North by Northwest

By 1959, Alfred Hitchcock was in the middle of his classic era, of controlling all the aspects of his movies, a true auteur.  He typically combined a loose plot, usually set off by a “Macguffin” (here, a murder), with a slightly ambiguous leading man in a dangerous position not of his making, and lots of female sex appeal from his blonde leading ladies.

North by Northwest is one of the best and most popular examples of this Hitchcock mix.  Cary Grant is an advertising man who gets caught up with spies, chases (including the famous cropduster scene) and thrills, as well as Eva Marie Saint.

This is an original US Lobby Card #4 from the set of 8 produced as part of the movie’s original cinema advertising campaign.  And it’s the Macguffin scene that gets the plot started.