Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Santa Claus and the Tenth Avenue Kid (1955)

 

One would not expect a sentimental Christmas special from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, yet that is exactly what this first season episode is. This episode may feel out of place among other Alfred Hitchcock episodes, but it is a personal favorite of mine and a must watch every Christmas season. 

In this episode, a paroled convict (Barry Fitzgerald), gets a job as department store Santa Claus. When he meets a troubled young boy (Bobby Clark), he decides to help out. 

This is simply a wonderful episode. What makes this episode work so well is the main character. As played by Barry Fitzgerald (who had previously starred in the Hitchcock movie, Juno and the Paycock (1930)), this character is completely believable. He is a hard and cold guy, who is out of his element working as a Santa. He is not good with kids and has a very cynical outlook on life. This episode is also very realistic in the way it presents the change of heart of the character. He is not a completely changed person at the end and there is no guarantee that he is going to reform. Yet he did a good deed and feels the Christmas spirit because of this. This is a very sweet and charming story that never fails to warm my heart. At the same time the rough-edged main character keeps it from ever feel overly sentimental or cutesy. This is especially true because of how great Barry Fitzgerald's performance is. The ending may not exactly be the type of big twist we expect from this show, but it is perfectly heartwarming and charming for this different type of story. 

Hitch's appearances before and after the story are the typical Hitchcock dark and dry humor as he plans to surprise Santa Claus. He is funny as ever here bringing a typical Hitch charm to the Christmas season. 

Hitch's opening lines are "Oh, good evening. I thought I might as well brick this up. I don't expect I'll be using this fireplace anymore. I expect the chimney to be closed very soon. I've, uh, loosened the bricks so they'll fall in if anyone should brush against them on the way down. Santa Claus is always bringing surprises to others. I thought it would be interesting if someone surprised him for a change. I'm rather tired of his tracking soot in here every year. There. Let him "Ho ho ho" himself out of that. At the risk of overburdening our program with the spirit of the season, we have arranged to dramatize a very appropriate story for tonight's divertissement. It is called Santa Claus and the Tenth Avenue Kid."

His closing lines are "You know, he ain't such a bad chap after all. Perhaps his taste in ties has improved. I think I'll give him one more chance. Rest ye merry, we'll have you out of there in a jiffy. And rest ye merry, too. Good night."

 

This is the first of five episodes directed by Don Weis and the second out of eleven written by Marian C. Cockrell. Don Weis was a very prolific television director. TV shows he worked on include I Married Joan, Wagon Train, The Jack Benny Program, The Patty Ducke Show, Batman, Ironside, M*A*S*H, Fantasy Island and Freddy's Nightmares. He also directed quite a few movies including The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), The Gene Krupa Story (1959), Critic's Choice (1963), Pajama Party (1964) and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966). 

A very memorable but small part in this episode is played by child actress Mimi Gibson (best known for Houseboat (1958) and being the voice of Lucky in Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)). She plays the first girl in line to see Santa Claus and gets a fun dialogue exchange with our main character. In her book, Working Kid: A Memoir of a Child Actor of the 1950's and 60's, Gibson wrote, "A Christmas show titled, 'Santa Claus and the Tenth Avenue Kid,' and, no, I do not remember him - Darn! He most likely didn't direct that episode. I do remember his daughter Pat from working with her on Playhouse 90. And of course, I worked with Bobby Clark again." She worked with Patricia Hitchcock on a Playhouse 90 episode entitled Rumors of Everything (1958). About Patricia Hitchcock Mimi would write, "Pat was a very funny, young woman who liked to break everyone up. I thought she was hilarious and especially a little scandalous when she talked about girdles. I wanted to be just like her." That episode also featured Barbara Del Geddes, who is best known by Hitchcock fans for her role as Midge in Hitch's movie, Vertigo (1958). About working with Bobby Clark on the western movie, Rebel in Town (1956) Gibson remembered one incident quite clearly writing, "Bobby knew I had a little-girl crush on Ben Cooper [one of the stars of the film] who was so nice to me and handsome. So, Bobby told Ben and I found out. I panicked. It was the first time I had those types of feelings for a guy and an older guy at that. I was so embarrassed I thought I'd die. I cried and cried. Ben Cooper was a true gentleman. He knew how embarrassed I was and just didn't make a big deal or have a little talk with me - that would have killed me. He was just nice and friendly as usual and the whole thing blew over. Darn that, Bobby Clark! (Crush No. 2, a handsome guy!)" 

