In Season 1 of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” it seemed Hitchcock picked out four premium scripts to direct. In Season 2 (1956-57, CBS), he must’ve slotted in three episodes whenever he was free. Among the 39 episodes, he helms “Wet Saturday” (episode 1), “Mr. Blanchard’s Secret” (13) and “One More Mile to Go” (28).
Because these episodes are 25 minutes long, the simple fact of what happens has outsized importance compared to films, which can be analyzed from several angles. So I’ll institute a SPOILER WARNING here.
Check those taillights
Two episodes deal with murder cover-ups, with different degrees of macabre fun and different levels of payoff. The best is “One More Mile to Go,” wherein Sam (David Wayne) kills his nagging wife, then loads the body in his car trunk and vaguely drives off to dispose of it. Hitch shoots the spat and killing silently, through a window from outside, a way he often stylized cliched scenes that audiences can figure out without words; see also the flower-shop chat in “Topaz.”
“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” Season 2 (1956-57)
CBS, 39 episodes (This review looks at the three directed by Hitchcock.)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Episodes: “Wet Saturday” (1), “Mr. Blanchard’s Secret” (13), “One More Mile to Go” (28)
Writers: Marian Cockrell, Sarett Rudley, James Cavanah (teleplays); John Collier, Emily Neff, F.J. Smith (stories)
Stars: John Williams, Mary Scott, David Wayne
We might see “One More Mile” as a preview of the famous – despite its lack of consequence for the plot – moment in “Psycho” when Marion is anxious about getting caught and a highway patrolman knocks at her car window. Wayne effectively uses one facial expression of frozen anxiety as Sam fixates on staying at the speed limit.
It’s a darkly comedic metaphor for life that he masters the one thing he’s focused on but something unforeseen derails his life: a broken taillight. Writers James Cavanah and F.J. Smith fill the half-hour with amusing close calls, then top it off with one last joke: Pulling Sam over again for the flickering light, the patrolman notes that police headquarters is nearby and they’ll be happy to pop the trunk and fix the wiring there.
Make sure your frame jobs are thorough
“Wet Saturday” is more complex but doesn’t stick the landing as well. It mostly consists of Mr. Princey (Cedric Hardwicke) forming a plan with his family to cover up his daughter Millie’s (Tita Purdom) rage-murder of a man upon realizing he’s not romantically interested in her. His cleverness extends to a frame-job of family acquaintance Smollet (John Williams), who wanders in at precisely the wrong time.
Although it’s not hard to watch the scheming once, episodes like this need a clever narrative twist or at least a macabre wink like “One More Mile’s” to click into place. Despite coming from a story by John Collier (Season 1’s masterful “Back for Christmas,” starring Williams), “Wet Saturday” doesn’t quite have it: Princey ties up the last loose thread by ratting out Smollet, but the frame job doesn’t stick because Millie can’t keep her mouth shut.
It’s worth noting that the conclusion does not happen on screen, but rather in Hitchcock’s concluding narration. The idea that Millie loses her cool when it matters most does make Purdom’s overacting snap into place. And I suppose it’s worth a smirk to know the evil Princey doesn’t get away with this, and that his fate is only worthy of Hitch tossing it out like an afterthought.
Don’t assume the worst
“Mr. Blanchard’s Secret,” chronicling the overactive imagination of mystery writer Babs (Mary Scott), also suffers in comparison to a previous Hitch-directed episode, Season 1’s “Revenge.” The titular neighbor (Dayton Lummis) is not overly friendly, and his wife (Meg Mundy) is mildly odd, so Babs assumes the worst.
This episode is like a preview of the awkward-stranger-interaction horror movies that have proliferated recently, but shallower. Plus, the events are not funny enough to qualify as dark humor. Basically, Babs assumes three times that Mr. Blanchard has either killed his wife or is totally controlling her, and she’s proven wrong three times when Mrs. Blanchard pops in for a visit. The good concept is dully executed, although Scott enlivens it a bit with her performance.
(END OF SPOILERS.)
It’s impressive that Hitch can crank out mildly diverting mini-movies in a matter of days while also making major productions (1956’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “The Wrong Man”) and planning what would become known as the greatest film of all time (1958’s “Vertigo”). But these Season 2 episodes suggest Hitch viewed “AHP” closer to a joke than a serious exercise. Then again, he did craft his practical jokes with care.
RFMC’s Alfred Hitchcock series reviews works by the Master of Suspense, plus remakes and source material. Click here to visit our Hitchcock Zone.