Alfred Hitchcock is inextricably linked to Universal Studios and its famed backlot tour. His most famous film is prominently featured on the tour even today.
Sir Alfred, however, produced the bulk of his pictures for Paramount, not Universal. Even Psycho, whose forbidding house can be seen on the Universal tour, was released by Paramount, not Universal. After being mistreated by Paramount, who didn’t even want to release Psycho, Alfred found his home at Universal, who promptly acquired his catalog from Paramount. Alfred was used extensively on the Universal Studios tour, even starring in a promotional film.
Guests to the tour were constantly asking about Sir Alfred’s whereabouts, so much so that he became the subject of one of the studio tour’s biggest pranks. As a marquee talent, Hitchcock had his own production bungalow on the lot. Tired of hearing guests ask about Hitchcock’s whereabouts, a prankster placed Sir Alfred’s famous silhouette in the window of his bungalow. If guests asked about Hitchcock, tour guides would point to the window and mention that he must be working right now in his office. Most of the time, he wasn’t actually there. While Tour managers feared that Alfred would be upset if he found out, he actually found it to be quite amusing.
