History YMMV / NorthByNorthWest

* MisaimedMarketing: It's acquired the reputation of being Hitchcock's most family-friendly classic, probably because it's in color, has a good blend of action and comedy, doesn't focus on a murder (like ''Film/RearWindow'') and doesn't delve into complex psychological themes (like ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''). Of course, it also has several scenes where people are stabbed or shot at, clear insinuations that Roger and Eve had sex on the train, and a rather intense ending. It was featured on the Creator/TurnerClassicMovies program ''Essentials Jr.'', which is marketed towards families and younger viewers, and usually features softer fare. There's also at least one DVD that carries the rating "all ages" without any warnings. This even goes back to when it was released: Movie theaters reportedly gave children coloring pages of such scenes as Roger getting chased by the crop duster and Eve hanging off of Mount Rushmore.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/BernardHerrmann [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBxjwurp_04 strikes again]].

%%* EvilIsCool: Phillip Vandamm

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: A modern viewer who has never seen the film before can recognize trope after action movie trope, perhaps unaware that it was a defining film in that genre and that films like Franchise/JamesBond and Franchise/IndianaJones were heavily influenced by it.

* GeniusBonus: Roger calling the statue with the microfilm in it "the pumpkin" seems like a NonSequitur, unless you're familiar with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger_Hiss Alger Hiss]] case, which hinged on the discovery of microfilm that Hiss had given to his former colleague Whittaker Chambers. Chambers had kept the film in a hollowed-out pumpkin on a pumpkin patch on his farm. It was still a current-enough reference in 1959 that most of the audience would've gotten the joke.

* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/EdwardPlatt plays a character named "Larrabee", which of course sounds just like "[[Series/GetSmart Larabee]]."

** [[Creator/EdwardPlatt Thornhill's laywer]] is [[Series/GetSmart the Chief of CONTROL]].

* SpiritualSuccessor: To previous Hitchcock films ''Film/{{The 39 Steps|1935}}'' and ''Film/{{Saboteur}}''.

* CrazyIsCool: Vandamm, the guy went as far as sending a crop duster to try to kill Thornhill when he could have [[CombatPragmatist just shot him.]]

* SpiritualAdaptation: Franchise/JamesBond was already a popular book series when this film came out, but it still essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous FemmeFatale spies, AffablyEvil supervillains, sexually ambiguous [[TheDragon dragons]], use of MonumentalBattle and wild action sequences. Likewise, Creator/SeanConnery's turn as Bond, as a more suave individual than his literary counterpart, was based on Creator/CaryGrant's performance in this film. Indeed, Hitchcock, who at one point was approached by Creator/IanFleming about adapting Bond to the screen, was later upset that producer Albert Broccoli (whom he knew personally) ripped off his film for many of the early Bond films.

* SpiritualAdaptation: Franchise/JamesBond was already a popular book series when this film came out, but it still essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous FemmeFatale spies, AffablyEvil supervillains, sexually ambiguous [[TheDragon dragons]], use of MonumentalBattle and wild action sequences. Likewise, Creator/SeanConnery's turn as Bond, as a more suave individual than his literary counterpart was based on Creator/CaryGrant's performance in this film. Indeed, Hitchcock, who at one point was approached by Creator/IanFleming about adapting Bond to the screen, was later upset that producer Albert Broccoli (whom he knew personally) ripped off his film for many of the early Bond films.

* SpiritualAdaptation: Franchise/JamesBond was still a popular book series when this film came out, but it essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous FemmeFatale spies, AffablyEvil supervillains, sexually ambiguous [[TheDragon dragons]], use of MonumentalBattle and wild action sequences. Likewise, Creator/SeanConnery's turn as Bond, as a more suave individual than his literary counterpart was based on Creator/CaryGrant's performance in this film. Indeed, Hitchcock, who initially considered adapting James Bond, was upset that Albert Broccoli (whom he knew personally) ripped off his film for many of the early Bond films.

* SpiritualAdaptation: Franchise/JamesBond was still a popular book series when this film came out, but it essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous FemmeFatale spies, AffablyEvil supervillains, sexually ambiguous [[TheDragon dragons]], use of MonumentalBattle and wild action sequences. Likewise, Creator/SeanConnery's turn as Bond, as a more suave individual than his literary counterpart was based on Creator/CaryGrant's performance in this film. Indeed, Hitchcock, who initially considered adapting James Bond, was upset that Albert Broccoli (who he knew personally) ripped off his film for many of the early Bond films.

* IdiotPlot: The plot of the movie wouldn't have happened if the bad guys had just shot Roger the first time they wanted to kill him instead of hatching a complex scheme to get him in a car accident (admittedly, they're trying to MakeItLookLikeAnAccident). Later, they get another opportunity to assassinate him, but they again ruin their own plan by using a loud, highly visible crop duster that gives him ample warning time instead of just doing something simpler like planting a sniper.

* AwardSnub: Went 0 for 3 at the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s. Editing and Art Direction lost to ''Literature/BenHur'', while Original Screenplay lost to ''Film/PillowTalk''. Amazingly, it was editor George Tomasini's only Oscar nomination, while it was the second of five screenplay losses for Ernest Lehman (who finally got a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2000). It also wasn't nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor or Score.

* AwardSnub: Went 0 for 3 at the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s. Editing and Art Direction lost to ''Literature/BenHur'', while Original Screenplay lost to ''Film/PillowTalk''. Amazingly, it was editor George Tomasini's only Oscar nomination, while it was the second of five screenplay losses for Ernest Lehman (who finally got a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2000).

** ItWasHisSled: The cropduster scene, like the shower scene, became famous because it was so shocking and unexpected when the film was first released. Thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, anyone who's heard of thi film knows about that scene, even if they've never seen it.

* IdiotPlot: The plot of the movie wouldn't have happened if the bad guys had just shot Roger the first time they wanted to kill him instead of hatching a complex scheme to get him in a car accident (admittedly, they're trying to make it look like an accident). Later, they get another opportunity to assassinate him, but they again ruin their own plan by using a loud, highly visible crop duster that gives him ample warning time instead of just doing something simpler like planting a sniper.

** Thornhill's laywer is [[Series/GetSmart the Chief of CONTROL]].

** The Professor is [[Series/TheManFromUncle Alexander Waverly.]]

* SpiritualAdaptation: Franchise/JamesBond was still a popular book series when this film came out, but it essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous FemmeFatale spies, AffablyEvil supervillains, sexually ambiguous dragons, use of MonumentalBattle and wild action sequences. Likewise, Creator/SeanConnery's turn as Bond, as a more suave individual than his literary counterpart was based on Creator/CaryGrant's performance in this film. Indeed, Hitchcock who initially considered adapting James Bond was upset that Albert Broccoli (who he knew personally) ripped off his film for many of the early Bond films.

* AwardSnub: Went 0 for 3 at the Oscars. Editing and Art Direction lost to ''Literature/BenHur'', while Original Screenplay lost to ''Film/PillowTalk''. Amazingly, it was editor George Tomasini's only Oscar nomination, while it was the second of five screenplay losses for Ernest Lehman (who finally got a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2000).
** Music/BernardHerrmann's score wasn't nominated.