Well, you caught me from the mention of James Bond. I'm a huge fan of his and he's the ultimate Alpha. I think we all harbor that little bit of wishing we could be the woman he absolutely can't live without.
Great post, Jeff. Your tidbit about Alfred Hitchcock brought back memories as my mother told me the same thing! I enjoyed the excerpts. I love that authors include things that have meaning to them. It really serves to make for richer characterization.
Scarlett is a favorite of mine, but I also like Hannah Brown (Judy Garland's character in Easter Parade. I haven't met any heroine from Sherrilyn Kenyon's novels taht I don't love.