Rebecca (novel) his deceased wife, Rebecca. The supernatural reaction of the portrait doesn't convince him and so he places her in a cupboard. The 1970 Parallel Time storyline of the Gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows" was heavily inspired by "Rebecca" including the costume ball scene. Also the second "Dark Shadows" motion picture, "Night of Dark Shadows" took inspiration from the novel including a mention by Kate Jackson's character who hopes the housekeeper is not like Mrs. Danvers The fifth episode of the second series of "That Mitchell and Webb Look" contains an extended sketch parodying the 1940 film, in which Rebecca is
Daphne du Maurier novel into French and sent it to a publisher in Paris, who she learned was also Ms. du Maurier's [publisher] only after "Rebecca" became a worldwide success. The novels have identical plots and even some identical episodes." Author Frank Baker believed that du Maurier had plagiarised his novel "The Birds" (1936) in her short story "The Birds" (1952). Du Maurier had been working as a reader for Baker's publisher Peter Davies at the time he submitted the book. When Hitchcock's "The Birds" was released in 1963, based on du Maurier's story, Baker considered, but was advised against, pursuing costly litigation