Then there were a few giants whom Hitch managed to snag in their prime, such as James Mason and Peter Falk. One of the joys of watching the show today is seeing famous actors near the beginning of their careers (Robert Redford, Steven McQueen, Ed Asner, John Cassavetes, Bruce Dern, Walter Matthau, Gena Rowlands, Cloris Leachman and Katharine Ross, to name just a few) and occasionally near the end (Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Everett Sloane, John Williams and Jane Darwell). “An Unlocked Window” (1965), which used the Psycho house as its exterior setting, was scored by Psycho‘s composer, Bernard Herrmann (as were many other episodes), and directed by Joseph M. For a complete breakdown of all 361 episodes’ directors, visit Wikipedia, which also has great analysis about the show in general. And though he’s trailing the pack with just two, Robert Altman’s name is an eye-catcher. Norman Lloyd gets four, but his greater contribution to the show was his work as associate producer, not to mention some fine performances. (Scroll down to discover that gem.) Herschel Daugherty has five, too. Newman lands five, including my pick for #1. Paul Henreid also has six episodes on the list. (Interestingly, even after The Twilight Zone premiered in 1959, Alfred Hitchcock Presents mostly avoided the supernatural, with fewer than 10 episodes engaging in the metaphysical or science-fiction-based alternate realities.) He also directed a couple of episodes of The Outer Limits, the third part of the holy trinity of suspense/mystery shows from the golden age of television. John Brahm has six, though he’s perhaps more famous as the director of 12 Twilight Zone episodes, including my favorite, “Judgment Night,” from 1959. (He created and produced the show while serving as its host.) Instead, that honor goes to Robert Stevens, with a whopping 16 episodes in my top 80. It’s isn’t Hitch himself, though he does land four in my top 80, and one in the top 10. “The Glass Eye” (1957), directed by Robert Stevens, is one of the most frightening episodes and the only one to win an Emmy. ( The Hitchcock Zone is also a great source.) I have avoided a discussion of the specific episodes and have instead linked each to its IMDB article. And the episode in BOLD, ALL CAPS AND RED is my pick for the best episode ever. Further, episodes in BOLD AND ALL CAPS are in the top five. Indeed, episodes in bold are lucky enough to gain that distinction. Still, that doesn’t mean I haven’t taken a crack at narrowing the 80 down to a top 10. Eighty seems about right, especially considering that’s the age at which the Master of Suspense departed this realm, in, fittingly, 1980. Why 80? With 268 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and another 93 of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, the anthology show (which originally aired on CBS in 1955 and then alternated between CBS and NBC until its run ended in 1965) simply doesn’t lend itself to a neat and tidy top 25, or even 50. And welcome to my list of the best 80 episodes of one of the most revered shows in the history of television, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and its successor, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Alfred Hitchcock Presents / The Alfred Hitchcock Hour TV series, 1955-1965, 4 stars Ranking Hitch The top 80 episodes
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |