alfred hitchcock presents a true account

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Unlike the short story, in which women were not welcomed into the club, in the Hitchcock show Spirro is a woman (played by Spivy), very much in the style of the “ monstrous-feminine” who, we are all subconsciously afraid, will reabsorb us into the feminine form from which we emerged. Spirro (the spelling in the story changed, for reasons not explained) makes an appearance while Laffler is complaining about not being allowed into the kitchen. Here at Spirro’s we have no doubts, we ask no questions, we only know that there is a genius in the kitchen!” “My dear boy, when you’ve studied the art of fine eating as long and as vigorously as I have, you won’t trouble with menus…. The dishes that are served are always superb, but there is no menu, no choices offered. On their first two visits, lamb Armistran is not served, much to Laffler’s disappointment. Laffler is astonished, because his three obsessions are lamb Armistran, which all the members crave, a longing to become a life-member of the club, and a yearning to “see the kitchen where these miracles are performed”. They meet some of the other diners, including a rich Singaporean businessman (as if to show us that American elitism is not entirely white, but ironically played by Japanese actor Tetsu Komai) and another very cantankerous diner whose regular eating-partner has apparently resigned, immediately after becoming a life member. The wonderful Robert Morley is Laffler, a well-heeled import-export businessman, who has invited his protégé, Costain, to the very exclusive club/restaurant. This production is fairly true to the short story. Ellin’s story was first published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine in 1948. Sbirro serves a specialty called “lamb Armistran”, which turns out to be the flesh of patrons who had enquired too deeply into the mysteries of his kitchen.

#ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS A TRUE ACCOUNT TV#

This week’s 1959 TV show was also an adaptation, from Stanley Ellin’s short story “ The Speciality of the House” about gourmet chef Sbirro, whose exclusive restaurant offers a “warm haven in a coldly insane world”. His facemasks, made out of human faces, inspired the character Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and its many sequels.

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Gein would make women suits out of human skin (which inspired Jame Gumb – “Buffalo Bill” – in Silence of the Lambs) so he could dress up as his mother (which inspired Psycho).

Psycho’s story was itself adapted from the case of the so-called “Butcher of Plainfield”, Ed Gein, who would dig up bodies and use the bones and skin to make masks, accessories and furniture. A year after Specialty of the House, Hitchcock used his TV crew to make the film Psycho, a seminal film in the horror genre and in Cannibal Studies.

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The production team he put together for the TV series was a lot cheaper than a film crew, and he used them often to make his movies. His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins. Hitchcock was called “The Master of Suspense” and is considered one of the most important figures in cinema history. It remains timeless in 2021, Rolling Stone ranked it 18th on its list of “30 Best Horror TV Shows of All Time”. Produced and presented by the great auteur himself with a humorous introduction and postscript, the stories covered mysteries, thrillers and dramas. We’re heading back into the early days of Cannibal Studies with this one! The TV anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents aired on CBS and NBC between 19.

Alfred hitchcock presents a true account