The Short Night .281976.E2.80.931979.29 List of unproduced Alfred Hitchcock projects

hitchcock s last, unfinished project short night, adaptation of spy thriller of same name ronald kirkbride. british double agent (loosely based on george blake) escapes prison , flees moscow via finland, wife , children waiting. american agent – brother 1 of traitor s victims – heads finland intercept him ends falling wife. hitchcock s third attempt – after torn curtain , topaz – produce realistic bond film . clint eastwood, , sean connery possible male leads. liv ullmann asked play double agent s wife. catherine deneuve asked star. walter matthau considered villain role. ed lauter discussed role 1 of matthau s prison mates.

the first writer assigned picture, james costigan, quarreled director, asked him paid off. ernest lehman agreed work on script. lehman felt story should focus on american spy, , left out double agent s jailbreak. lehman left film too, , hitchcock asked old friend norman lloyd him write long treatment. lloyd, universal, concerned hitchcock s failing health meant movie might not made. when hitchcock suggested moving straight on screenplay, lloyd objected, saying unprepared. hitchcock reacted angrily, fired lloyd, , worked on treatment alone.

after while, hitchcock accepted needed writer work him, , universal suggested david freeman. freeman helped hitchcock complete treatment , wrote screenplay. wrote experiences in 1999 book last days of alfred hitchcock, includes completed screenplay. circumstances surrounding hitchcock s retirement given producer hilton a. green during documentary plotting family plot . according green, during pre-production short night hitchcock met green tell him poor health prevent him making film follow-up family plot. after trying talk hitchcock out of decision, green agreed hitchcock s request bring news of decision retire studio head lew wasserman, long-time friend of hitchcock.