While she was incomparable as Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show, her most profound impact on the collective unconscious came with her portrayal of Annie Hayworth in Hitchcock's The Birds.
The human race can be dichotomized along many different lines: Dog people vs. Cat people. Rollercoaster freaks vs. Ferris Wheel junkies. Carrot eaters vs. Celery fans. People who melt at the sound of Karen Carpenter's voice vs. People who just don't get it.
In The Birds two archetypes meet: Tippi Hedren's icy blond ... vs. Suzanne Pleshette's smoldering brunette.
The odds were against Pleshette. Annie Hayworth is Bodega Bay's schoolteacher, a single woman headed for spinsterhood - dumped by Rod Taylor's Mitch Brenner. (Taylor's cleft chin actually received a special Oscar that year, presented by Kirk Douglas.) Mitch takes up with Melanie Daniels (Tippi) soon after she drives up from San Francisco with a pair of lovebirds, no doubt signaling to the audience Hitchcock's preference.
Yet Pleshette subverts all expectations by simply out-sexying Tippi Hedren. If the world can be divided between Suzanne Pleshette people and Tippi Hedren people, then the former group is surely larger. No contest. I combed YouTube for video proof of my unarguable thesis. Here's a remix of the scene where Annie and Melanie chat about Mitch and Mitch's mother in Annie's cottage:
I can't tell what Annie is serving. (Port? Sherry? Scotch?) Clearly she's a good host. More importantly, look at the way she smokes!
To be sure, I am NOT using the death of Suzanne Pleshette as an excuse to bash Tippi Hedren. As readers of this blog know, it's not anti-Tippi Hedren to be pro-Suzanne Pleshette. In fact in 1996 I had the pleasure of meeting Tippi Hedren on a special tour of her California nature preserve Shambala. (My friend Richard was working at Fox Television and his boss Trevor took him and a group of friends, including me, on a tour.) After the psychological torment Tippi underwent at the hands of Hitchcock, it's remarkable that she maintains the presence of mind to interface with cheetahs and pumas on a daily basis.
I'm merely paying tribute to the achievements of actress (and unwitting brunette activist) Suzanne Pleshette, in a culture that worships blonds.
Look at this scene from The Birds:
At 3:00, Annie takes the information that Melanie has given her and, without missing a beat, takes control. Witness her calm during crisis. (Annie Hayworth for FEMA chief!)
I drove up to Bodega Bay in 2004 and had my picture taken in front of that schoolhouse. Sadly I can't find it now. Here's a picture of the mouse pad I bought, though:
By the way the scene in the diner in The Birds is my favorite. Mrs. Bundy, in the center of the mouse pad, is the elderly ornithologist who doubts Melanie's claims about the murderous birds.
I have long hated Mrs. Bundy. The character, played by English stage actress Ethel Griffies, is perhaps the greatest portrait of a know-it-all in cinema history. I can still hear my grandmother scowling at the TV when Mrs. Bundy lectures Melanie about birds being on "this planet since archeopteris, 140 million years ago." Meanwhile the seaside town is on the verge of catastrophe!
When the town needs action, Mrs. Bundy is the opposite, an ineffectual eggheady wonk. Frankly she is the reason that I would have had to vote for Eisenhower over Adlai Stevenson. She is imprisoned in her own ivory tower, completely detached from reality. Mrs. Bundy prattles while Bodega Bay burns.
I'm convinced that if Annie Hayworth's eyes hadn't been plucked out by this part of the movie, then the gas station never would have blown up.
Do you have any thoughts on the passing of Suzanne Pleshette? Or opinions on Mrs. Bundy?
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 5)
1. Mo, unfortunately, the world is full of Mrs. Bundys and woefully lacking of Annies.
You are right, she sure seemed like a class act, that old school sparkle that few stars today maintained.
I grew up watching her on BN and thought she seemed so sophisticated and intelligent (remember all their books?).
Smokey voiced brunettes never go out of style. (A tip of the hat from a redhead.)
RIP
Gabrielle at 7:52PM on Jan 20th 2008
2. Ah, Suzanne. It's so sad. I was a fan of hers from watching the Bob Newhart Show on Nick at Nite. She will be missed.
Chrissy at 9:01PM on Jan 20th 2008
3. Mo...I always admired Suzanne Pleshette's hands. They were shapely and her nails were pretty, well maintained and a nice length...not claws (no pun intented with The Birds thing).
We'll miss her throaty voice.
