Pulp Features

Janet Leigh, star of probably the most iconic murder scene of all time – the shower scene in Psycho – died earlier this week at the age of 77.

But her acting career, which started in 1947 with The Romance of Rosy Ridge and included highlights such as The Manchurian Candidate was both long and varied.

In no particular order, here are a few memories from a seven decade career.

Two Tickets to Broadway

The first comment on the IMDb describes this film – in which Leigh starred as a small town girl looking for love - as “charming and ridiculous”, which is probably a fair comment on Leigh’s early career which was marked by slushy romantic roles.

Touch of Evil

Orson Welles Touch of Evil – in which a Mexican narcotics officer clashes with a corrupt American cop - was the film that turned the young Janet Leigh from a starlet into a star with her compelling role as the young wife of the Mexican, out of her depth in a small border town.

The Vikings

Not only did Janet Leigh marry Tony Curtis, but she also starred with him in three films, including this one in which two Viking brothers compete for the throne of Northumbria (it was worth having back then) and the attentions of the princess Morgana.

Psycho

That unforgettable scene.

Leigh spent seven days in the shower for this film, and never took a shower afterwards for the rest of her life.

The Manchurian Candidate

Recently remade, The Manchurian Candidate still stands as one of the most compelling Cold War thrillers of its time.

The Fog

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Janet Leigh’s output dropped off considerably, but she made a couple of exceptions – most notably with this John Carpenter film in which the victims of a past crime rise up to claim retribution.

The Fog was the first – but not the last – film in which Janet Leigh appeared with Jamie Leigh Curtis, her daughter.

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