Patricia Hitchcock Movies
- 1957
Previously filmed as a theatrical feature in 1939, Alec Coppel's semi-serious mystery play I Killed the Count was adapted 17 years later as Alfred Hitchcock Presents' only three-part episode. In part one, London police inspector Davidson (John Williams) hopes to find out who killed the much-hated Count Martoni (John Hoyt). There seems to be no shortage of suspects, and when one of them steps forward to confess to the murder, Davidson is certain that the case is closed...but it isn't, not by a long shot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Mountaineer Clint Ringle (Jack Mullaney) harbors an obsessive love for schoolmarm Ella Marsh (Patricia Hitchcock) , but she is engaged to another man. In an insane fit of jealous rage, Clint murders his "rival," then eludes the authorities by hiding in the belfry of the schoolhouse where Ella works. What Clint hadn't counted on was the town's' decision to hold a memorial service for the murdered man in that selfsame schoolhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Shortly after murdering Arthur Chaundry (Arthur Gould-Porter), Jack Lyons (Denholm Elliott) marries Arthur's widow, Phyllis (Hazel Court). Although she is naturally distraught over her first husband's demise, Phyllis seems equally concerned with her missing crocodile-skin makeup case. To mollify Phyllis, Jack reports the loss of the case, providing the police with a thorough description of the missing item -- a description which, alas, turns out to be just a wee bit too thorough. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Widow Ida Blythe (Beatrice Straight) insists upon spending the weekend alone in her remote cabin, despite news that an escaped lunatic is somewhere in vicinity. Ida's tranquility is shattered by a visit from a strange young woman named Madeleine (Fay Spain), who not only appears to be obsessed with violence, but is also a compulsive liar. Suspecting that Madeleine is the fugitive lunatic, Ida knocks her down and makes her escape -- seeking assistance from another stranger, a soft-spoken gentleman (Donald Buka) with a few problems of his own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Season three of Alfred Hitchcock Presents gets under way with one of the series' best and most celebrated episodes -- and one which, surprisingly, is not directed by Alfred Hitchcock himself. As Jim Whitely (William Shatner) and his girlfriend Dorothy (Rosemary Harris) rummage through the possessions of Jim's late sister Julia (Jessica Tandy), they come across a curious item -- a large glass eye. In flashback, Jim recalls the history of this artefact, which stems back to the spinsterish Julia's infatuation with a mysterious, deep-voiced stage ventriloquist known as Max Collodi (Tom Conway). This brilliant episode earned an Emmy award for its director, prolific Alfred Hitchcock Presents contributor Robert Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
This 1959 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents could well be described as a precursor to Hitchcock's upcoming theatrical feature Psycho. Helen Brewster (Barbara Bel Geddes) wants to wed her much-younger boyfriend, Philip Pryor (Don Dubbins), but he keeps putting off the wedding, explaining that his mother is ill. After numerous delays, Philip and Helen finally become man and wife, whereupon Helen demands to meet her troublesome mother-in-law. But Philip is reluctant to arrange such a meeting -- and not without good reason. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Previously dramatized several times on the radio anthology Suspense, Lillian De La Torre's "The Older Sister" is based upon the infamous case of Lizzie Borden, who in the late 19th century was suspected -- but never convicted -- of brutally murdering her parents with an axe. The episode takes place one year after the killings, with intrepid reporter Margaret (Patricia Hitchcock) bluffing her way into the home of Lizzie Borden (Carmen Mathews) and her sister Emma (Joan Lorring). Hoping to get all the facts about the grisly murder, Margaret does not entirely succeed in this endeavor -- but the viewers at home get quite an earful. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This episode is based on a short story by H.H. Munro (aka Saki) who specialized in offbeat character studies with surprise endings. Straight-laced Victorian Mrs. Wellington (Elspeth March) wants to hire the "perfect" governess for her troublesome children. The woman hired is Charlotte Hope (Elspeth March), who subscribes to what she calls the "Schwartz-Metterklume Method" of child-rearing -- which consists of allowing her charges to run wild and free! Naturally, Mrs. Wellington strongly disapproves...but as things turn out, she might have been better off allowing the unorthodox Charlotte Hope to remain in her employ. Curiously, several of the episode's more prominent performers are uncredited, including veteran character actress Norma Varden and child star Angela Cartwright. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Although he is married, college professor Donald Mason (Donald Taylor) regularly carries on affairs with his prettier students. Attempting to break off his romance with coed Claudia Powell (Dolores Hart), Mason catches up with Claudia while she is working as a babysitter. One thing leads to another, and Donald ends up killing Claudia. The only witness to the crime is the baby whom the girl was caring for, who begins crying uncontrollably whenever Donald comes anywhere near. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
