The Girl in Alfred Hitchock's Shower

December 14, 2009
Graysmith (Zodiac
) mixes film history, true crime, and autobiography with disappointing results in this scattered exploration of the woman behind one of cinema’s most memorable scenes. Though his goal is ostensibly to track down Marli Renfro—Janet Leigh’s body double in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho
—who some believed was raped and murdered in the 1980s, Graysmith takes too long getting there. Detailing the intricate Psycho
shoot, which was painstakingly designed by Hitchcock in order to both shock the audience and pass the rigorous censor test, Graysmith introduces readers to Renfro, a gorgeous redhead who came to the film via modeling, some of it nude. Interspersed with Renfro’s experiences as an actress, Playboy
model, and dancer is an account of the life and crimes of Henry “Sonny” Busch Jr., a Norman Bates–look-alike in L.A. who strangled three women and had a penchant for Psycho
. Graysmith, comparing his own growing obsession with Renfro to the plot of the 1944 film Laura
(where the detective also falls for a dead woman after seeing her photograph), is determined to discover what really happened to her. As sloppy as Hitchcock’s shower scene was precise, Graysmith’s jumbled account never finds its footing, despite the fascinating subject matter.

February 1, 2010
Best-selling true crime author Graysmith ("Zodiac Unmasked; The Laughing Gorilla: A True Story of Police Corruption and Murder") turns his attention to the little-known murder of Marli Renfro, the actress and nude model who served as Janet Leigh's uncredited body double in "Psycho". Graysmith covers a lot of ground in this ambitious work, providing detailed portraits of the making of "Psycho" and the ambiance of the Playboy Club where Renfro worked and ranging between the seedy Los Angeles of the killer's world and the more sophisticated terrain inhabited by Renfro. VERDICT Parallels between the repressed, voyeuristic atmosphere of the film set and the way repressed sexual urges can manifest themselves in criminal behavior are intriguingly touched upon but not fully explored. More attention to this idea might have resulted in a more singular work; as it is, Graysmith has delivered another unsettling true crime story. Of interest to true crime readers, Hitchcock fans, and film scholars.Katherine Litwin, Chicago

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