Salvage marks the 6th episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
In this episode a gangster (Gene Berry) who has just been released from prison, goes searching for the woman (Nancy Gates), who he believes is responsible for his brother's death.
This is truly an excellent episode. Starting off right in the middle of the action proves to be a perfect way to tell this story as we fill out the backstory for the characters more and more as the story goes on. As we do this we discover that the characters are much more complex than we originally thought. The more we learn about these characters, the more invested in them we become. Because of this for characters we only spend less than a half hour with, we feel like we know them completely. The story is also incredibly well written. At first, we seem to think we know where it is going but it surprises us while still making perfect sense.
The real reason this episode works so well is because of the acting. Of course, such reliable actors as Gene Berry (in his second appearance on this show) and Elisha Cook Jr. are excellent. However it is the relatively unknown Nancy Gates, who steals the show with her very emotionally vulnerable performance.
The opening and closing bits with Hitchcock on a film set are delightfully fun and silly, contrasting perfectly with the darker main story.
This is the first episode of this show directed by Justus Addiss. He would direct a total of ten episodes. His other episodes would include A Bullet for Baldwin (1956), Safe Conduct (1956), Nightmare in 4-D (1957), The Night the World Ended (1957), Martha Mason, Movie Star (1957), The West Warlock Time Capsule (1957), The Indestructible Mr. Weems (1957), Miss Paisley's Cat (1957) and Night of the Execution (1957). Other TV series he directed for include Rawhide, Mister Ed, The Restless Gun, The Twilight Zone and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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