Rear Window (1954)
This Alfred Hitchcock classic starts off during a hot summer, when news photographer L.B. Jeffries has hurt his leg. While he’s stuck at home recovering, he gazes into the rear windows of his neighbors’ apartments. He’s seen sweating in his wheelchair, while people in the other units have their windows flung wide open in hopes of staying comfortable in the awful heat. Through his observations, Jeff realizes that he may be witnessing a crime in progress.
At one point in the film, a couple is seen waking up on their mattress on the fire escape. For years, NYC residents used to set up makeshift beds outside on their roofs or fire escapes to avoid roasting inside of their apartments in the summer.
