2019-06-14 Fri

On 3rd August 1998, the USPS released a pane of 20 32¢ stamps honouring the legendary filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock. It was the fourth stamp in USPS’s “Legend of Hollywood” series. Just like his subjects, the stamp has just two colours, black and silver-grey. The perforations in the corner of every stamp are shaped like a star. A laser cut in the shape of Albert Hitchcock’s face is seen in the upper left. A private contractor named American Packaging Corp. Printed the stamps for Sennett Security Products. The security features were probably included to add a suspense element to the postal release just like a Hitchcock film. The laser cut was not used again on later issues as the feature was costly. The star-shaped perforations were used again, but not on the definitive stamps.

A pane of 20 44¢ stamps called Early TV Memories was released by the US in 2009 featuring the great filmmaker to commemorate the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. A set of five-stamps were released by the Royal Mail in 1985 depicting 20th-century film stars and directors. One of them was dedicated to Hitchcock.

Rightly known as the Master of Suspense, Hitchcock was born on 13th August 1899 in England. He gradually became famous for his silent films and was signed by David O. Selznick in 1939, after which he shifted to Hollywood. He invented some really powerful film techniques, which are followed by modern-day filmmakers even today. By playing with the fears hidden within the audience’s mind, he crafted some of the best thrillers in World Cinema.

Image Courtesy: The USPS