Inventor Ralph Cowell murders his silent partner, Alfred Sloane, only to be blackmailed by vagrant Peter Goodfellow who witnessed the crime.Inventor Ralph Cowell murders his silent partner, Alfred Sloane, only to be blackmailed by vagrant Peter Goodfellow who witnessed the crime.Inventor Ralph Cowell murders his silent partner, Alfred Sloane, only to be blackmailed by vagrant Peter Goodfellow who witnessed the crime.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe two crooks are played by Johnny Silver, born John Silver, whose height was 4'11.5" (rather short) and by Robert Newton, whose best-known role was that of the pirate Long John Silver in Treasure Island (1950).
- Quotes
[first lines]
Himself - Host: [Alfred Hitchcock appears in coattails and top hat. He removes the hat, places it upturned on a table, and proceeds to remove cutlery including a knife, a tea cup and saucer, and a pair of salt and pepper shakers from it] Oh, good evening. I hope you don't mind but I have to eat on the job tonight. We're terribly rushed. But no matter how busy, I think the least one can do is to dress properly. Tonight's supper show is called "The Derelicts." And there isn't much to tell you about it. Naturally, we shall, uh, populate our stage with a few delinquents. Ah... Rabbit. I could have pulled that out of the hat.
- SoundtracksFuneral March of a Marionette
Written by Charles Gounod
"The Derelicts" is definitely one of the episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' that is worth watching and one of the Stevenson directed episodes that is worthwhile. It is far from one of the best episodes of Season 1 or of the series, one of Stevenson's best episodes or one of the series' classics. It is a long way from being one of the worst 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' entries though, and is a big improvement over the disappointing previous episode.
It is far from a flawless episode. The story could have done with more tension, especially in the final third, and some of it is not easy to follow. Will agree too that the climactic moments are on the flat side, with the tension and energy not being there enough, and seemed rushed too.
Phillip Reed also came over as bland in a role that doesn't have enough juice.
Newton's character though has plenty of juice and Newton absolutely steals the show. He has a genuine menace about him while also being larger than life, doing so without unbalancing the episode too much. He is the aspect that one most remembers but the rest of the cast are very good. Only Reed is wanting. Stevenson directs solidly generally. It is slickly and atmospherically filmed, while the main theme is beautifully macabre. Hitchcock's bookending is entertainingly droll.
Writing-wise, "The Derelicts" is colourful and amusing while also having bite. While the story is a long way from flawless in execution, it is not dull, doesn't feel over-stuffed or crammed, not simplistic or over-complicated and there is some nice atmosphere in the middle.
A lot is good here, just that it did feel like something was missing. 7/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 2, 2022
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1