By all accounts, production of Notorious proceeded very smoothly. Principal photography lasted from October 1945 to February 1946.

Hitchcock and Bergman's happy working relationship was enhanced by the opening of their previous picture in November 1945 during production of this movie. Spellbound received enthusiastic reviews and within weeks of its release was well on its way to earning eight times its cost.

Director and female star managed to get along famously despite his infatuation with her. Hitchcock once told the story of how Bergman, attending one of the frequent dinner parties at his home, hysterically refused to leave his bedroom until he made love to her - an episode that almost surely never happened. But his obsession with the star was obvious enough to cause tension during the filming of Notorious between him and his wife of many years, Alma Reville.

Mrs. Hitchcock may have had another reason for jealousy, according to biographer Donald Spoto. Her husband's longtime collaborator, script doctor, and adviser, she was often shunted aside during his successful writing partnership with Hecht.

The scene of Bergman drunkenly speeding along a South Florida road with Grant as her passenger was shot in the studio with rear projection. The projected shots had a motorcycle cop gaining on them. As he gets closer to the car, he goes out of frame to the right, and the film cuts to him riding next to the car, this time in the studio. Hitchcock suggested to cinematographer Ted Tetzlaff that he shine light on the backs of Grant's and Bergman's necks as the projected motorcyclist moves off to their side. According to Hitchcock, Tetzlaff was irritated that the director thought of this instead of him and snapped, "Getting a bit technical, aren't you, Pop?"

Hitchcock was his usual unflappable self during production. While in conference with Tetzlaff on the set one day, a fire broke out. Hitchcock finished his sentence to Tetzlaff, turned to some stagehands and said quite coolly, "Will someone please put that fire out?" He then returned to his conversation.

Because Rains was so much smaller than Bergman, Hitchcock placed him on boxes in the close shots. In one shot, however, the two had to be seen walking in full frame with the camera panning from one to the other. Hitchcock solved the height issue by having Rains walk on a plank that gradually rose as he came toward the camera.

While filming one shot, Grant carped that he was supposed to open the door with his right hand but he was holding his hat in that hand. "Have you considered the possibility of transferring the hat to the other hand?" Hitchcock replied.

To get around possible censor objections to kissing scenes that were too long and passionate, Hitchcock devised a scene where Grant and Bergman would neck and nibble at each other for a few minutes while they discussed food, moved about the apartment, and spoke on the phone.

Hitchcock said he was inspired to do this scene in part by the memory of a young couple he spotted from a train in France. The boy was urinating against a wall and the girl had hold of his arm, never letting go. "She¿ look down at what he was doing, and then look around at the scenery, and down again to see how far he's got on," Hitchcock explained. "And that was what gave me the idea. She couldn't let go. Romance must not be interrupted, even by urinating."

When scriptwriter Ben Hecht watched the filming of Grant and Bergman kissing while discussing dinner, he said, "I don't get all this talk about chicken!"

by Rob Nixon