Why is December 11 ‘Psycho’ day in Phoenix?

Of all the movies that have been filmed in Phoenix, none are greater than “Psycho,” Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller that caused audiences to faint, inspired countless copycats and continues to make the lists of the top films ever made.

In fact, besides Saul Bass’s iconic credits, Phoenix is the first thing we see in the movie.

It’s “Friday, December the Eleventh,” at 2:43 p.m., according to the words that flash on the screen as the camera gives us a sweeping view of the Valley. (Though the film doesn’t identify a year, Dec. 11 was a Friday in 1959).

A lot has changed in 66 years, but Camelback Mountain is instantly identifiable, as is the antenna spire of the Westward Ho building. At the time Hitchcock made the movie, the Westward Ho was the tallest building in the Valley.

Not much of the film is set in Phoenix. Janet Leigh plays Marion Crane, a secretary who leaves town with the big cash deposit her boss asked her to take to the bank. She wants the money so that her long-distance boyfriend in California can pay off his debts and they can get married. Unfortunately for her, she stops at the Bates Motel on her way to meet up with him. You know the rest. (And if you don’t, see the movie ASAP.)

Alfred Hitchcock always makes a cameo in his films, and in “Psycho,” he puts himself in one of the Phoenix scenes; he’s the man in the dark suit and light-colored hat standing in front of Marion’s office as she returns to work.

Phoenix has always been proud of its association with the film, and in 2018, the city made it official: Acting mayor Thelda Williams declared Friday, Dec. 11, 2018, “Psycho” Day in the city of Phoenix.

The proclamation read:

“The film ‘Psycho,’ a 1960s American psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is often ranked among the greatest films of all time. The opening scene of the film consists of several shots that pan across the 1959 downtown Phoenix skyline. Prominently featured in this scene are several historic buildings including the Security Building, the Hotel San Carlos, the Heard Building, the Professional Building, the Adams Hotel (now demolished), the Luhrs Building and the Jefferson Hotel — where two of the film’s main characters share a lunch break.

“The beginning credits of ‘Psycho’ contain a caption stating the date of the film’s opening scene: ‘Friday, December the Eleventh.’ The date was included to explain the Christmas decorations present along Central Avenue when shooting occurred in Phoenix. Locally, ‘Psycho’ opened on August 11, 1960, at what is now the Orpheum Theatre (then the Paramount). The film was the most talked-about movie of its day, and in 1992, was deemed ‘culturally, historically or aesthetically significant’ by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, THELDA WILLIAMS, Mayor of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, do hereby proclaim December 11, 2018, as ‘PSYCHO’ DAY. I ask all Phoenix residents to join me in recognition of the City of Phoenix’s appearance in the classic Alfred Hitchcock film ‘Psycho,’ and I call upon all citizens to remember and celebrate the inclusion of our city’s skyline in this culturally significant film.”

Want to watch “Psycho” for the first — or hundredth — time? It’s available for rent or purchase on YouTube, Amazon Prime or the Apple TV Store.