Erin White asks about the NFB numberplate in PSYCHO. Donald Spoto was the first to speculate in print that the initials stood for 'Norman Bates', adding wildly (adducing no hard evidence) that the middle initial stood for 'Francis' because Norman in the film stuffs birds and that St Francis is the patron saint of birds (and animals). Hmm! Leland Poague, not to be outdone, later speculated that the 'F' stood for 'Ford' because Hitchcock at the time was doing TV work sponsored by the Ford company, and was using Ford cars in his films wherever possible (which much, one gathers from reading Stephen Rebello's book on the making of PSYCHO, is certainly true). I think that David Sterritt in his book on Hitchcock may have another explanation again for the F-letter ... Meanwhile, director Richard Franklin (PSYCHO II) and his producer Hilton Green attended a lecture given by Spoto on PSYCHO, in which Spoto made his claim described above. Whereupon, I am told by Richard, Hilton turned to him with a bemused expression and whispered something in his ear. Hilton had been assistant director on PSYCHO. And the numberplate in question had been his, used for convenience when shooting the scenes with Marion's car. I think the reason that the camera holds on the numberplate has most to do with Hitchcock's adage that the more you go into detail the more an audience is drawn into the scene; and with how the camera has a holding-power of its own provided that such power isn't vitiated by pointless cutaways, etc. Isn't the TV movie THE BATES MOTEL available for hire on video? - Ken Mogg (author, 'The Alfred Hitchcock Story'). http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~muffin ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu