"It's just a movie, " Hitchcock told a nervous Kim Novak, recapping one of his favorite lines.

NPR: 'Hitchcock's Music' Scores Big on Suspense

Here Jimmy Stewart (Scotty) follows Kim Novak (Madeleine) and looks on as she visits the grave of Carlotta Valdes.

BBC: For the birds: Hitchcock��s California

The estate has been home to Ingrid Bergman, James Caan and Kim Novak.

NPR: Young Hollywood Wooed by Presidential Hopefuls

Doubtless their swains would argue otherwise but none had the allure of Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak or Marilyn Monroe.

ECONOMIST: Beauty beats the beast

The character Madeleine, played in the movie by Judy (and both played by Kim Novak), represents the emotional heart of the film.

WSJ: Roger Ebert on the Best Film of All Time

During filming, Kim Novak took a liking to La Casa Rosa, a restaurant that has changed little since it opened in 1935 (the pink-hued building dates to 1858).

BBC: For the birds: Hitchcock��s California

Kim Novak as a muse makes so much sense, Badgley said.

WSJ: Friendships bubble up at NY Fashion Week

The original 1953 Broadway production of "Picnic, " for instance, ran for 477 performances, and the film version, which starred William Holden, Kim Novak and Rosalind Russell, was one of the biggest box-office smashes of 1955.

WSJ: Tales of the Lonely Crowd | Picnic | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | The Other Place | Theater Reviews by Terry Teachout