Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) Guilty Witness (1955) User Reviews

"A carton that large would hold a lot of toys."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 14 July 2021]

I should have seen the twist ending coming but I didn't. Deftly played by Dorothy Crane (Kathleen Maguire), her frantic requests for husband Stanley (Joe Mantell) to find out what happened with upstairs neighbor Ben Verber (Ed Kemmer) cleverly played to that finale in which Amelia Verber lowered the boom on both her philandering husband and the cheating wife. There was even some misdirection before the final reveal when Mrs. Verber brought up the name of the Glovetsy girl who was also one of her husband's girlfriends. You really had to feel for poor Mr. Krane, completely duped by his wife's secret, and stunned not knowing where he would go from here.

Though it has nothing to do with the story per se, I did happen to notice how characters in this episode constantly related to the heat by wiping their foreheads, and Stanley plopping himself in front of a fan when he knocked off work one afternoon. It speaks to that era of the Fifties when air conditioning wasn't yet a modern convenience that could be afforded by most everyone. Speaking of which, and I know it sounds kind of gross, but shouldn't Mr. Verber's corpse been giving off an odor by the time Stanley and Sergeant Halloran (Robert F. Simon) got to it. It should have been permeating the apartment building after three days, don't you think?

I didn't see that coming!

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 28 September 2021]

I won't say much about this show since I do not want to give anything away. All I will say is it is that the running time of the play is close to 22 minutes (taking out two minutes for Hitchcock's beginning and ending) and for most of the 22 minutes the play was a routine situation that has been played out many times on TV, movies and live plays. What makes this different and memorable from the rest is the last fifteen seconds of the play. Again, I did not see it coming.-- Nice watch since is something I will remember for a long time.

The title "Guilty Witness" explains what's going on

[chuck-reilly · 7/10 · 7 March 2008]

Stanley Crane (Joe Mantell) and his wife Dorothy (Kathleen McGuire) are positive that a murder has been committed in the upstairs unit of their apartment building. The Verbers (a husband and wife) had been fighting on and off, but nothing as bad as the latest uproar. The police are called in to investigate after Mr. Verber (Ed Kemmer) fails to show up after a few days. Mrs. Verber (Judith Evelyn) doesn't seem too concerned, however. She's more interested in why the Cranes, and particularly MRS. CRANE, are so involved in other people's business. Sergeant Halloran (Robert F. Simon) also senses something strange in the circumstances, but he just can't put his finger on the answer...yet.

"Guilty Witness" is a bit formulaic even for the Alfred Hitchcock series, but it does provide some fine performances, especially from Judith Evelyn who is quite sympathetic here. Joe Mantell, who's been around forever it seems, does fine work as the completely duped Crane, even though it's a role he could play in his sleep. And speaking of sleep, Mr. Verber won't be waking up any time soon.

Sneaky Subtext

[dougdoepke · 4 February 2016]

Nifty episode with a good kicker I didn't see coming. One thing that helped put the series on the TV map was acting talent. I expect Hitchcock's name had a lot to do with that. Here the principals put that talent on good display. Stanley Crane (Mantell) owns a little neighborhood grocery and lives in a crowded apartment building. Meanwhile, his wife (Maguire) is a snoop who suspects the upstairs neighbors of suspicious doings. She hounds Stanley, but he shrugs her off. Then one day, there's screaming upstairs and a thud and the wife suspects the worst, or is it just her over-active imagination acting up again.

Good peek into the past when there were still small grocery's, women in flouncy skirts, and merchants knew their customers. Then too, I like the ordinary looking cast appropriate for their everyday roles. Sure, the cop (Simon) doesn't really act like a cop. He shares the investigation and confides in Stanley in unprofessional fashion. Nonetheless, consider how cleverly the script uses the final twist to illuminate what's gone before. All in all, it's 30-minutes of Hollywood showing its non-glamor side and to entertaining effect.

Rear Window for television?

[CindyH · 8/10 · 7 February 2010]

I'm not going to give a synopsis because goodness knows you can find that anywhere.

As I watched this episode, I was struck by the familiarity I sensed without ever actually viewing it before. It was only a few minutes in before I realized why. This is basically a condensed televised version of Rear Window (though obviously not exact and with an interesting twist at the end, as Hitch is so infamous for). I am not disappointed by that at all but find it quite delightful instead. Rear Window is, by far, my most favored Alfred Hitchcock film. To see it used so cleverly here was an engaging surprise. It's also worth noting, perhaps, that Rear Window had premiered only eleven months before the first airing of this episode.

I also want to briefly touch on my disagreement with a couple of points that previous reviewer posted.

The first point is about there being evidential delusions. I think it's fairly clear, from the title alone, that there were no delusions here. That is what makes the final twist so amazing.

Secondly, to criticize an episode on the "believability" is to criticize classic film and television. Life was different back then, and everyone knows that. It's not even worth mentioning in my opinion, as the reviewer did. However I will say that no matter what era, the movement of a dead body is the hardest part of the crime. Watch TruTV's Forensic File's (think real life CSI) if you want to learn more about that. This episode clearly reinforces that well-known fact.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one as I do so many of Hitchcock's. The acting was superb, the plot interesting and the twist intense. It's worth the few minutes it takes to watch, I have no shadow of a doubt.

Yes, stupid pun intended.

The apartment

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 9 February 2022]

It is difficult to resist anything with a title as attention grabbing as this one. The premise is also great and could easily pass for a plot for a Hitchcock film, can see why it's been compared to one of Hitchcock's best films 'Rear Window'. Another interest point is that "Guilty Witness" is the third episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' to be directed by series regular Robert Stevens, the other two being "Premonition" and "Our Cook's a Treasure". Both of them, especially the latter, being among Season 1's better episodes.

Did feel that "Guilty Witness" is not as good as those two and that it is not one of Stevens' best episodes (or one of his worst) or one of the best episodes of Season 1. It is though very good, though perhaps not for all tastes as some here have had issues with the story execution, and does generally very well with one of the season's most interesting sounding concepts. There is a lot to like about "Guilty Witness", almost all of them the usual good components, despite its imperfections.

Those imperfections being some suspension of disbelief needing in the final act, as some of it is on the silly and senseless side.

And that some of the character motivations came over as confused and vague, such as at the end. Can personally actually see why others were perplexed.

"Guilty Witness" has a lot of things done incredibly well. It is made with slickness and atmosphere, and manages to make a simple location interesting and not too confined. The music isn't over-powering or over-obvious and the theme tune for the series definitely haunts the mind. Hitchcock's bookending scenes have grown on me a good deal and while not among the best or most inspired they intrigue.

Much of the script does too and it doesn't ramble. The story is far from perfectly executed, but it is nicely paced and has genuine unease. Did find myself caring for finding out the truth and the final twist is a stroke of genius. The acting is very good, with a strong lead performance from Joe Mantell and a sympathetic one from Judith Evelyn.

Concluding, very good. 8/10.

An OK tale with some confusing character motivations.

[b_kite · 6/10 · 3 October 2018]

Annoyed by the constant fighting of their next-door neighbors the Verbers Ben and Amelia (Ed Kemmer, Judith Evelyn), grocery story owners Stanley (Joe Mantell) and Dorothy Krane (Kathleen Maguire) become suspicious when they don't see the husband Ben for a few days. After overhearing a detective Sgt. Halloran (Robert F. Simon) say the man might have been murdered, Dorothy gets involved in the deadly case.

I swear I love these little stories, but, some of them defiantly haven't aged well over the years, I mean these were made 60+ years ago and society was a whole lot different back then then it is now. While the concept may have been a little more believable in 1955, its kinda ludicrous now. There's a twist here as usual and while I enjoyed it I'm not sure if I really understand it, Much like another reviewer stated I mean why would one of our main characters (I won't name any names to keep from spoiling anything) literally bring all this suspicion to themselves? I mean they are the one that got this whole thing going and you would think they would want to stay out of it, it order from being found out, who knows maybe I'm just missing the point here. It's still a nicely set up little episode that feels very "Rear Window" like at times, and Hitchcock's narratives with the hanging noise is fun as well. I'm just not sure If the character motivations here really match that of what is revealed in the twist.

Solid thriller

[coltras35 · 9/10 · 11 May 2022]

When Mr. And Mrs. Crane hear the Verbers having a violent argument in the apartment just above them, and then Mr. Verber disappears the next day, they can't help suspecting the worst.

Solid thriller from beginning to end with a great build up that leads to a whopper of a finale that I didn't see coming. The focus was on whether the wife had really done away with her husband, and when truth was unravelled, the last revelation came right at the tail-end. It's a nifty entry that lends a good insight on 1950's life, the store, domestic and neighbourhood life.

A mildly interesting twist at the end....but nothing more

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 16 February 2021]

The episode is shown from the viewpoint of a grocer and his wife. Often, they can hear the upstairs neighbors arguing and fighting...but the husband keeps telling his wife that they should mind their own business. However, one of the fights ends very abruptly...so abruptly that the wife thinks one of the fighting neighbors was killed. At first, the husband STILL insists they mind their business...but after a while, he, too, is concerned...concerned enough to talk to the police.

The ending was mildly interesting...but otherwise the show was just okay...and the twist, though interesting, wasn't amazing either. Not a must-see episode...but one worth seeing.

Excellent story but has a couple of off points mixed in

[glitterrose · 10/10 · 10 July 2022]

I'll start with my thoughts on one of those points and then get to the meat of the episode.

Death smells. I remember one year an animal died up under the bathroom and the odor definitely wasn't pleasant. That's something up under the house, I can't imagine a body (especially something as large as a human) stinking up a place for very long before somebody notices a corpse around.

This episode centers on two couples. One couple (the Verbers) is quite dysfunctional and sadly children are involved. They're all the time getting into arguments, I'd say it was equal footing in terms of both of them smacking each other around.

The other couple are the Cranes. Mr. Crane runs the grocery store. Mr. Crane is a nice man but he also knows when to mind his own business. He realizes what he needs to do/not do when it concerns getting involved with anybody's business. He even cautions his wife about his attitude and loses his temper because Mrs. Crane is the opposite of Mr. Crane. She's all the time nosing about the Verbers business. I like how the episode plays out in some ways because you truly want to write Mrs. Crane off as just being a 'Gladys Kravitz' sort of character. She's got a nose problem and that's all there is to it. Nope, there's a lot more than that.

So much attention is being drawn that a cop comes around to investigate the whereabouts of Mr. Verber. Mr. Verber ends up being dead, killed by his wife. Mrs. Verber comes down the stairs and she confesses she was afraid of the cop. The cop wasn't going around telling who he was. He claimed to be a building inspector in order to search the premises. Mrs. Verber complains about her husband but then she pulls out a wild card over what Mr. Verber was about to do. He was about to leave her and go off with Mrs. Crane (!) The two ladies get into a cat fight as the camera pans over Mr. Crane looking like he's in a complete daze over the reveal that just happened.

This is an interesting episode but I question that twist ending. Would you really leave a steady and reliable husband to go off with somebody that's a womanizer and smacks his wife around? Really? I realize people might have their own tales to tell so perhaps I'm just being naive saying the above comment. Either way, it's still an excellent episode.

What Did She Say?

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 6 October 2008]

This is a pretty pedestrian crime drama. It's about the frantic wife who hears a lot of violence going on in the upstairs apartment. He husband tells her to mind her own business, but then he becomes involved himself. The key to the whole thing is finding how a body would be disposed of. To modern viewers, this is a bit far fetched; at the time it was done, it was probably more believable, especially to a male dominated society (more male that is). Anyway, I believe this eventually evolves into a story about a person who is delusional. The acting is pretty believable. The final moment is pregnant with possibilities but the question is, "Why would someone bring suspicion to herself?" Or am I missing something?

Guilty Witness

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 14 February 2023]

Stanley Crane (Joe Mantell) runs a grocery store. He is nice to everyone and knows everything that is going on.

Amelia Verber is a battered housewife, she always has bruises on her. Her husband Ben is a bit of a womaniser.

When the Verbers have their latest fight, Ben seems to have disappeared.

