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Orson Welles probably, this is my best guess, was so shrewd about the scene he wrote, shit, and cut it and left it perfectly ambiguous enough to get it past the censors, and vague enough that either conclusion is plausible. Leaves it up to the audience member to draw their own conclusion so no one can conclusively offer proof in the story of this 1958 dark crime noir if what was implied happened to the famous 50's sexpot but goody-goody screen princess Janet Leigh. Welles probably had a definite explanation but wisely wouldn't share it. Hitchcock did the same thing two years later with the same damsel star Janet Leigh in "Psycho".Hitchcock , using the source material from author Robert Bloch's grim novel but changing many details in his movie version, showed everything and nothing as it were, or as much as he could get away with. Thete is extra footage they had to snip slightly from the theatrical release of Janet's Marion Crane getting undressed more as Norman Bates soies on her through the hidden peephole. More footage of the infamousky busty Jamet in the black bra and actually taking it off and throwing the bra on the bed, although still Hitchcock never actually showed nudity or any actual knife penetratiing Janet's torso. Only the lucky electricians/set lighting guys way up in the studio ceiling of the shower scene set got tk accidentally see Janet's famous breasts when by the actresse's own admission, in between one of the countless takes ofwhen her character's dead body is slumped over on the bathroom floor tbe flesh-colored adhesive moleskin became loose from the constant hot steam of the fully functioning shower, and the moleskin meant to cover the A-list star's breasts for dignity in front of this movie set full of crew members while almost totally nude for hours on end, completely gave way and Janet's ample bosoms were displayed au natural right there. She could have yelled "cut", and stopped the shot mid-scene, but that would ruin the take,bur she didnt
The scary butch lesbian was played by Academy Award winning actress Mercedes McCambridge, probably best known today for her unforgettable voice performance as the vile, foul-mouthed Arch-Demon Pazuzu in "The Exorcist" (1973). She also played the older sister to Texas ranch lord Rock Hudson's character in "Giant" (1956) with Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, and a young Dennis Hopper...
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