being attacked by live birds that she suffered from clinical shock.
    The special effects in The Birds were startling at the time but are not up to today's standards. Still, the film features fine performances, a convincing atmosphere of peril, and an innovative ending that leaves in question whether or not the central conflict between men and birds is over. This open-ended finish would influence a generation of apocalyptic horror movies. The Birds also established a clear framework that has been repeated in many of the best modern fright films: everyday people caught up in extreme circumstances, fighting against incredible odds to preserve their lives, as well as their beliefs, values and sense of humanity.
    Interestingly enough, Hitchcock considered using an alternate ending, in which the main characters arrive safely in San Francisco by car and look up at the Golden Gate Bridge to see it covered in birds.