Cornell Woolrich

Alfred Hitchcock must have taken one look at the Cornell Woolrich's stories and gotten those little cartoon dollar signs in his eyes. Between 1954 and 1958 he turned Woolrich's nail-biting short story "Rear Window" (originally titled "It Had to be Murder") into a feature-length film, filmed two other short stories as 30-minute-long segments for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and made a 60-minute-long telefilm of Woolrich's story "Three O'Clock". The styles of the two men were a perfect match, and their co-creations are superb examples of the suspense genre.

Note: Woolrich had some king-sized issues: alcoholism, diabetes, homosexual self-loathing, and his relationship with his mother. After his marriage (mistake #1) crashed and burned, Woolrich moved back home (mistake #2). He and his mother struggled to co-exist until her death in 1957, after which he had a complete breakdown. Critics have speculated that Woolrich's relationship with his mother may have inspired Hitchcock's vision of Norman Bates.


Aftertaste:
None.

Availability:
Everywhere. Look in used bookstores.

Other Recommendations:
Woman in the Dark by Dashiell Hammett