The Birds

The story begins as an innocuous romantic triangle involving wealthy, spoiled Tippi Hedren , handsome Rod Taylor , and schoolteacher Suzanne Pleshette . The human story begins in a San Francisco pet shop and culminates at the home of Taylor 's mother ( Jessica Tandy ) at Bodega Bay, where the characters' sense of security is slowly eroded by the curious behavior of the birds in the area. At first, it's no more than a sea gull swooping down and pecking at Tippi 's head. Things take a truly ugly turn when hundreds of birds converge on a children's party. There is never an explanation as to why the birds have run amok, but once the onslaught begins, there's virtually no letup. — Hal Erickson