Margaret Robertson (née Singer; 13 September 1916 6 February 1998) was a British script supervisor and personal assistant to

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

from the 1940s to the 1970s during which time she worked on his early films '' Under Capricorn'' (1948) and ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

'' (1950), before joining his team permanently on ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

'' (1958), working thereafter on all of the director's remaining films.

Early life

Margaret Singer (nicknamed "Peggy") was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, the daughter of Adolph Singer and the former Gladys Follick.

Career

Robertson first met Hitchcock in 1948 at

Denham Film Studios Denham Film Studios was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda. Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's ''Great Expectations''. From the 1950s to the 1970s th ...

in London, England and moved to MGM-British Studios in Borehamwood to assist Hitchcock with the production of '' Under Capricorn'' (1949), on which she was credited for continuity (as Peggy Singer). She helped to resolve conflicts between

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary '' Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is ofte ...

and the director. After commitments elsewhere, she became a permanent member of Hitchcock's production staff beginning with ''

'', and "turned out to be a significant force" behind the look and sound of later Hitchcock films. Robertson was Hitchcock's ''de facto'' associate producer, though she was never credited as such. Hitchcock relied on Robertson to sift through prospective material for films, and after reading

Anthony Boucher William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio d ...

's positive review of the novel '' Psycho'' in his "Criminals at Large" column, Robertson decided to show the book to Hitchcock, even though studio readers at

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

had already rejected its premise for a film. Hitchcock acquired rights to the novel for $9,500Leigh, p. 6 and reportedly ordered Robertson to buy up copies to preserve the novel's surprises. She later worked as an associate producer on several

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

films including ''

Mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and pra ...

'' (1985).

Personal life

Peggy Singer married Canadian film editor Douglas Robertson.

Death

She was widowed in 1983, and died in 1998, aged 81, at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

, following a long illness. She was survived by a sister, Hazel Singer.

Legacy

Robertson was portrayed by actress

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...

in the 2012 biographical film ''

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

''.Kristy Puchko
"Toni Collette on Hitchcock and the Shocking Moment with Anthony Hopkins on Set"
''Cinema Blend'', 19 November 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Peggy 1916 births 1998 deaths Script supervisors Film people from London