History YMMV / NorthByNorthWest

'''Even Worse:''' Thornhill bolts from the building and goes on the lam, making his innocence look even more in doubt.

* WhatAnIdiot: Roger Thornhill goes to the UN in New York to speak with Lester Townshend and find out who was impersonating Townshend. One of the Vandamm's mooks throws a knife at Townshend, causing Townshend to collapse into Thornhill's arms.
'''You'd Expect''': Thornhill to leave the knife as-is, and yell out, "Get a doctor! He's been stabbed! Someone threw a knife at him!"
'''Instead''': Thornhill yanks the knife out of Townshend's back, getting his prints all over the knife and looking very much like he'd done the deed. A photographer catches his picture while he's holding the knife.
'''Even Worse''': Thornhill bolts from the building and goes on the lam, making his innocence look even more in doubt.

* SpiritualAdaptation: James Bond was still a popular book series when this film came out, but it essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous femme fatale 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 of his film for many of the early Bond films.

* FreudWasRight: The very last shot of Roger and Eve's train going into a tunnel. It really couldn't have been made more obvious.
** But the DramaticTimpani helps.
** In his commentary, Ernest Lehman notes his regret that he can't take credit for the gag, as the script doesn't mention a tunnel.
** The best part is that Hitch threw that in as a way to piss off the Hayes Code, who didn't want to imply that the Roger and Eve were about to have sex.

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

* SpiritualAdaptation: James Bond was still a popular book series when this film came out, but it essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous femme fatale spies, AffablyEvil supervillains, sexually ambiguous dragons, use of MonumentBattle 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 of his film for many of the early Bond films.

* SpiritiualAdaptation: James Bond was still a popular book series when this film came out, but it essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous femme fatale spies, AffablyEvil supervillains, sexually ambiguous dragons, use of MonumentBattle 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 of his film for many of the early Bond films.

* SpiritiualLicensee: James Bond was still a popular book series when this film came out, but it essentially codified many of the elements that typify Bond. Morally ambiguous femme fatale spies, AffablyEvil supervillains, sexually ambiguous dragons, use of MonumentBattle 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 of his film for many of the early Bond films.

** It was also featured on the TurnerClassicMovies program ''Essentials Jr.'', which is marketed towards families and younger viewers, and usually features softer fare.

* FreudWasRight: The very last shot of Roger and Eve's train going into a tunnel. It really couldn't have been made more obvious.

* FreudWasRight: In the very last shot, the train that Roger and Eve are on goes into a tunnel. They really couldn't have made it more obvious.
* FridgeLogic: If you're going to lure somebody to the middle of nowhere to kill him, why not do a drive-by instead of having a minion attack him from a cropduster? Hitchcock himself acknowledged the scene makes no sense, but justified it since nobody notices while watching the film.

* JustHereForGodzilla: The cropduster scene.

* FridgeLogic: If you're going to lure somebody to the middle of nowhere to kill him, why not do a drive-by instead of having a minion attack him from a plane? Hitchcock himself acknowledged the scene makes no sense, but justified it since nobody notices while watching the film.

* FreudWasRight: In the very last shot, the train that Roger and Eve are on goes into a tunnel. They really couldn't have may it more obvious.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: BernardHerrmann [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGax-8RiucI strikes]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYdmJB4Zd-o again]].

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: While the film was still in the early scripting stage, a scene taking place at an assembly line in Detroit was envisioned, where the camera would follow two men as they talked while a car was built behind them piece by piece...and at the end, one of the characters would open a door of the now-finished car and a corpse would fall out!

* MisaimedMarketing: 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.

* MisaimedMarketing: Movie theaters reportedly gave children coloring pages of auch scenes as Roger getting chased by the crop duster and Eve hanging off of Mount Rushmore.

* JustHereForGodzilla: The cropduster scene.