Melissa at 9:21PM on Jan 20th 2008
4. suzanne pleshette had class, which never goes out of style. she was smart, talented, humble, and, of course, beautiful. she was a natural on screen, and always completely watchable. by never seeking the limelight, she shined in it. thank you, suzanne. you made my world better.
renfly56 at 9:49PM on Jan 20th 2008
5. Gorgeous; lots of class; great sex appeal; hot voice, bright and a good actress. May she Rest in Peace Among the Saints. She will be missed.
Some network should run the Newhart episodes. Great show.
Lafayette at 9:58PM on Jan 20th 2008
6. Suzanne was certainly a classy lady/actress.
I grew up with shows like Bob Newhart and I miss them. They were funny and entertaining (without being mindless) in a more wholesome way than what one finds on the tele these days.
I wonder if Nick at Night has the re-runs?!
Mary Irene at 10:36PM on Jan 20th 2008
7. Nobody wants to be cruel when someone dies, but I'll say my goodbye to Mrs. Newhart in a different way. As for being "sexy", I think the only reason you recognized her Mo is that you love to say her famous line. On any good weekend, how many times do you find yourself saying, "Oh, Bob?" Now that's sexy! A good laugh is the best way to talk about death. Don't tell me that wasn't funny.
Cecil Jones at 10:45PM on Jan 20th 2008
8. I will miss her voice and personality.
I always had a crush on her because she was so sexy. I really loved her raven hair and good looks.
RIP my dear, I will always remember you!
David Morris at 11:53PM on Jan 20th 2008
9. I love that movie I read somewhere that hitchcock wrote that part just for suzanne pleshette. to bad it was a small part she was great.I got the movie in vcr tape I hope I can find itin dvd!
julianne m at 11:59PM on Jan 20th 2008
10. Sweet MoRo, you are sooo right. I grew up watching the beautiful Ms. Pleshette on Bob Newhart. What a sophisticated babe she was. She was what sexy looks like with brains intact. And as Annie in The Birds, ditto to all your observations. (I also loved her in Lion King II.)
LisaP at 1:06AM on Jan 21st 2008
11. I loved the joie de vivre she exuded after marrying Tom Poston. She was the lone bright spot in NBC's train wreck of a sitcom "Good Morning Miami." She played a true broad, loving life and calling it as she saw it.
And to think her first husband was Troy Donahue!
slackferno at 1:16AM on Jan 21st 2008
12. Yes, loved Suzanne Pleshette and the Bob Newhart show, am amazed how funny it is when I see the reruns. All the characters and actors are on point.
S. was indeed especially funny and sexy.
Re your playful post Mo, I'm not sure if you're in favor of brunettes, against vegetarians, or in favor of cat-fights. You definitely know way more about the movie The Birds than I do. I guess more cats could have helped what with all those birds.
I do vaguely remember being pleased that the two characters in contention for THE MAN did not resort to a cat fight or the movie to the usual female vilification.
That IS classy!
Slack, Never saw GM Miami. Thanks for the info. Hope some station shows it.
while rome burns or birds peck at 4:27AM on Jan 21st 2008
13. I did see her in the "Miracle Worker". My 7th grade class wnt on a field trip. We sat in the very last row of the theater. It was the first Broadway production most of us had attended.
JMA at 6:12AM on Jan 21st 2008
14. Yes, what a great dramatic and comedic actress !
Some observations gleaned from responses here and elsewhere: It appears that we as a nation are united against seeking the limelight. Especially when women do it. I am confused as to what the limelight is, exactly?
Most actors and other performers are necessarily in need of an audience. You know this, Mo. It's part of the job and the art-- the performing part.
I suspect the wonderful, and yes, sophisticated and classy Ms. Pleshette had an agent and everything! And that she sought parts and even a career.
I get the difference between wanting celebrity for celebrity's sake vs. loving an art, or music, or philosophy or-- fillinblank. But I think maybe our culture's become so voyeuristic and celebrity-obsessed that we project that obsession onto the actors and musicians who really have no choice in the basic paradigm-- again, the performing art part. And in this day of discussion as to whether or not "ambition" is good or bad in women, it bears pointing out that these great actresses had it to some degree. Even if it was just to act; otherwise we wouldn't know them! Of course they didn't have paparazzi following them around, dissecting their private lives, either.
But I wouldn't want to be a Mrs. Bundy know-it-all Dame. I'll leave that to the dudes!
(And the politicians and pundits.)
*I agree about the brunette part (disclosure: I'm a brunette). I recently wondered if maybe in the early days the bleached look showed up in B and W in a special way and that's how it started...? Don't know...
the play's the thing at 7:02AM on Jan 21st 2008
15. 'The sidewinder?' Enjoyed S. Pleshette in "Support Your Local Gunfighter' and other roles.
JefFlyingV at 7:15AM on Jan 21st 2008