The Birds
- Lux Radio Theater (July 20, 1953): starring Herbert Marshall.
- Escape (July 10, 1954): starring Ben Wright.
As of I Confess we would seem to be at the end of era where Hitchcock's films were adapted to radio; some, like Saboteur, were never adapted (probably because Universal didn't like competing against their own film adaptations). As radio drama's money was diverted into television, we were denied adaptations of Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and more.
But then there's The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. You can tell that Hollywood sensed this story would somehow make a fine film (even though there had never been an 'animal attack' film like it before). The fact that it was adapted to Lux Radio Theater (which normally adapted films or at least plays). Du Maurier's short story was newly-published at the time and the Lux Radio Theater adaptation is pretty faithful, keeping the original location and narrative. However, it does add a strange framing sequence as two men read the story. It's a bit too on-the-beak-- er, nose.
Because both Lux Radio Theater and Escape were both CBS programs it shouldn't be surprising that the same performers would be in each, but it is interesting that Ben Wright, the star of the Escape adaptation, appeared in a small role as a reporter in the Lux Radio Theater version.
And that is the end of Hitchcock vs. Radio! I hope you enjoyed these posts and thinking about how Hitchcock and his crew adapted their stories.
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