The hysterical mother is a secondary antagonist in The Birds. She is portrayed by actress Doreen Lang.
Biography[]
The unnamed woman was a resident of Bodega Bay, California, and a mother of two. While she was in The Tides Restaurant with her children, ornithologist Mrs. Bundy interrupted Melanie Daniels' call, stating that there was a difference between the two birds. After this, several patrons, including Mrs. Bundy, fisherman Sebastien Sholes and a preacher, the restaurant's owner Deke Carter, his wife Helen, and the restaurant's cook Sam, argued over the cause of the recent bird attacks. During the conversation, Mrs. Bundy stated that she believed that birds were not evil creatures and that they brought beauty to the world. When the mother asked around for someone to drive her and her children home, a salesman, Mr. Ron, offered to drive them. When Mitch Brenner claimed that the birds were attacking people on purpose and that this was going to escalate, Mrs. Bundy, Mr. Ron, Deke and Sebastien called it nonsense.
As the patrons remained in the restaurant, several birds started attacking people, knocking over a gas station attendant as he was pumping fuel into a car. The gasoline leaked out into the street, reaching the car of the salesman as he was having a smoke. As the patrons of the restaurant noticed from inside the restaurant, they attempted to warn him by shouting at him, but to no avail, as he threw his cigarette onto the ground, igniting the gasoline and starting a fire, killing him.
After this, gulls begin to attack the townspeople, prompting several patrons, including Melanie, to escape the restaurant and run amok, while the remaining patrons of the restaurant hid in the back. When Melanie trapped herself in a phone booth, Mitch ran outside to save her. However, as they returned, the mother, now hysterical, shouted, claiming Melanie was the cause of the bird attacks, as they had only begun when she arrived, as the other patrons, including Mrs. Bundy, Sebastien, the preacher, Deke, Helen, Sam, and a waitress, stared silently as Melanie and Mitch left the restaurant.