Bergman, who had long coveted the role of the tormented wife being driven insane by her husband in Gaslight, went after the role at MGM after resident star Hedy Lamarr turned it down. Bergman almost missed her chance when Selznick initially refused to loan her to MGM unless she was given first billing over costar Charles Boyer. When Boyer refused to budge on the matter, Bergman went to Selznick in tears begging him to reconsider - which he finally did. Because the statuesque Bergman was taller than her co-star, Boyer stood on a box during certain scenes - a ploy that would be repeated when the two stars worked together again in Arch of Triumph (1948). Boyer reportedly was distracted throughout the filming of Gaslight because the production coincided with the birth of his son, Michael. When the blessed event occurred, the proud papa treated the cast and crew to champagne. Gaslight also won an Oscar® for Best Interior Decoration and was nominated in the categories of Best Picture, Actor (Boyer), Supporting Actress (Angela Lansbury), Screenplay and Black and White Cinematography. The film marked the movie and acting debut of Lansbury, who had been working in a Los Angeles department store before being cast as Nancy, the maid. Director George Cukor was instantly impressed by the fledgling actress' talent and professionalism, and prevailed when the studio resisted hiring her because she wasn't "sexy enough." Lansbury turned 18 on the set - and had to wait for that day to legally light a cigarette, a defiant gesture made by her saucy character. She, too, had to contend with Bergman's height, wearing high platform shoes to give the impression that Nancy towered over her timid mistress.
› Screen legend Ingrid Bergman was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Her mother had passed away when she was a mere toddler, and she was raised by her father who encouraged her to act. By the time she was a teen, her father too had passed away, and she eventually stayed with an aunt and uncle who had five children of their own.
› At seventeen, Ingrid was accepted into the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. A year later, she was featured in a Swedish film and went on to make a dozen films in Sweden within five years. Ingrid’s introduction to Hollywood came by serendipitous means. One of film executive David O. Selznick’s talent scouts got a tip from his apartment building's elevator operator whose Swedish parents were raving about a sensational young actress by the name of Ingrid Bergman. David O. Selznick soon hired Ingrid to reprise her role in the Hollywood remake of the Swedish film Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939).
› For her performance in Gaslight, Ingrid won the first of her eventual three Oscars for Best Actress. Later, she won the Best Actress Tony at the first ever Tony Awards ceremony in 1947, for her performance in Joan of Lorraine. Ingrid has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard in California. And a statue of Ingrid stands in Sweden’s Ingrid Bergman Square. There is also a red tea rose named after her called the Ingrid Bergman Rose.
› Starting from the top of the house to the ground: The Victorian Era was named for Queen Victoria of England who reigned from 1837 to 1901. During the nineteenth century, a typical Victorian house stood several stories tall. The very top two to three stories contained the children’s bedrooms, nursery, and maids’ rooms. Beneath that was the half-landing where the bathrooms could be found. The third level of the Victorian house contained the master bedroom, dressing room, and secondary bedrooms. On the level above the ground floor was the drawing room. The ground level, in which guests would walk through the front door, included the dining room and the morning room. In the basement, one would find the kitchen, scullery, and a breakfast area.
› Starting from the ground floor up to the top: The Victorian Era was named for Queen Victoria of England who reigned from 1837 to 1901. During the nineteenth century, a typical Victorian house stood several stories tall. The very top two to three stories contained the children’s bedrooms, nursery, and maids’ rooms. Beneath that was the half-landing where the bathrooms could be found. The third level of the Victorian house contained the master bedroom, dressing room, and secondary bedrooms. On the level above the ground floor was the drawing room. The ground level, in which guests would walk through the front door, included the dining room and the morning room. In the basement, one would find the kitchen, scullery, and a breakfast area.
UNDER CAPRICORN (1949)
Alfred Hitchcock's chilling suspenser stars Joseph Cotten as a convicted killer banished to Australia with wife Ingrid Bergman, who is also his victim's sister.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974)
Albert Finney is Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in this classic Agatha Christie thriller set aboard the famed transcontinental train. Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall and Sean Connery are featured in the all-star cast.
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1919)
Werner Krauss stars as the hypnotist/showman who travels through a weirdly distorted German countryside and unleashes Cesare, his somnambulist slave, on the townspeople.
THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1946)
A serial killer stalks a mute servant girl in a remote mansion in this creepy Gothic thriller starring Dorothy McGuire, Ethel Barrymore and George Brent. Directed by Robert Siodmak.
LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971)
After being released from an institution, a young woman encounters all sorts of frightening happenings in a Connecticut farmhouse. But are the incidents real? Or are they part of a plot to scare Jessica to death?
GASLIGHT (1944)
Charles Boyer stars as a schemer who plots to make Ingrid Bergman, his new wife, believe she's on the verge of insanity in George Cukor’s remake of the 1940 British thriller.
› Screen legend Ingrid Bergman was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Her mother had passed away when she was a mere toddler, and she was raised by her father who encouraged her to act. By the time she was a teen, her father too had passed away, and she eventually stayed with an aunt and uncle who had five children of their own.
› Starting from the top of the house to the ground: The Victorian Era was named for Queen Victoria of England who reigned from 1837 to 1901. During the nineteenth century, a typical Victorian house stood several stories tall. The very top two to three stories contained the children’s bedrooms, nursery, and maids’ rooms. Beneath that was the half-landing where the bathrooms could be found. The third level of the Victorian house contained the master bedroom, dressing room, and secondary bedrooms. On the level above the ground floor was the drawing room. The ground level, in which guests would walk through the front door, included the dining room and the morning room. In the basement, one would find the kitchen, scullery, and a breakfast area. 
