“I'm sure anyone who likes a good crime, provided it is not the victim.”

“Blondes make the best victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints.”

“I’ve never been very keen on women who hang their sex round their neck like baubles. I think it should be discovered. It’s more interesting to discover the sex in a woman than it is to have it thrown at you, like a Marilyn Monroe or those types. To me they are rather vulgar and obvious.”

“I'm a writer and, therefore, automatically a suspicious character.”

“Suspense is like a woman. The more left to the imagination, the more the excitement. ... The conventional big-bosomed blonde is not mysterious. And what could be more obvious than the old black velvet and pearls type? The perfect ‘woman of mystery’ is one who is blonde, subtle and Nordic. ... Although I do not profess to be an authority on women, I fear that the perfect title [for a movie], like the perfect woman is difficult to find.”

“I'm a typed director. If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach.”

“There is nothing so good as a burial at sea. It is simple, tidy, and not very incriminating.”