Marli Renfro

Last updated

Marli Renfro
Born (1938-04-03) April 3, 1938 (age 86)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s) Showgirl, photographic model, actress
Modeling information
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Hair color Red

Marli Renfro (born April 3, 1938 in Los Angeles, California) is an American former showgirl, model, Playboy cover girl and actress.

Contents

She was the body double for Janet Leigh in the shower scene of the 1960 film Psycho . [1]

Early career

Renfro, described as a free spirit with a lifelong commitment to nudism, [2] appeared in many men's magazines including Ace, Adam, Beau, Dude, Escapade, Follies, Gala and Modern Man . [3] She also appeared on the cover of the September 1960 edition of Playboy. [4]

Renfro spent some time working as a showgirl in Las Vegas, and also worked as a Playboy Bunny. [5]

Film career

Unperturbed by working nude, Renfro was hired as the body double for the actress Janet Leigh in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho . She was paid $500. [6] The shower scene in Psycho is considered one of the most famous scenes in cinema history. [7] It features more than 50 camera cuts in three minutes and took six days to film. Although nudity is implied in the rapid cuts, none is seen. Hitchcock and Leigh initially maintained that only Leigh appeared in the shower. [6] Only later did Hitchcock acknowledge that when Leigh's face is seen it is her, otherwise it is Renfro. [8] Leigh's account of the shower scene, however, says all the actual shower footage in the film was of her and the only time Renfro was used was in an overhead shot that was eventually cut due to censors' concerns. [9]

Renfro subsequently appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's 1962 film Tonight for Sure . [10]

Decades later, Renfro was interviewed and featured in 78/52, director Alexandre O. Philippe's 2017 documentary film that examines Psycho and the shower scene.

Confusion regarding death

During the filming of Psycho, Janet Leigh also had a stand-in to check lighting. [5] Her name was Myra Davis, also known as Myra Jones. [11] In 1988 Davis was raped and murdered by her neighbor and handyman Kenneth Dean Hunt. [12] Possibly due to fascination with the shower scene, sections of the media confused Davis's role and published that she had been Leigh's body double. [13] The BBC went further and not only asserted that Davis was Leigh's body double, but also that Davis was the voice of Norman Bates' mother, [14] although this character had been voiced by Virginia Gregg and Jeanette Nolan. [1] In his 2002 book Body Double, author Don Lasseter compounded the confusion and wrote that Davis and Renfro were the same person, meaning that Renfro was dead. [15]

Author Robert Graysmith, who had a lifelong fascination with Renfro, noted a comment by Davis's granddaughter that Davis would never have done nude work. [5] He set out to find Renfro and discovered that she was living in California. He subsequently wrote a book, The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower (2010), about Renfro's role in Psycho and the confusion over Davis's death. [16]

Personal life

Renfro married and is known as Marli Renfro Peterson. [17] She has lived in the Mojave Desert since 1970. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Hitchcock</span> English film director (1899–1980)

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 feature films, many of which are still widely watched and studied today. Known as the "Master of Suspense", Hitchcock became as well known as any of his actors thanks to his many interviews, his cameo appearances in most of his films, and his hosting and producing the television anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–65). His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins, although he never won the award for Best Director, despite five nominations.

<i>Psycho</i> (1960 film) Film by Alfred Hitchcock

Psycho is a 1960 American horror film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay, written by Joseph Stefano, was based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The film stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Martin Balsam. The plot centers on an encounter between on-the-run embezzler Marion Crane (Leigh) and shy motel proprietor Norman Bates (Perkins) and its aftermath, in which a private investigator (Balsam), Marion's lover Sam Loomis (Gavin), and her sister Lila (Miles) investigate her disappearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Bates</span> Fictional character from Psycho and Bates motel

Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 horror novel Psycho. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, who in his daily life runs the Bates Motel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Hitchcock</span> English actress and producer (1928–2021)

Patricia Alma Hitchcock O'Connell was an English-American actress and producer. She was the only child of English director Alfred Hitchcock and film editor Alma Reville, and had small roles in several of her father's films, with her most substantial appearance being in Strangers on a Train (1951).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Leigh</span> American actress and author (1927–2004)

Jeanette Helen Morrison, known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress and author. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, Leigh was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped her secure a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. With MGM, she appeared in films such as the dramas The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947), the crime-drama Act of Violence (1948), the drama Little Women (1949), the comedy Angels in the Outfield (1951), the romance Scaramouche (1952), and the Western drama The Naked Spur (1953).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saul Bass</span> American graphic designer

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and Oscar-winning filmmaker, best known for his design of motion-picture title sequences, film posters, and corporate logos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera Miles</span> American retired actress (born 1929)

Vera June Miles is an American retired actress. She is known for appearing in John Ford's Western films The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and for playing Lila Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and Richard Franklin's sequel Psycho II (1983).

<i>Psycho IV: The Beginning</i> 1990 American horror film by Mick Garris

Psycho IV: The Beginning is a 1990 American made-for-television slasher film directed by Mick Garris, and starring Anthony Perkins, Henry Thomas, Olivia Hussey, Warren Frost, Donna Mitchell, and CCH Pounder. It serves as both the third sequel and a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, focusing on the early life of Norman Bates and the flashbacks that took place prior to the events of the original film. It is the fourth and final film in the original Psycho franchise, and Perkins' final appearance in the series before his death in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Gregg</span> American actress (1916–1986)

Virginia Lee Gregg was an American actress known for her many roles in radio dramas and television series.

