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Reviews
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Run for Doom (1963)
John Gavin an intelligent doctor?
If I could point out what bugs me about this episode, it would be John Gavin's character. He is not thinking with his brain, obviously, but that seems odd given he is a doctor and had to go to school for so many years. Whenever anyone questions Nickie's character flaws, Dr. Reed's (Gavin) response is way too smarmy and smug. I wonder if Dr. Reed simply likes dating a floozy that he knows will never be a good wife. I wish his character had been more developed so we would know exactly why he wants to go out with someone of this caliber. That would make a better story.
It was also too far-fetched that Dr. Reed would get into a situation that he could be so easily blackmailed. Not merely unrealistic -- almost unbelievable.
Diana Dors' performance is very good in this episode but one wonders if she is simply playing herself.
The storyline seemed a bit too concocted and trite. Dr. Reed's father dying apparently being the catalyst for them getting back together? That was a bit of a stretch for any plot line. Giving Nickie full control over all of Dr. Reed's bank accounts seems unlikely, as well.
All in all, a weak episode for this series.
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Night of the Owl (1962)
The interminable and talented Brian Keith
Possibly my favorite episode of all of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour episodes, not because there were not flaws in the writing but because Brian Keith makes acting look so effortless. When you watch this episode, very carefully look at Brian Keith's facial expressions! Few actors have such expressive faces and in this role, I actually believed the nightmare Jim Mallory was experiencing was real! In my opinion, Brian Keith's acting ability was often underrated. Always the tough guy, Brian nevertheless could exude heart and soul in any role, whether dramatic or comedic, unlike many other actors of his era.
Philip Coolidge as "Locke" was also chilling. He was so suave at his extortion/blackmail, it seemed like perfect casting. His character was the very epitome of treachery.
My only complaint is some of Linda Mallory's lines. She is rather jealous of Anne and this makes her a bit of a wicked stepmother. However, the ending to this episode makes up for this weak writing. This is a keeper and certainly one of the best in this series!
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Completely Foolproof (1965)
OK if you can stand J.D. Cannon
This is one of Patricia Barry's best performances. She is evil, cunning, offensive and very good at her role. This episode is worth watching simply for her great performance. Particularly enjoyable are her scenes with Geoffrey Horne. Joyce Meadows also has a nice small role as the heartbroken, dumped girlfriend.
However, I question J.D. Cannon's acting ability. In his scenes with Patricia Barry, his sour face and scowls don't add to the character and after awhile they just became tedious. The storyline got a little too unbelievable. J.D. Cannon's character, if he were such a savvy and smart businessman, would have protected himself from Patricia Barry's wiles. The fact that he was a complete victim made the story too unbelievable. Also unbelievable was his ability to talk Geoffrey Horne's character into committing a murder.
Not one of the best in these hour-long episodes.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Outcast (1992)
Weak episode
This episode was way too predictable when we got to the ending. Really, the androgynous "woman" was brainwashed at the end? I did not really understand why the writers took this turn of events.
What I did not like was that the parallel regarding gays in 20th century society was not even addressed. It was swept under the rug or ignored, possibly because these writers thought it too controversial. It would have been a much better episode if sexuality had been dealt with in a more straightforward way. It's almost as if they wanted to do a show with this subject matter and were too frightened to actually follow through with what they started. You do not have to be a bleeding heart liberal to at least acknowledge different views on sexuality, but this was avoided, for some reason.
As for Ryker not being able to keep his pants on, I find other episodes, even within this Season 5, where other Enterprise crew members, both male and female, can't keep their pants on either. I am not sure this episode really stood out because of this. Ryker always "falls in love" too easily.
Skip this episode. It could have been a really interesting episode, but instead they decided to make a watered-down version about sexuality, which did not work.
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Good-Bye, George (1963)
One of the better episodes
This is one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock Hour episodes, for several reasons. First, Patricia Barry gives a very fine performance as a glamorous Hollywood beauty who deep down is helpless without Robert Culp. I think it is quite interesting at how ridiculously helpless she is, considering Patricia also plays an over-confident over-bearing woman in at least one other Hitchcock episode. Her performance is fascinating.
Second, George's lines are extremely interesting in this episode. I find that the screenplay for this episode is more interesting than other episodes. Stubby Kaye and Patricia Barry's scenes together are extremely witty and well-written, at least until the point of the accidental murder.
Finally, one reviewer here indicates that Robert Culp does not bring any "life" to this role. In my view, Robert Culp was never very good at showing emotion. His performances on TV shows always seem very wooden to me, so I don't think this episode is an unusual performance for him. Here, he has to be the strong, unfeeling character in order to be able to put up with Lana Layne.
Also, who can resist the great performance of the late Alice Pearce (otherwise known as the "first" Mrs. Kravitz on Bewitched)? Alice has never been in finer form than she is in this episode - shrewd but outspoken. A perfect casting choice for the Hollywood set.
I recommend this episode to anyone who is a fan of this TV show.
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: The Tender Poisoner (1962)
Very strange episode
I do not really understand this episode. Barney poisons the dog, whether it was meant for the dog or for his wife, but then he does not even care that the dog is suddenly deceased. This does not make any sense, as the dog had been with them for 15 years. If he didn't feel anything for the dog, then at the moment it was discovered that the dog was suddenly dead, his wife would question his lack of feeling. The fact that this did not happen was so completely unrealistic, I shake my head whenever I see that scene. Barney instead talks about death as if it were preferable to life, and Phil and his wife do not really think that is strange.
Also, why is Bettye Ackerman's character so flighty? She cannot even tell who she is in love with, or does she go around breaking up marriages regularly? I can't find any excuse for her character and that makes this episode seem rather phony.
All in all, not a very impressive episode, although Howard Duff is convincingly evil.
Crime of Passion (1956)
Baffling story, abysmal script
One of the worst Barbara Stanwyck movies I have ever seen, and I have seen quite a few of them, since I'm a big fan of hers. This movie made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.
First, the storyline is so uninteresting and mundane, by the time the main character gets around to committing the "crime of passion," all the reasons for committing it have gone up in smoke. It is too late to do the deed, but then it makes as much sense as the rest of the movie does.
Secondly, the movie was just plodding and uninteresting. I suppose there were 3 or 4 lines of social commentary that made sense but as a whole, this movie was so jumbled, I could not make sense of it as a viewer. I now wonder what the point of watching it was, since it did not have anything that caught my interest.
Even one of Barbara's less-than-wonderful movies, "The Moonlighter" made more sense than this mess.
Not one of Barbara's better movies and thus not recommended.
Always Goodbye (1938)
One of Stanwyck's finest performances
The emotion Barbara brought to this role was just stunning. I can feel everything she is feeling by her subtle yet brilliant facial expressions. This was one of her early films and it is apparent that by the late 1930s, she was already a master actor. No overacting is present in this unknown little gem.
Also, Herbert Marshall is delightfully British, as he usually is. Highly recommended for those who are interested in a very compelling drama. I am very surprised that this film is virtually unknown today, since the subject matter will be relevant no matter what time period we are in. Hopefully, now that this is available from some kind of "archive-type" studio DVD, it will become more well-known.
Hawaii Five-O: Not That Much Different (1969)
Dumb plot
I enjoyed McGarrett's lines when he is telling the kids about how he abhors violence but that there are animals in the world that the police have to protect themselves from. This episode seemed so dated because the kids didn't have enough sense to figure out that some violence is necessary in this world. They were supposed to be intellectuals but fell far short of this in their character development.
The huge plot hole in this episode, in my opinion, is that it is not made clear to the audience why the bad guy killed people. Was there no reason at all? That wasn't explained. Did he kill people just because he felt like it? I still have no idea what his motives or reasoning was. That made the end of the episode unsatisfying and just plain dumb. This was not one of the better episodes in the first season.