-Michael J. Ruhland 

Resources Used

Working Kid: A Memoir of a Child Actor of the 1950's and 60's by Mimi Gibson

https://hitchcock.fandom.com/wiki/Santa_Claus_and_the_Tenth_Avenue_Kid

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0508241/

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Guilty Witness (1955)

 

Guilty Witness was the 11th episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and the 3rd directed by Robert Stevens and the third by writer Robert C. Dennis. Robert Stevens and Robert C. Dennis worked together previously on the episode Our Cook's a Treasure (1955). Guilty Witness originally aired on December 12, 1956. 

In this episode grocery store owners Stanley and Dorothy Krane are annoyed by the couple next door constantly fighting. However, they become suspicious, when the husband of that couple disappears. 

 This story may sound familiar to Hitchcock fans as it is quite similar to that of Rear Window (1954). Comparing the two perfectly shows the difference between Hitch's movies and his TV show. The film (which was released the year prior) plays the story in a rather straightforward way, while the episode ends on a huge twist. Unfortunately, this huge twist is the weakest part of this episode. It comes out of nowhere and strains any sense of credibility. After this twist, much of what came before makes much less sense. 

Despite this there is a lot to enjoy before that twist. All three of the stars are fantastic. Joe Mantell (who later appear in one more episode, The Indestructible Mr. Weems (1957)), Judith Evelyn (who had played Ms. Lonelyhearts in Rear Window and would later appear in the episode, Martha Mason, Movie Star (1957)) and Kathleen Maguire (in her first of three episodes) are all very compelling here and make the implausible drama feel quite believable. Robert Stevens direction is sharp and keeps the episode moving at a very fast pace, keeping it from ever getting boring. There is also a good sense of atmosphere and dread throughout. The basic story may feel very familiar but other than the absurd twist ending, everything else works well enough to overlook this. 

This is an otherwise strong episode that is greatly hurt by a weak twist at the end. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Case of Mr. Pelham (1955)

 

The Case of Mr. Pelham is the 10th episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and the third directed by Hitch himself. 

In this episode, a man named Mr. Pelham (Tom Ewell) believes that he has a double who looks exactly like him and who is impersonating him. 

This is a truly wonderful episode. From the start it has an odd and uneasy feel to it. As it goes on the sense of mystery and dread is built up perfectly keeping its audience is suspense in a way only Hitch can. With a smart and compelling script, we are made to doubt everything we feel. This is increased by the fact that we never know anything more than our main character does at any time. This easily puts us into his shoes and makes us feel the same puzzlement and horror that he does. While the story is incredibly implausible, in true Hitchcock fashion we are made to believe everything. However, the main reason this episode works is Tom Ewell's (in his only role in this series) incredibly performance. He is truly magnetic here and conveys the dread and emotional uneasy of the character perfectly.

The episode also benefits from a truly terrifying ending that perfectly lives up to the wonderful build up. Since this implausible story feels so real to us, we begin to believe that such a thing could actually happen to any of us. This makes the ending just as horrifying and frightening as anything in a great horror movie.  

The episode also truly benefits from great cinematography John L. Russell (a regular cinematographer on this series and later the cinematographer for Hitch's cinematic masterpiece Psycho). It gives this episode a film-noir type feel that fits the story perfectly. 

The outro with two Alfred Hitchcocks is truly hilarious and presents Hitch's dry but absurd sense of humor in a wonderful fashion. 

