Hi John!
Those Hitchcock television shows are among the finest filmed dramas of the period--period! But do you recall another series that Hitchcock produced called "Suspicion"? It was an hour-long anthology series which ran for only one season (1957-58) putting it in direct competition with the far more popular "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Hitch didn't introduce the "Suspicion" episodes (actor Dennis O'Keefe handled those chores, but he produced and occasionally directed.) The most memorable episode was "Four O'Clock" which was adapted from a short story by Cornell ("Rear Window") Woolrich and directed by Hitchcock himself! (I had the pleasure of watching a film collector's personal 35mm print of this hour long show twice recently, once in San Francisco and again in LA; in so many respects it is nothing less than a "lost Hitchcock film.") E. G. Marshall stars as an unbalanced man who plots to kill his wife (Nancy Kelly) by planting a time bomb in their home. The twist comes when Marshall becomes trapped in the house...with the minutes ticking away. It's a real tour-de-force of suspense and typically dark Hitchcock humor! The series never went into syndication due to the fact that it only ran for one season. It would be a real treat to see them someday released on DVD.
Alfred Hitchcock
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MissGoddess
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My Seasons I and II are among the treasures of my television dvd collection! This is my favorite series of all time after the Dick Van Dyke Show, and I constantly rewatch the episodes. I have many favorites, including the very first starring Ralph Meeker and Vera Miles, called "Revenge". I also love "The Strange Case of Mr. Pelham" and the one about the broken tail-light. No coincidence that these were all directed by the master.
I think we can probably look forward to the other, longer, series coming to dvd since they appear to be doing rather well with the current releases. I can only long for a faster release schedule, but then that might result in less care being taken.
I wonder, has a tally ever been taken of how many episodes dealt with a spouse planning the murder of his/her better half?
I think we can probably look forward to the other, longer, series coming to dvd since they appear to be doing rather well with the current releases. I can only long for a faster release schedule, but then that might result in less care being taken.
I wonder, has a tally ever been taken of how many episodes dealt with a spouse planning the murder of his/her better half?
I have seen some episodes of AHP and AHH and have read about the show a bit.
It interests me that the show had seems to have had censorship problems. Apparently this is why Hitchcock had to come back on after the story ended, to "assure" people that the murderer was eventually caught.
One AHP episode, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," written by Robert Bloch, was actually banned from NBC. It concluded with a woman being sawed in half. This episode has been available on VHS for years, and the episode ends with the sawing strongly implied, although nothing is shown.
A few years later, the AHH episode "The Jar" ended with a shot of a woman's severed head in a jar. That was on CBS, so maybe that made a difference.
I find it interesting that Hitchcock was on CBS for five years, moved to NBC for two, went back to CBS for two more years (first years of AHH), then had one last year on NBC. It is rare for a TV show to jump networks like that. I suppose Hitchcock could get away with stuff because he was Hitchcock and TV was just a sideline for him instead of his whole livelihood.
It interests me that the show had seems to have had censorship problems. Apparently this is why Hitchcock had to come back on after the story ended, to "assure" people that the murderer was eventually caught.
One AHP episode, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," written by Robert Bloch, was actually banned from NBC. It concluded with a woman being sawed in half. This episode has been available on VHS for years, and the episode ends with the sawing strongly implied, although nothing is shown.
A few years later, the AHH episode "The Jar" ended with a shot of a woman's severed head in a jar. That was on CBS, so maybe that made a difference.
I find it interesting that Hitchcock was on CBS for five years, moved to NBC for two, went back to CBS for two more years (first years of AHH), then had one last year on NBC. It is rare for a TV show to jump networks like that. I suppose Hitchcock could get away with stuff because he was Hitchcock and TV was just a sideline for him instead of his whole livelihood.
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MissGoddess
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She certainly was, ahem, inventive!ken123 wrote:I have always wondered why so many Hitchcock TV episodes dealt with a husband trying to kill his wife. Maybe Hitch was trying to tell us something ? But Barbara Bel Geddes sure get rid of her husband, and the evidence, in a unque way in one Hitchcock TV drama.
Most of the time it was the husband's trying to knock off their wives but I'm starting to notice not a few of the wives doing the same. What I find so amusing about the whole thing is that he had a really pleasant marriage to Alma---perhaps because he exorcised any unpleasantness through his stories!
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MissGoddess
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Mike---Hitch's prologues and epilogues are just as entertaining to me as his stories. Many kudos to Joan Harrison, the long time producer of the show, for knowing just what would fit and helping to create many of the creative "situations" Hitch would present himself within each week. One of my favorites of these was when he played his own "stand in", complete with a cockney accent and a real attitude. 