Alfred Hitchcock to be celebrated in Santa Cruz County festival

SCOTTS VALLEY — Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most celebrated and influential filmmakers of all time. Directing 52 feature films between 1925 and 1976, many considered among the best motion pictures of all time, Hitchcock’s legacy as the “Master of Suspense” is well-documented.

What might not be known to everybody is that, for much of Hitchcock’s career, he lived on a 200-acre estate in Scotts Valley, positioning him to film many of his movies in Northern California. His filmography, as well as his time in Scotts Valley, will be celebrated when the city hosts its first Alfred Hitchcock Festival this weekend, featuring screenings of “Shadow of a Doubt” and “Vertigo,” an interview with his granddaughter, and wine made on Hitchcock’s former property.

Victor Alejandro, chairman of the festival planning committee and treasurer for the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce, said he moved to Scotts Valley in 2014 and later learned that Hitchcock lived in the area.

“I was surprised we didn’t talk about it more,” he said.

When working on the city’s Economic Recovery Task Force during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alejandro decided one way to encourage people to visit Scotts Valley was to educate them about Hitchcock’s longtime residency.

“There’s some people that know he lived here in Scotts Valley from 1940 to 1970, and some don’t,” he said.

Alejandro said others had similar ideas, including Dave Hodgin, who serves on the board for the Scotts Valley Cultural and Performing Arts Center, which opened its doors last year in a former roller rink on Kings Village Road. Alejandro, whose son performs stage shows there, said the center is a great addition to the community.

“I’ve always seen the magic that lights up when you see somebody on stage, and in the community here, it’s a beautiful facility,” he said.

He and Hodgin decided to do an annual fundraiser for the theater, and with Alfred Hitchcock Day designated for March 12, they decided to do a festival honoring the legendary director.

“Dave and I agreed that it would be a great combination to celebrate Alfred Hitchcock Week closest to March 12 every year going forward,” said Alejandro.

Mayor Jack Dilles even read a proclamation declaring March 6 to 12 as Alfred Hitchcock Week.

“Alfred Hitchcock is well-known worldwide,” said Alejandro. “There’s films he made up and down the California coast.”

In the ’30s, Hitchcock’s reputation as a director of suspenseful movies was steadily growing in his native England. After scoring a contract to shoot in Hollywood, he and his wife Alma decided to move to the area in 1939, where he shot his first American movie, the Best Picture-winning “Rebecca.” However, wanting to be farther away from the bustling movie industry and after expressing an interest to actress Joan Fontaine’s parents in living in a place they could grow wine grapes, they settled in a 200-acre estate in Scotts Valley previously owned by Bruce and Helen Cornwall in 1940. Nicknamed “The Heart of the Mountain,”  the estate featured an expansive vineyard, farmhouse, tennis court, citrus trees and rose garden.

Hitchcock kept a low profile while in Scotts Valley as he ventured throughout the state and beyond to shoot some of his most famous movies. However, he did spend quite a bit of time in the Santa Cruz area, stopping by the United Cigar store on Pacific Avenue, buying seafood at Stagnate Bros., and dining at the Old Danish Inn, Palomar Inn and Gilda’s, and delivering the commencement speech at UC Santa Cruz’s 1968 graduation ceremony.

One of his most famous movies was even inspired by an incident in Santa Cruz. By 1961, Hitchcock already had plans to adapt Daphne du Maurier’s “The Birds,” about sudden violent bird attacks, when he learned that such attacks had already taken place in the Santa Cruz area. After contacting the Sentinel to request a recent paper, he learned that a colony of seabirds had gotten lost in the fog during a sardine run, crashed through windows and windshields, flew into power lines and attacked eight people. The birds were later revealed to have gotten red tide poisoning.

“The Birds,” filmed largely up north in Bodega Bay, was released in 1963 and received an Oscar nomination for special effects.

During their time in Scotts Valley, the Hitchcocks hosted a variety of famous figures, including actors from his movies such as Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Kim Novak, Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly, the latter of whom would often bring along her husband, Rainier III, prince of Monaco.

The estate was sold in 1970, with Hitchcock dying 10 years later at the age of 80.

Living in Scotts Valley meant Hitchcock had easy access to a lot of Northern California locales to shoot movies in. Two of these films will be screened at the festival: “Shadow of a Doubt” on Friday and “Vertigo” on Saturday.

“Alfred Hitchcock loved Northern California,” said Alejandro.

“Shadow of a Doubt,” shot in Santa Rosa, was considered to be one of Hitchcock’s personal favorite films. “Vertigo,” shot mostly in San Francisco, was representative of his love for the city.

“Alfred Hitchcock had a close connection to San Francisco,” said Alejandro. “There’s a book called ‘Footsteps in the Fog‘ that talks all about it.”

For example, Alejandro said Hitchcock was a frequent patron of Jack’s Restaurant and allegedly introduced a variation on a British cocktail called Buck’s Fizz that blended sparkling wine with orange juice to American audiences for a beverage now called the mimosa.

“Shadow of a Doubt” will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Friday and “Vertigo” at 2 p.m. Saturday. Both will be followed by a panel at 4:30 p.m. Saturday featuring UCSC film professors Logan Walker and Shelley Stamp talking about the two movies and Hitchcock’s legacy as a filmmaker.