<i>Psycho</i> (1998 film) 1998 psychological horror film

Psycho is a 1998 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Gus Van Sant, and starring Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, and Anne Heche. It is a modern remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film of the same name, in which an embezzler arrives at an old motel run by a mysterious man named Norman Bates; both films are adapted from Robert Bloch's 1959 novel.

<i>Psycho</i> (franchise) American horror franchise

Psycho is an American horror franchise consisting of six films loosely based on the Psycho novels by Robert Bloch: Psycho, Psycho II, Psycho III, Bates Motel, Psycho IV: The Beginning, the 1998 remake of the original film, and additional merchandise spanning various media. The first film, Psycho, was directed by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Subsequently, another film related to the series was made: an Alfred Hitchcock biopic, and two new novels, by Takekuni Kitayama and Chet Williamson, were released. Also, an independent documentary called The Psycho Legacy was released on October 19, 2010, mostly focusing on Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning, while covering the impact and legacy of the original film.

<i>Psycho</i> (novel) 1959 novel by Robert Bloch

Psycho is a 1959 horror novel by American writer Robert Bloch. The novel tells the story of Norman Bates, a caretaker at an isolated motel who struggles under his domineering mother and becomes embroiled in a series of murders. The novel is considered Bloch's most enduring work and one of the most influential horror novels of the 20th century.

<i>Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho</i> Book by Stephen Rebello

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho is a 1990 non-fiction book by Stephen Rebello. It details the creation of director Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 thriller Psycho. The 2012 American biographical drama film directed by Sacha Gervasi, based on this non-fiction book is titled Hitchcock. The film was released on November 23, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Crane</span> Fictional character from the 1959 novel Psycho; portrayed by Janet Leigh in the 1960 film

Marion Crane is a fictional character of Robert Bloch's 1959 thriller novel Psycho and portrayed by Janet Leigh in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film adaptation. She was later played by Anne Heche in the 1998 remake and Rihanna in the television series Bates Motel (2017).

"The Murder" is a cue in the cinematic score written and composed by Bernard Herrmann for the horror-thriller film Psycho (1960) directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The score, its second movement in particular, is well recognized as one of the most famous scores in film history. It's composed for an original orchestra's string section.

<i>Hitchcock</i> (film) 2012 film by Sacha Gervasi

Hitchcock is a 2012 American biographical romantic drama film directed by Sacha Gervasi and based on Stephen Rebello's 1990 non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. Hitchcock tells the story of the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, during the filming of Psycho in 1959. Hitchcock premiered at the AFI Fest on November 1, 2012, and was released in the United States on November 23 by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It grossed $27 million against a $15 million budget.

A list of books and essays about Alfred Hitchcock:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandre O. Philippe</span> Swiss film director

Alexandre O. Philippe is a Swiss film director whose films include the documentaries Doc of the Dead, The People vs. George Lucas, and 78/52. Philippe is Creative Director and co-owner of Denver-based Cinema Vertige and his most recent commissioned work for the City of Denver garnered four Heartland Emmy Awards.

Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies, also known as The Art of Alfred Hitchcock or Hitchcock's 3-D Theater, was a part–3-D film, part–live-action show at Universal Studios Florida, and one of the theme park's original attractions. Directed by Susan Lustig and sponsored by Kodak, the attraction commemorated Alfred Hitchcock's 43-year association with Universal Studios. It featured attacks from birds similar to Hitchcock's film The Birds in the pre-show area, and featured the famous shower scene from Psycho in the main show with narration by Anthony Perkins, who played Norman Bates in the latter film. It closed on January 3, 2003, and was replaced by Shrek 4-D later that year.

James P. Cavanagh was an American television writer. He wrote numerous episodes for Alfred Hitchcock Presents and won a Primetime Emmy in 1957 for his teleplay Fog Closing In. Cavanagh wrote the first script for the 1960 film Psycho. Though the script was rejected by Hitchcock it contained many similarities with the final version, written by Joseph Stefano.

References

  1. 1 2 "Psycho - cast". allmovie.com. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ↑ Kandel, Susan (March 23, 2010). "'The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower,' by Robert Graysmith". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Marli Renfro". oldmags.com. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Playboy Cover September 1960". playboycoverarchive.com. January 5, 2010. Archived from the original on September 16, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Hodgkinson, Will (March 29, 2010). "Secrets of the Psycho shower". The Guardian. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  6. 1 2 Graysmith, Robert (March 27, 2010). "Spotlight: Marli Renfro". The Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  7. ↑ Robb, Stephen (April 1, 2010). "How Psycho changed cinema". BBC News. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  8. ↑ Leibowitz, Barry (February 1, 2010). "Book 'Em: The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower". CBS News. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  9. ↑ Leigh, Janet; Nickens, Christopher (1995). Psycho - Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller. New York, New York: Harmony Books. pp. 74, 74, 76. ISBN   0-517-70112-X.
  10. ↑ Deming, Mark (2007). "Tonight For Sure". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Myra Jones". IMDb. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  12. ↑ Decker, Twila (May 15, 2001). "The Man Who Almost Got Away". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  13. ↑ "National News Briefs; Jurors Fail to Agree On Penalty in 2 Murders". The New York Times. March 25, 2001. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Jail for 'Psycho' killer". BBC News. March 16, 2001. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  15. ↑ Johnson, Brian D. (February 11, 2010). "The Psycho Effect". Macleans. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  16. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (April 3, 2010). "The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder by David Thomson – The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower by Robert Graysmith". The Guardian. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  17. ↑ "8 frames of "Psycho"". hitchcockwiki.com. May 8, 2008. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  18. ↑ Ortuna Neil, Denise (February 2010). "Coachella Valley Confidential". The Sun Runner. p. 25. Retrieved April 24, 2010.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.