This is the third out of 18 episodes to be written by Francis M. Cockrell. Interestingly the two previous episodes that Cockrell wrote were also the two previous episodes that Hitch directed. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Long Shot (1955)

 

This marks the 9th episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It is the second of seven episodes directed by Robert Stevenson. Stevenson is best known as a Disney director. In fact, he was one of the studio's finest live action directors, having directed such Disney films as Johnny Tremain (1957), Old Yeller (1957), Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), The Absent Minded Professor (1961), Mary Poppins (1964), That Darn Cat (1965), The Love Bug (1969), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and Herbie Rides Again (1974) among many others. It is also the second of ten episodes written by  Harold Swanton, a very prolific TV writer. His other Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes would include The Long Shot (1955), Portrait of Joycelyn (1956), Coyote Moon (1959), Anniversary Gift (1959), An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1959), Summer Shade (1961), Museum Piece (1961), Bang Your Dead (1961) and The Twelve Hour Caper (1962) as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode Body in the Barn (1964). Other TV shows he worked on include The Whistler, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie. He also occasionally worked on movies like Disney's Rascal (1969).   

In this episode a compulsive gambler (Peter Lawford) lands in financial debt. He sees an ad for someone looking for a traveling companion to San Francisco. Along the way he decides to change identities with his traveling companion (John Williams). However, this leads to more trouble than he ever anticipated. The opening involves Hitch playing a slot machine that gives him actual fruit. 

This is truly an excellent episode. Though the story has been done before but that doesn't stop this from being compelling viewing. There is a delightfully moody and atmospheric feel to this episode thanks to Stanley Wilson's haunting music and Reggie Lanning's atmospheric cinematography. Many scenes have that cinematic quality that makes this series stand out among many other TV shows of its time. The episode also has some very effectively dark scenes that leave a real sense of unease in the truest of Hitchcock fashion. Also helping this episode work is that Peter Lawford (in his own gives one of the best performances I have seen from him, perfectly capturing the shiftiness of such a character. 

The episode is not perfect however as it can become too talky at times and there is an over reliance on narration. The ending is also too predictable from a show like this which is best known for its shocking twists. 

John Williams as the traveling companion, will be a familiar face to most Hitchcock fans. This was the first of ten episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that he acted in. However, Hitch fans will know him best for his roles in the Hitchcock movies, Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955).  In Dial M for Murder, he played Chief Inspector Hubbard, a role he also played on stage and in a 1958 television adaption. 

-Michael J. Ruhland 

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Our Cook's a Treasure (1955)

 

This is the second out of 44 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents to be directed by Robert Stevens, who would also go on to direct 5 episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. This is also the second of 30 episodes written by Robert C. Dennis (it was based off a story by mystery novel writer Dorothy L. Sayers). 

In this episode a man (Everett Sloane) thinks his housemaid (Beulah Bondi) might be a serial killer.  

This episode is very much held together by the wonderful performances by Everrett Sloane and Beulah Bondi. Both of them are very compelling to watch and make this simple story very engaging. The story itself is quite well handled. While the twist is not hard to see coming, this episode does quite a good job of putting us in the place of the main character. We can understand and feel his panic and paranoia growing. It is hard to say that any of us would fall into the same paranoia if we were in his place. Steven's directing is also very strong here. His pacing is perfect, and the episode never once feels dull, nor does it ever really drag. The episode also remains visually interesting throughout with some strong atmospheric shots that enhance the suspense of the story. 

Hitch's opening and closing sequences with him as a wine taster are fine but, in my opinion, not as funny as his best host sequences.   

This was the first of three episodes to star Everett Sloane. Though Sloane had a very prolific career in both movies and TV, he is probably best known for playing Mr. Bernstein in Orson Welles' masterpiece, Citizen Kane (1941). This is the only appearance on the show by Bulah Bondi, a great character actress, whose filmography includes such classics as Make Way For Tomorrow (1937), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Remember the Night (1939), Penney Serenade (1941), Watch on the Rine (1943), It's a Wonderful Life (1948), So Dear to My Heart (1949), A Summer Place (1959) and plenty more. 

-Michael J. Ruhland