Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Janet Leigh star in Alfred Hitchock’s suspense classic “Psycho”

Psycho (1960) is an American suspense thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Janet Leigh. The supporting cast included Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Frank Albertson, and Pat Hitchcock. The music was by Bernard Herrmann and the cinematography was by John L. Russell. The film was edited by long-time Hitchcock collaborator George Tomasini.

What happens when Marion Crane (Leigh) an on-the-run thief meets Normal Bates (Perkins) an odd motel proprietor? That is the mystery of Psycho.

Marion Crane has left town with $40,000 in cash from her employer. She hopes that if her boyfriend Sam Loomis (Gavin) can pay off his debts, they can be married. When Marion goes missing her sister Lila  Crane (Miles) teams up with Sam to try and track her down.

Will Lila and Sam find Marion or discover more than they bargained for once they visit the Bates Motel?

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century. Hitchcock directed over 50 feature films, many are classics that have been honored and studied for years. Some of Hitchcock’s classic films include The 39 Steps (1939), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Notorious (1946), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960).

Janet Leigh as Marion Crane

Anthony Perkins (1932 – 1992) was an American stage and film actor. Perkins got his start in summer stock but worked in movies before his Broadway debut. His first film was The Actress (1953), co-starring Spencer Tracy, Jean Simmons, and Teresa Wright. He made his Broadway debut in Tea and Sympathy (1953) replacing John Kerr in the role of Tom Lee. He then returned to Hollywood to star in Friendly Persuasion (1956) with Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire. Perkins was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in that film. Other films followed including Fear Strikes Out (1957), This Angry Age (1958) Desire Under the Elms (1958), The Matchmaker (1958), and Tall Story (1960). It would be Perkins’s role as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) that would define him for the rest of his life and career.

Janet Leigh (1927 – 2004) was an American actress. Leigh was discovered by actress Norma Shearer who helped her secure a contract with M-G-M. Leigh made her movie debut in The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947) co-starring Van Johnson. Other films followed including Act of Violence (1948), Little Women (1949), Angels in the Outfield (1951), and The Naked Spur (1953).  After she left M-G-M, Leigh signed contracts with Universal and Columbia. In 1958, Leigh co-starred with Charlton Heston in the film noir classic Touch of Evil directed by Orson Welles. Her most famous role was as Marion Crane in Psycho (1960) for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. Later films include The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Bye, Bye Birdie (1963), and Wives and Lovers (1963). Leigh took a three-year break from acting, turning down some major roles, to concentrate on raising her two young daughters. She returned to film acting in 1966 starring in Kid Rodelo, Harper, and Three on a Couch co-starring Jerry Lewis. Apart from her acting, Leigh wrote four books, two novels, and two nonfiction works.

Vera Miles (1929 - ) is an American actress (retired) who was a popular leading lady in film during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1957, Miles signed a five-year personal contract with Alfred Hitchcock. Earlier he cast her opposite Henry Fonda in The Wrong Man (1956) and was his original choice for the female lead in Vertigo (1958). Hitchcock was grooming Miles as his next “cool blonde” replacing the recently retired Grace Kelly. When Miles became pregnant, she lost the role to Kim Novak. Miles starred in two classic John Ford westerns: The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Other film roles include Lila Crane in Psycho (1960), Beau James (1957), The FBI Story (1959), and Hellfighters (1968).

John Gavin (1931 -2018) was an American actor and diplomat. He was president of the Screen Actors Guild (1971 – 1973) and was the United States Ambassador to Mexico (1981 – 1986). Gavin was a successful leading man in the late 1950s through the late 1960s. Some of Gavin’s films include Imitation of Life (1959), Spartacus (1960), Midnight Lace (1960), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). He was the hero, playing Sam Loomis in Psycho (1960), probably his most famous role. He was set to take over the role of James Bond in Diamonds are Forever (1971) when George Lazenby left the role. Sean Connery ended up playing the role instead. Once again, Gavin was set to play 007 in Live and Let Die (1973), but the producer wanted a British actor to play Bond so the role went to Roger Moore. Gavin was married to actress and singer Constance Towers.

Psycho trivia

• Hitchcock was so pleased with Bernard Herrmann’s score that he doubled his salary.
• The director had the cast and crew pledge that they wouldn’t say anything about the movie’s storyline.
• The rights to the novel by Robert Bloch were purchased by Hitchcock for only $9,000.
• Both Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh said they didn’t mind being stereotyped because of their work in Psycho. Both obtained screen immortality by their roles in the classic film.
• Hitchcock was so anxious to make Psycho that he took a percentage deal (60% of the gross) instead of his normal $250,000 fee.
• The movie was filmed in black and white because Hitchcock thought it would be too gory in color.

Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Anthony Perkins

Click HERE to join the discussion on March 25, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

Discussion questions

1. How much did the music contribute to the overall success and feel of Psycho?
2. Hitchcock made Psycho for under one million dollars. Did the movie look cheap to you?
3. Anthony Perkins was forever typecast because of his performance as Norman Bates. What did you make of his performance?
4. Janet Leigh was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, losing to Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry. Do you think Leigh’s performance was Oscar-worthy?
5. The acting attention is always on Leigh and Perkins, but what did you think of the performances of Vera Miles and John Gavin?
6. Anthony Perkins wasn’t nominated for his performance. Do you think the Academy made a mistake in not recognizing him?

Van Johnson and Vera Miles know there are only “23 Paces to Baker Street”

23 Paces to Baker Street (1956) is an American mystery directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Van Johnson and Vera Miles. The supporting cast features Cecil Parker, Isobel Elsom, and Estelle Winwood.

Philip Hanson (Johnson) is a blind playwright living in London. With the help of his butler Bob Matthews (Cecil Parker), Hanson writes in his flat overlooking the Thames river. One day, Hanson overhears a conversation at a local pub that sounds to him like a plan to commit a crime. He tries to get help from Inspector Grovening (Maurice Denham) without any success. So he turns to his butler and Jean Lennox (Miles), his ex-fiancée. Will the three of them crack the case or find themselves in more trouble than they bargained for?

Henry Hathaway (1898 – 1985) was an American film director and producer. Hathaway started working in silent films in 1925 as an assistant to established directors like Victor Fleming and Josef von Sternberg. His first solo directorial effort was Heritage of the Desert (1932) starring Randolph Scott. Hathaway, along with Scott, would be known for western movies. Besides Scott, Hathaway directed Gary Cooper in several films, including The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) which earned him his only Best Director Academy Award nomination. In 1940, Hathaway began working at Fox where he directed Tyrone Power in Johnny Apollo and Brigham Young (both 1940), Gene Tierney in China Girl (1942), Don Ameche and Dana Andrews in Wing and a Prayer (1944), and Call Northside 777 (1948) starring James Stewart and Richard Conte. After leaving Fox, he was one of three directors who worked on the western epic How the West Was Won (1962). He directed Steve McQueen in Nevada Smith (1966), directed John Wayne in True Grit (1968) which won Wayne his one and only Best Actor Academy Award.

Van Johnson (1916 – 2008) was an American film, television, stage, and radio actor. He was a major star at M-G-M during and after World War II. During his heyday, Johnson was packaged as the boy next door which made him a popular leading man into the 1950s. Johnson starred opposite some of the biggest female stars in Hollywood including Esther Williams, June Allyson, Judy Garland, and Elizabeth Taylor. Some of Johnson’s many films include Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), Thrill of a Romance (1945), Easy to Wed (1946), and In the Good Old Summertime (1949).

Van Johnson and Vera Miles

Vera Miles (1929 - ) is an American actress (retired) who was a popular leading lady in film during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1957, Miles signed a five-year personal contract with Alfred Hitchcock. Earlier he cast her opposite Henry Fonda in The Wrong Man (1956) and was his original choice for the female lead in Vertigo (1958). Hitchcock was grooming Miles as his next “cool blonde” replacing the recently retired Grace Kelly. When Miles became pregnant, she lost the role to Kim Novak. Miles starred in two classic John Ford westerns: The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Other film roles include Lila Crane in Psycho (1960), Beau James (1957), The FBI Story (1959), and Hellfighters (1968).

23 Paces to Baker Street trivia

• A lot of the film's exteriors were shot in London as opposed to a Hollywood backlot.
• The balcony scenes overlooking the Thames were shot from the Savoy Hotel.
• The scars on Van Johnson's face are real. He was in a serious car accident—his head went through the windshield—in 1943 while filming A Guy Named Joe starring Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne.

To watch the movie on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on January 9, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Did this film remind you of other films you've seen?
2. Was Van Johnson convincing as a blind man?
3. Did the on-location filming make a difference in the overall feel of the film?
4. Would the film have been better if it was filmed in black and white?
5. Were you surprised by anything?
6. Does the title have anything to do with the film?
7. Was the ending satisfying?

Alfred Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man" screens at Daystar Center September 15, 2015

When: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street

In 1956, Director Alfred Hitchcock put suspense aside and crafted The Wrong Man based on real-life events. Henry Fonda plays musician Manny Balestrero who is wrongly accused of a series of armed robberies. Filmed in semi-documentary style, Hitchcock directs a very competent cast headed by Fonda and Vera Miles as his grief-stricken wife, Rose. One of the most unusual films in the director’s canon, it’s also one of his most impressive.

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!
Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion
Once a month we screen a classic film and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. To purchase your ticket in advance, click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.


Daystar Center located at 1550 S. State St. works through a grassroots network of collaborations and partnerships with individuals and other nonprofit organizations. Through this web, they’re able to provide educational, cultural, and civic activities that enrich and empower their clients, guests, and community members. To learn more about classes and events offered at the Daystar Center, please visit their Web site.