This episode is based on a famous urban legend, previously filmed as the 1949 theatrical feature. Patricia Hitchcock (daughter of the boss) stars as Diana Winthrop, who attends the 1899 Paris World's Exposition in the company of her mother (Mary Forbes). Having left their hotel room to fetch some medicine for her ailing mother, Diana returns a few hours later, only to be told that she has not been registered. Further investigation reveals that no one can remember ever seeing Diana or her mother -- and there is serious doubt that her mother ever existed! The key to the mystery is a patch of wallpaper...and the solution involves an elaborate ruse to save the Exposition from being closed down before it has a chance to open. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
This documentary is a loving look at the cinematic genius of Alfred Hitchcock. Speeding through much of his early British works, the film focuses on his American classics, such as Marnie, Vertigo, and particularly Psycho. The movie also neatly examines Hitchcock's signature touches, from his inevitable brief cameo to his famous MacGuffin. Kevin Spacey narrates, and there are interviews with such film figures as Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich, and Janet Leigh. Dial H for Hitchcock was screened at the 1999 Denver Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Spacey, Jonathan Demme, (more)
In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock was already famous as the screen's master of suspense (and perhaps the best-known film director in the world) when he released Psycho and forever changed the shape and tone of the screen thriller. From its first scene, in which an unmarried couple balances pleasure and guilt in a lunchtime liaison in a cheap hotel (hardly a common moment in a major studio film in 1960), Psycho announced that it was taking the audience to places it had never been before, and on that score what followed would hardly disappoint. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is unhappy in her job at a Phoenix, Arizona real estate office and frustrated in her romance with hardware store manager Sam Loomis (John Gavin). One afternoon, Marion is given $40,000 in cash to be deposited in the bank. Minutes later, impulse has taken over and Marion takes off with the cash, hoping to leave Phoenix for good and start a new life with her purloined nest egg. 36 hours later, paranoia and exhaustion have started to set in, and Marion decides to stop for the night at the Bates Motel, where nervous but personable innkeeper Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cheerfully mentions that she's the first guest in weeks, before he regales her with curious stories about his mother. There's hardly a film fan alive who doesn't know what happens next, but while the shower scene is justifiably the film's most famous sequence, there are dozens of memorable bits throughout this film. The first of a handful of sequels followed in 1983, while Gus Van Sant's controversial remake, starring Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, appeared in 1998. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, (more)
Stage Fright toys with our notions of the dividing line between reality and artifice by being set in the London theatre world. On the lam from the police, Richard Todd takes refuge in the home of his former girlfriend, RADA student Jane Wyman. Todd has been spotted fleeing the scene of a murder, but he insists that he's innocent. Wyman believes his story, but knows that the police won't, so she decides to play detective herself. She also plays several other roles in a variety of disguises so as to escape the notice of genuine detective Michael Wilding. Top-billed Marlene Dietrich plays a Dietrich-like chanteuse whom Wyman pigeonholes as the real murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, (more)
In one of Alfred Hitchcock's suspense classics, tennis pro Guy Haines (Farley Granger) chances to meet wealthy wastrel Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) on a train. Having read all about Guy, Bruno is aware that the tennis player is trapped in an unhappy marriage to to wife Miriam (Laura Elliott) and has been seen in the company of senator's daughter Ann Morton (Ruth Roman). Baiting Guy, Bruno reveals that he feels trapped by his hated father (Jonathan Hale). As Guy listens with detached amusement, Bruno discusses the theory of "exchange murders." Suppose that Bruno were to murder Guy's wife, and Guy in exchange were to kill Bruno's father? With no known link between the two men, the police would be none the wiser, would they? When he reaches his destination, Guy bids goodbye to Bruno, thinking nothing more of the affable but rather curious young man's homicidal theories. And then, Guy's wife turns up strangled to death. Co-adapted by Raymond Chandler from a novel by Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train perfectly exemplifies Hitchcock's favorite theme of the evil that lurks just below the surface of everyday life and ordinary men. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farley Granger, Robert Walker, (more)
