Sarett Rudley Movies
- 1959
Angered over being forcibly retired, jewelry store employee Andrew Thurgood (Claude Rains) would seem to be the most likely suspect when an expensive necklace is stolen. Surprisingly, Andrew's boss, Dr. Rudel (Stephen Bekassy), is willing to forget about the robbery, so long as the insurance company pays for the loss. It is only when Andrew returns home to his daughter (Betsy Von Furstenberg) that he finds out why his employer was so eager to sweep the matter under the rug. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Four little old ladies become fascinated by Mr. O'Finn (Dennis Morgan), the homicide detective who is investigating a murder in a nearby apartment. Intently peering through a telescope to observe his every move, the ladies try to figure out a way to attract O'Finn's attention. Ultimately, they invite the detective over for tea -- where he discovers to his dismay that he may never be able to go home again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Elderly actor Charles Gresham (Claude Rains) spends more of his time in barrooms than backstage, but he is always on the lookout for the role that will make him a star. He finally gets that opportunity by blackmailing producer Wayne Campbell (James Gregory) into casting him as the lead in Campbell's new play. Ironically, Gresham has been cast as a blackmailer -- and he intends to give the performance of his life for the entertainment of a potential backer named Nick Roper (Paul Picerni). Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that the operative word in the previous sentence is "life." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
District attorney Martin Ross (Royal Dano) is running for governor. To help Martin's chances, his mentally disturbed brother Richard (Harry Townes) murders Martin's opponent. As tough as it is for Martin to cover up Richard's "indiscretion," it gets even tougher when another man (Robert Ellis) is arrested for the crime -- and Martin is obliged to force a confession from him! A young Inger Stevens figures into the proceedings as Martin's anguished wife Laura. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
This surprisingly warm-and-fuzzy episode is narrated by child actress Evelyn Rudie, here cast as minister's daughter Hildegarde Fell. Against the wishes of her father (Hugh Marlowe), Hildegarde insists upon trying to make friends with crabby old John Anderson (Cedric Hardwicke), an elderly recluse whom everyone in town assumes to be a former judge, famous for his harsh and merciless sentences. Only after Anderson's death does the wide-eyed Hildegarde reveal the unvarnished truth about the "greatly beloved" man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Carol Lynley makes her first significant TV appearance in this episode, which also represents an early directorial effort by Robert Altman. Lynley is cast as Janice, a psychotic 17-year-old girl who uses a thirtysomething lout named Tex (Vince Edwards) as a pawn in her scheme to rid herself of her nagging aunt, Mae (Jeanette Nolan), so that she can marry her impoverished boyfriend Stan (Stephen Joyce). At episode's end, it appears that the conniving Janice has outsmarted herself...or has she? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
This episode is, amazingly enough, based on a story by A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh. Henpecked husband Ernest Findlater (John Williams) dreams of escaping his dreary existence and heading off to the South Seas. During one such dream, a beautiful native girl named Lalage (Barbara Baxley) provides Mr. Findlater with a foolproof plan to eliminate the contentious Mrs. Findlater (Isobel Elsom). Watch for an uncredited Raymond Bailey (aka Mr. Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies) as Alfred Hitchcock's psychiatrist in the episode's prologue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Thelma Ritter, previously seen as the delightfully ghoulish nurse in Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 theatrical feature Rear Window, is here cast as babysitter Lottie Slocum. When her most recent client, Mrs. Nash, is murdered, Lottie is interviewed by the cops, but she has no vital information. She does, however, claim to know that Mrs. Nash was cheating on her husband (Theodore Newton), but this she tells to everyone except the cops. As it turns out, Lottie doesn't know anything except that she is infatuated with Mr. Nash...and it is this infatuation which proves to be her undoing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Who better to direct an affectionate spoof of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 suspense classic Rear Window than Hitchcock himself? Babs Fenton (Mary Scott), a housewife with a highly fertile imagination, wonders just what is going on between Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard (Dayton Lummis, Meg Mundy) in the house next door. By and by, Babs becomes convinced that Mr. Blanchard has murdered his wife, and inveigles her own long-suffering husband John (Robert Horton) into playing detective. The clues, motive, and opportunity are all there -- but the outcome isn't quite what Babs had anticipated. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
