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Film Bulletin (06/Jul/1959) - North by Northwest (advert)

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Cliff-Hangers Par Excellence

"Produced and directed by Afred Hitchcock"

Over the years, "produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock" has come to mean suspense thrillers of the highest caliber, always spiced with a liberal dash of the inimitable master's ironic humor. Now, to such excellent films as "39 Steps", "Rebecca", "Suspicion" and "Rear Window", add Hitchcock's latest cliff-hanger par excellence, MGM's "North by Northwest."

All the ingredients that are associated with the skilled artist—breathless chases, sophisticated comedy, cloaked intrigue, humor, strange plot windings and, of course, a surprise ending—are b'ended to provide "North by Northwest" with a slick, professional luster. But in this smoothly-handled version of the spy melodrama, there is one Hitchcock specialty which abounds to a degree heretofore unmatched in any of his films: authentic background. Never satisfied with a substitute for the actual site of the storyline of his picture, the portly producer-director can be well pleased with the panoramic backdrop of "North by Northwest." Comedy with a light, blithe touch successfully eases the tension of a grim scene, then, in turn, gives way to an even more gripping situation—all the while Grand Central Station, United Nations headquarters in New York, the Mount Rushmore, S. D., National Monument and the Indiana plains hover as most impressive background. One scene, in particular, in which Cary Grant is chased by an airplane on a flat, sun-drenched plain, draws its effectiveness almost completely from the actual location shooting.

If the artistic efforts involved in the picture can be said to cover a vast amount of the United States, the promotional campaign developed by MGM will spread the story of "North by Northwest" to every part of the country. Magazine-wise, 130,000,000 readers of current national publications sjch as Life, True, Look and Saturday Evening Post will see advertisements for the film. Correspondingly, the national mags have provided "North by Northwest" with numerous generous publicity breaks which began making appearances shortly after the start of location filming and should continue straight through the summer. Life, for example, will run a story on Hitchcock titled, "What Makes a Good Suspense Story," to appear in connection with a regular motion picture layout on "North by Northwest," while Look will run a Cary Grant cover and a photo layout inside.

With the rather numerous profile of Hitchcock having become almost a household item, through his CBS-TV program, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," it follows that the astute technician would have been quick to seize upon such a powerful promotional weapon for employment in the motion picture campaign. He did, and the result will be a ten-second clip from the film plus an announcement about it to be aired coast-to-coast starting three weeks prior to national release and running continuously for ten weeks. Exhibitors, according to MGM, will find their local CBS stations highly cooperative in arranging a mutual promotion to publicize their program and the playdates.

Hitchcock also is prominent in three other national promotions for "North by Northwest." A full-page Western Union ad featuring a large photo of the producer-director appears in top national and business periodicals. An MGM-Mercedes-Benz tie-up includes newspaper, radio and TV ads based on Hitchcock selecting a Mercedes-Benz for use in the picture. Both Hitchcock and Grant are highlighted in a tie-up with Ralist, Inc., makers of the Stereo-Realist camera. Hitchcock has, in addition, prepared a radio transcription in which he is captured by the interviewer while trying to put Eva Marie Saint's scream on film. Made so that it can be used as an "open-end" interview with a local announcer asking questions, or as a regular studio-announcer interview, the five-minute spot is available free from MGM. Obviously aware of his own publicity value, Hitchcock also has lent himself to the giant cut-out pictured on the opposite page. Mounted on board, it is ideal for store promotions that tie-in with the copy.

The advertising portion of the campaign, too, is tailor-made to sell all the Hitchcock ingredients. The MGM boxofficers have captured the dramatic elements of the chase, especially reflected in the gripping copy and the terror in Grant's yes, and the warmer aspects of the Grant-Saint love interest. Perhaps, the ad which captures Hitchcock's personal touch best shows Grant and Saint about to kiss—while she holds a gun at his throat. We're certain the MGM ad department had the master story-teller in mind when they did that one.

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