North by Northwest

[steve d holt]

Anybody know where the crop dusting scene was filmed in this great Film.?

[rjd0309]

Wasco, California, USA (near Bakersfield)
The site is located north of Bakersfield, outside the towns of Wasco and Delano, near the intersection of Corcoran Road and Garces Highway (155). The actual film location is just east of that intersection.

Directions:
From Interstate 5, exit at Highway 46 and travel East to Corcoran Road. Turn left to travel north on Corcoran Road. When you reach Garces Highway, turn right (east). The Kern National Wildlife Refuge will be on your left.
OR
From Highway 99, take the Garces Highway(155) exit West from Delano. Stay on Garces Highway and you will reach the site just before the road ends at Corcoran Road.

The crop-dusting scene, one of the most famous and recognized in Hollywood films, was shot northwest of Bakersfield, CA, near the community of Wasco. In numerous contemporary interviews Hitchcock described his intention to create a scene that would derive suspense by using the opposite of standard espionage dramas where the hero is placed in jeopardy on a dark city street full of potential danger behind every corner. Hitchcock and scriptwriter Ernest Lehman placed Roger in a completely open field, in broad daylight, with no avenue of escape or cover and had the threat come from the least expected source. Early drafts of the script had Roger hiding behind a telephone pole, but that was later deleted and only the cornfield remained as possible cover. The script indicates that "Licht," one of Roger's kidnappers, is on the plane, firing shots at Thornhill. The film never shows who is on the plane (Later, the headline of the paper in Eve's room states: "Two Die in Crop Duster Crash, Driver Survives"), but Licht does not appear in the film from that point on.

[steve d holt]

Cheers for the detailed info, planning a trip to the states in 2009/10 so planning my routes accordingly.Thanks again. Steve.

[Steve Crook]

And of course there is no such compass direction as North by Northwest.
You can go Northwest by west or Northwest by north but not North by Northwest.

Unless you travel northwards by Northwest airlines, then you will be going "North by Northwest"

Steve

[Harleybloke]

or like John Wayne in 'The Longest Day', 'North by East'.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Harleybloke or like John Wayne in 'The Longest Day', 'North by East'.

What's that one? North by east is a valid direction. Although he made so many other odd moves in that film. Like why did he have his sandwiches taped to his helmet?



There are a few others who do the same thing, but only a few and it seems a strange thing to do

Steve

[Harleybloke]

'Send 'em to Hell Boys'. The Jerries never stood a chance!

[christoph404]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook And of course there is no such compass direction as North by Northwest. You can go Northwest by west or Northwest by north but not North by Northwest. Unless you travel northwards by Northwest airlines, then you will be going "North by Northwest" Steve

But you could go North-northwest when the wind is southerly.......(but only if you are slightly mad).....

North by West is a compass direction as is North-northwest, but you are right about North by Northwest not being correct terminology, I think Hitchcock only realised the mistake after the film was released but no one really noticed and I think some clever French film critic saw the Shakespeare connection in the title and Hitchcock didn't argue with that!

[Alexis]

I believe the original title was going to be "The man on Lincoln's nose" but somebody thought up a snappier title (thank heavens) based on the airline flight from Chicago to Rapid City. However, to be geographically correct, the title should be "West by Northwest".

[batman]

[AdrianTurner]

I visited Mount Rushmore in 1999 - a really impressive and beautiful place. They do a son et lumiere at night, so you can eat in the cafeteria and then you go out and sit in the huge bowl and watch the show. A US soldier narrates the thing and at the end they slowly light the presidential faces, they play the Star Spangled Banner, everyone stands and puts their hands on their hearts with a lump in their throat. We did that as well. And we thought, could they get away with that in UK?

Anyway, the reason I am posting this, is because we overheard a tour guide - I swear this is true - tell his group that Hitchcock never filmed in Mount Rushmore and that the whole thing was faked in . . . Japan!

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by AdrianTurner I visited Mount Rushmore in 1999 - a really impressive and beautiful place. They do a son et lumiere at night, so you can eat in the cafeteria and then you go out and sit in the huge bowl and watch the show. A US soldier narrates the thing and at the end they slowly light the presidential faces, they play the Star Spangled Banner, everyone stands and puts their hands on their hearts with a lump in their throat. We did that as well. And we thought, could they get away with that in UK?

The Last Night of the Proms?
The Edinburgh Tattoo?
The Royal Tournament (before they abandoned it)?
The Trooping of the Colour?
The Changing of the Guard?

Yes, they can get away with that, and much more, in the UK.

As for that American habit of saluting by putting their hand on their heart, I always thought they were checking that their wallet was still there

In Britain, only the armed forces salute, and then only when they're in full uniform, including their cap.

Steve

[batman]

Originally Posted by AdrianTurner Anyway, the reason I am posting this, is because we overheard a tour guide - I swear this is true - tell his group that Hitchcock never filmed in Mount Rushmore and that the whole thing was faked in . . . Japan!

From carygrant.net ...

"Although some scenes were shot at this location, the final chase scene was not shot on Mt. Rushmore; Alfred Hitchcock couldn't gain permission to shoot an attempted murder on a national monument. The scene was shot in the studio on a replica of Mt.Rushmore. Everything is shot carefully, so as to avoid associating the faces of the monument with the violence."

[christoph404]

Originally Posted by Alexis I believe the original title was going to be "The man on Lincoln's nose" but somebody thought up a snappier title (thank heavens) based on the airline flight from Chicago to Rapid City. However, to be geographically correct, the title should be "West by Northwest".

But "West by Northwest" would not be geographically correct either because like "North by Northwest" there is no such compass direction as West by Northwest! The correct terminology would be; West-northwest. And North by Northwest should be North-northwest. Replacing the "by" with a "-" (hyphen) makes the difference.

[batman]

The title of the film paraphrases Hamlet: "I am but mad north-northwest; when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw."