Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) Number Twenty-Two (1957) User Reviews

"What are you making a federal case out of a lousy stick up for?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 20 August 2021]

Alfred Hitchcock opens this story appearing in a police lineup; it's one of his more humorous introductions and works pretty well. Rip Torn portrays a cocky and arrogant first time criminal with herky-jerky movements and an idiot smile. You want to reach right into the screen and grab him by the neck for his callow arrogance. What's a little odd is that his cellmate Skinner (Russell Collins) is given almost as much prominence as Steve Morgan (Torn), who the main story is about. You get the impression that the world weary Skinner would have changed his life around if he had it to do all over again. Meanwhile Morgan revels in his dubious celebrity as a prisoner, and seems quite satisfied when the issue of a gun comes up with which he committed his candy shop robbery. You can see him drained of expression when the chief detective (Ray Teal) says it was a toy.

As likely an outcome as this story had, I didn't see it coming and for that reason it seemed quite edifying. In his closing remarks, Hitchcock took the same sober stance that he did with season one episode "Never Again", which portrayed the dangers of alcohol abuse. This time he expounded on the growing problem of juvenile delinquency and how little crimes often lead to much bigger ones as a threat to civilized society.

There must be something about that number '22' in the title. Here it described Steve Morgan's number in the police lineup. A few years later, Rod Serling offered a second season episode of "The Twilight Zone" with the title 'Twenty Two', which was about a premonition of a doomed airplane Flight 22. You think Hitchcock and Serling compared notes?

Not a Bad Acting Job

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 23 February 2010]

In a bit of far fetched storytelling, a man played by Rip Torn is brought to a lineup to tell about his role in a candy store robbery. He is cocky and loud and disdainful of the other prisoners. He mouths off to the police officers and to the man who interviews him. This use of the lineup is foreign to me. Did they really interrogate prisoners en masse. I suppose this was pre-Miranda. Anyway, he goes against the advice of a career criminal who warns him about his statements. He's more interested in impressing his buddies back at the pool hall to keep his mouth shut. As is usually the case, we have a conclusion that we can see coming a mile away. The lineup scene is, however, quite gripping and the acting is pretty good. It's a reasonably good episode.

What Do You Think?

[WaldoLydecker1 · 7/10 · 19 June 2018]

Although I've long been a fan of Rip Torn's and Russell Collins' acting, this isn't one of my favorite Hitchcock episodes. Torn makes you want to smack him almost right off the bat. It does stretch credulity to think Collins (looking much older than his character's 49) could physically best Torn in their shared cell. The reason for my review, however, is the character in the corner of the holding cell as they wait for the second line-up. Cocky Torn has asked one of his fellow cell mates what he is in for, and gets rebuffed with a "mind your own business." When he then goes to the aforementioned character in the corner and asks the same, Collins chides him with something to the effect, "Look at him! What do you think he's in for?" It struck me from the corner guy's demeanor, haircut and clothes, and from Collins' remark, that corner guy must be gay and arrested on some type of morals charge or public lewdness. After all, it was the 50s. Anybody else get that vibe?

Is That a Sneer or Do You Just Like Your Teeth

[dougdoepke · 26 June 2009]

He's a cocky, sneering young punk, the sort who needs some straightening out before someone gets seriously hurt. The trouble is he's already robbed a store, and now he's in jail acting like a swaggering celebrity. Worse, being in lineups gives him a stage to perform on. With that attitude and all the tough cons and hardened cops, something drastic is bound to happen. But what.

As the punk, Rip Torn turns in a bravura performance. He's got a great natural sneer, and the camera knows it. At this early career stage, the cartoonish name led people to think the young actor must be some kind of joke. But as this entry, plus some 50 years of stage and screen prove, he's really a very fine actor. 'Rip' may be just a nickname, but 'Torn' is in fact his real surname.

There's also a fine supporting cast of familiar faces from the day—Teal, Sanders, Picerni, Leeds, but especially Russell Collins. Usually, he plays broken-down old men. Here, however, he's convincing as all-get-out as a savvy old con who knows how to put the punk in his place. Notably, the story is from author Evan Hunter, fresh off his triumph with the similarly delinquent-themed Blackboard Jungle, (1955). Except for Torn's eye-catching performance, however, the episode is basically an average one.

Cockiness behind bars

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 15 June 2022]

Of all the regularly used directors for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', Robert Stevens was the most prolific. Do think also he was rather inconsistent, his best episodes are truly excellent and actually most of his work for the series is well worth watching but a small group of his worst episodes are among the worst of the series. Another reason for seeing "Number Twenty Two" was for Rip Torn in an atypical role, an actor who has always been held in high admiration by me.

"Number Twenty Two" is a pretty good episode. Not one of the best of Season 2 or of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', but also not one of the worst of Season 2 or of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. As far as the Stevens directed episodes go, it's neither one of his overall best or worst but towards the better end of his Season 2 outings. It is a good representation generally of Stevens, and is even more of a good representation of Torn even if one dislikes his character (for reasons that are understandable).

By all means, "Number Twenty Two" is not a perfect episode. It is far fetched at times and lacking in surprises or suspense.

Plus it ends on a very abrupt and anti climatic note that is also not surprising at all.

Having said all of that, there is a good deal to like about "Number Twenty Two". It is oddly gripping thanks to its interesting lead character. Yes the character is not likeable at all and is very cocky, which is for me not an endearing trait at all, but the character is also full of charisma and mystery. All of them are things Torn captures extremely well, it is a very different role for him and so far removed from his usual (not just at this point but of his whole career), but he plays the character to the hilt without overdoing. The rest of the cast also excel, especially the chameleon like work of Ray Teal. Russell Collins fares very well too and the character dynamics throughout are strong.

Really appreciated the change of pace to the episode and that it was executed mostly quite well, with the line up scene very memorable in a good way. It looks good, with some slick and atmospheric shots. Stevens does direct more than competently and as ever Hitchcock's bookending is deliciously dry in a way that only he could do. The audio is ominous when necessary and the theme tune for the overall series has lost none of its eeriness.

Concluding, pretty good change of pace story wise and for Torn but not great. 7/10.

How can you go wrong with Evan Hunter (Ed McBain) and Rip Torn?

[stillparker-1 · 10/10 · 14 October 2019]

The first time I saw Rip Torn's name, back in the 60's, I thought it was a joke. Not so. Both the nickname "Rip" and the surname were family names, and Rip Torn's talent as an actor was just as legitimate. Only about 25 when this was filmed, Torn plays an arrogant and smack worthy punk who is cruising for a bruising, The acting in this episode is uniformly excellent, with a special nod to Russell Collins and Ray Teal, a man who melts into his characters. Lineups were standard police procedure decades ago (there was even a series called The Lineup in the early 50's) , and Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain, of 87th Precinct fame) was a master of dialogue, so evident here in the denoument of the lineup. As noted elsewhere, Hitchcock refrained from his usual irony in his finishing remarks and played it seriously straight. Kudos.

Number 22

[Archbishop_Laud · 9/10 · 24 July 2013]

I think this is one of the better episodes of the series. It's a change of pace, more of a moral lesson than a tale of mystery and suspense (Hitch's closing is unusually serious). Rip Torn is unrecognizable to me as a cocky young hood who wishes to be more of a crook than he really is. He's ashamed that he used a toy gun in his crime, even though a real gun would have gotten him into more trouble. His older cell mate may have been like that once, but time has humbled him. Can he make the younger man understand?

I'm not sure if I comprehend the questioning of the suspects. Was this forum invented just for the story? If so, that's OK, as it adds drama. For all that, there's still a twist ending.

As many episodes as they had to produce, it's nice when the series tries to do something different, even nicer when they knock it out of the park.

Young Rip Torn

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 18 July 2019]

The thing I find interesting in this story, is that it doesn't focus only on Rip Torn; look for instance the questioning of the old man in the line up. What the use for the rest of this short story? Unusual. Besides, I don't think that using a toy gun is enough to make a man dying of a skull fracture.

More of a character study than a normal episode.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 21 February 2021]

Rip Torn plays Steve Morgan, a very cocky young punk who is caught by the police after a strong-arm robbery. Normally, you'd expect that he'd be scared or sad...but inexplicably he thinks going to jail is a kick....and he laughs and smiles because he is incredibly cocky.

In all or nearly all of the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" there is some strange twist and a witty epilogue by the famed director. Here, oddly, there is no real surprising twist and in the end, Hitchcock essentially says that the problem of juvenile isn't a laughing matter...and it ends. What this leaves you with is a feeling as if this really isn't "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" but a PSA about the evils of delinquency. And, while I respected Torn's acting, the overall story really missed the mark.