Stanley's wife, Dorothy was always worried what Ben might have been doing to Amelia. Now she is worried as to Ben's whereabouts. She even rings the police.

A detective arrives claiming to be the building inspector. It is a question of just how Amelia would have got rid off her husband's body.

This is not a story where the husband suddenly shows up alive. Ben is dead but Amelia holds someone close to home responsible. It seems poor Stanley did not know everything that was going on.

Apart from the late twist, this was very ordinary.

Some infeasibility.

[bizzfoho · 5 October 2011]

Seems like the guy's wife was playing around with the "ladies man" judging from her reaction at the end and even the grocer was confused. Guess she was the gal he was planning to take off with. Guess with his pattern of coming home for lunch and dinner from the store, the two were able to find time to "play" together. Guess that is why she knew when he was home or not and was concerned about the couple's violent home life.

On another note though, how was the abused wife able to lug the body out of the apt. to the basement without being seen ? Unless this was done in the wee hours when there was little acivity going on. Obviously the buggy was a plant for the payoff but then why did she tell Stan that it was a bother to have it upstairs and having to schlep it to the lower floor if the elevator worked. Surely, it could be left in the 2nd floor hall or in the apt ! All she needed to do was load the baby in and travel to the 1st floor by the lift and go outside for an outing. Now, having settled that.... the implication was that it was HOT in the city. Comments by characters, the fan Stan would turn on. If, in fact the guy had been dead for several days , would not the body REEEEEK down in the basement. That would have been the 1 st thing they would have noticed when the elevator door opened. Never mind going through all those dusty trunks !

Anyway, an interesting tour de force. I thought that if Stan's wife had not tipped off her involvement at the end then who would believe the paranoid rantings of a delusional killer ?

Suspicions of murder

[AvionPrince16 · 8/10 · 8 February 2023]

I need to say that i really enjoyed this episode and how the quiet building will be disturbed by the suspicions of a murder. Mrs Verber is suspected to have killed her husband. And the whole episode will shift between that girl is innocent and maybe she really kill her husband. I like also how subtle some elements are there ( baby buggy, the investigations of the wife of the main character) because the end will let us know the biggest twist of the episode: the woman of the main character was in fact the womam that Mr Verber want to run off with; i didnt see that coming to be honest. That was pretty smart and know we kno why she was so interested by the case and what really happened to Mr Verber. Thats a real shock for the main character and for us. Pretty brilliant. The case was really interesting and remind me a little of Rear Window. Nice episode.

My POV

[CherCee · 9/10 · 9 February 2024]

I believe that the woman who called Mr. Verber (remember when Mr. Crane answered the payphone in the hallway & Mrs. Verber talked to the caller?) is the one he was going to run off with. Mrs. Crane looked surprised, and I think she was surprised because she didn't know that Verber had *another* mistress. She thought that she was the only side piece that Verber had until Mrs. Verber confessed and dropped the bombshell. I really felt bad for Mr. Crane. He was an honest, hard-working man who loved his wife and was a good provider, but his wife didn't appreciate him. What a way for the poor guy to find out about his wife & the himbo neighbor.

Scratching My Head at Ending

[ccapeloto · 8/10 · 21 January 2024]

I won't recap the story. Enough people have already done that.

My question was at the ending. Was Mrs.

Verber telling the truth, or was she merely hurling accusations? It was not clear-cut to me, especially given that the woman was an emotional and mental mess. And Mrs. Krane's reaction was not a great tell, either. I was asking myself if I had the ending all wrong. It was one time when the "surprise" ending really was a surprise for me, but only because I didn't get it. My partner said it was clear to him, so maybe I am just being dense on this one. I kept saying, "Is it really what Mrs.

Verber is saying it is, or is she a drunken paranoid spouting off?"

I may have to watch again, which I rarely have to do with Hitchcock.

Guilty Witness

[bombersflyup · 2/10 · 15 February 2020]

Even though everything possible is done to avoid suspicion of the twist, it's always a possibility it's the wife, as previous episodes have been similar. Would say mind your own business, but the ending makes it their business. Altogether lackluster.