(13 Aug 1999) English/Nat The daughter of the undisputed master of film suspense, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, has marked the centenary of his birth at a special ceremony. Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell revisited the London flat, home to her famous father and mother for more than a decade, and unveiled a commemorative plaque on Friday. The English Heritage blue plaque marking his birthday, which aptly fell on Friday 13, honoured his unique contribution to the world of cinema. Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell had come from her home in California for the ceremony. Her father Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the Hollywood king of suspense, was honoured at the west London house where he lived after his marriage until he moved to the United States in 1939. The director and his wife Alma Reville lived in the upstairs flat on the Cromwell Road for 13 years during his early career as he was making a name for himself at Islington Studios. Hitchcock had begun his career in advertising but his genius lay in movies. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Well first of all I'd like to thank all of you for coming here. This is a wonderful tribute to my father. My mother and father were married in Brompton oratory just up the street here in 1926 December 2nd and they moved here to Cromwell road just after that. I was actually born here, we had the top two floors and as far as I can remember we had to walk up 97 stairs to get there. But it's wonderful, I'm so grateful for having this wonderful for my father. I'm sorry my family couldn't be here but we all want to thank all of you for this incredibly great honour. Thank you." SUPER CAPTION: Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell, daughter of Sir Alfred Hitchcock Hitchcock's career took off in the U-S and he became one of the biggest film legends in Hollywood. His thrillers, including Psycho and The Birds, have inspired terror in generations of filmgoers and are regarded as classics worldwide. During his long career he directed an illustrious list of screen greats which included Cary Grant in North By North West, and James Stewart and Grace Kelly in Rear Window. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I remember my father as one of the kindest people I've ever known. He dreaded hurting anybody's feelings and with a sense of humor that he said you have to be able in life to stand back and not take yourself too seriously." SUPER CAPTION: Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell, daughter of Sir Alfred Hitchcock Hitchcock, born on August 13, 1899, to a Catholic family in Leytonstone, was well known for his cameo appearances in his films. Fans would eagerly await the fleeting moment when he would appear in the background in some form, often as an inconspicuous passer-by. Patricia too made appearances in her father's films, including Stagefright, Strangers on a Train and Psycho. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I would love to have been in more of his films but unfortunately he only cast people if they were exactly right for the part and Psycho was fun we had no idea it was going to be the type of movie that would come out. It actually got very bad notices when it came out in New York." SUPER CAPTION: Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell, daughter of Sir Alfred Hitchcock Psycho was recently voted his best film by a distinguished panel of directors. The famous shower scene in the 1960 film took seven working days and more than 70 takes for just 45 seconds of film. Janet Leigh, who played the murder victim Marion Crane recently said she had never got over the shock of seeing Psycho for the first time and has never taken a shower again. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ab214d06c957f5b59109c53631616ddd

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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