The Only Major Actors Still Alive From Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film "Psycho" famously employed a gimmick in its advertising to set it apart from the thrillers of the day. Movie posters and other print ads featured pictures of Hitchcock himself, pointing to his wristwatch, declaring that audiences watch "Psycho" from the very beginning, or face ejection from the theater. This came at a time when many theaters were still operating by a non-scheduled system, showing a well-moneyed "A" feature, followed by cartoons, shorts, newsreels, commercials, and a cheaper "B" feature. This is where we get the term "B movie" from. The cycle would then repeat. You could spend four or five hours in the theater if you wanted to. The entire loop would then repeat, and you could catch up with the movie on its second go-'round. This is where we get the phrase, "This is where we came in."
Hitchcock, of course, was repeating the sensationalist gimmicks of William Castle, who had come to great success in 1958 and 1959 by attaching gimmicks to films like "Macabre" and "House on Haunted Hill."
You might notice, dear reader, that my introductory paragraphs haven't mentioned anything that happens in "Psycho." This is because I'm unsure as to the statute of limitations on spoilers. "Psycho" notoriously contains a twist partway through the film, and I am still wary of discussing it publicly, should some naïve soul who hasn't seen "Psycho" be reading this. Hitchcock's classic is one of the rare films that function better with its surprises intact. Needless to say, more than one person is murdered in the film.
The film celebrated its 63rd anniversary this year, and sadly, most of the cast is no longer with us. But one of its major actors remains with us.
Vera Miles (Lila Crane)
In "Psycho," Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals a hefty sum of money from her employer and immediately goes on the lam, wracked by guilt, but dreaming of finally shacking up with her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin). She drives a great distance, eventually getting lost in the rain. She checks into a motel. A few scenes later, Marion's sister, Lila, becomes suspicious of what might have happened to Marion, and hires a private investigator named Arbogast (Martin Balsam) to find her. It will be Vera who eventually finds out what happened to Marion on that dark road trip, and discovers the secrets of Norman (Anthony Perkins), the skittish man running an out-of-the-way motel with his mother.
Vera Miles, who turned 94 this year, was crowned Miss Kansas in 1948 and moved to Los Angeles the following year to pursue acting. She started out playing showgirls and teens in a variety of Hollywood pictures, from "Two Tickets to Broadway" to "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms." She appeared in a Tarzan movie, as well as hits like "The Searchers" and "The FBI Story" before landing the role of Rose in "The Wrong Man," her first collaboration with Hitchcock.
Not only did Miles play Lila in "Psycho," but she was the preferred leading actress for Hitchcock's "Vertigo" a few years earlier. Miles had to turn down the role because she was pregnant at the time, and the part went to Kim Novak. Miles would also turn up in two episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
In a video interview about the 1983 film "Psycho II," she described herself (and Perkins) as shy and reticent, and noted that Hitchcock didn't foster warmth on his sets.
Miles retired from acting in 1995. Well done, indeed.