Bizarre situation plagues (pun intended) visiting tourist, Diana Winthrope (Pat Hitchcock, daughter of Alfred in her first of ten episodes in the series) as she enters a luxurious Parisian hotel with a very ill mother, told by a doctor on staff to fetch something medicinal in a place in the city a bit distant from her current location, returning two hours later to find a clerk, porter, and maid who inexplicably have no recollection of her ever being there! "The Lady Vanishes" is used somewhat efficiently here, although the results of all the deceit and having poor Diana running around believing she's going mad, even though she is in full control of her faculties, is rather odd
a lot of trouble went into making sure the old lady's whereabouts and identity were erased when just telling Diana why they would need her moved perhaps could have been sufficient enough. With Basil Farnham (Geoffrey Toone) working for the embassy in the city, given permission by Sir Everett (Alan Napier, Batman (1966)) to help Diana establish whether or not her mother exists and to determine why the hotel would bother to cover up her vanishing, the episode follows this young woman's journey to discover what the hell is going on. Period sets and costumes give the film a nice decorum for the ongoing plot where we know and Diana knows that her mother exists and that all that was shown to us prior to going to get medicine for her ailing mother was real. Pat is okay, although she has this fluttering voice and "oh, golly gee" way about her that can be a bit annoying. Still to have that vulnerability and innocence helps build sympathy for her; she is just a sweetheart with no reason to be treated like a fool. The use of the bubonic plague ties a terrible tragedy to the episode and dates it within a certain time, adding to the period presented to us. Alfred Hitchcock has a little fun with the phrase "vanished into 'thin air'" while introducing the tale to us as the show's "humble host".
19 Reviews
Pat Hitchcock Does Rather Well!!!
kidboots26 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Alfred Hitchcock says in his opening that "Into Thin Air" was a much told story and even he had told it in "The Lady Vanishes" but for British cinema fans it is a re-working of a Jean Simmons period mystery "So Long at the Fair" (1950) condensed into 25 minutes. The story concerns a young lady who, along with her mother who is obviously ill, visits Paris for the 1889 Exposition, enroute to London from India. After hurrying out to buy medicine for her mother she returns to find not only her mother gone but everyone else denying she and her mother were ever at the hotel.
Being only 25 minutes there is no Dirk Bogarde (as in the Jean Simmons movie) who pops up to say "oh yes, I met your mother in the foyer". Poor Diana has to muddle through as best she can with only the help of an embassy official. In the Jean Simmons movie one of the big scenes is where she realises that the room she thought she remembered has been papered over and it turns up in "Into Thin Air" in a dramatic scene where Diana rips off the plain wallpaper to reveal the original rose pattern underneath!!
In a cute little aside Alfred Hitchcock says "I thought the little leading lady did rather well, didn't you"!!! She was Pat Hitchcock, his daughter and I thought she did very well. I always thought she was wonderful as the bespectacled sister from "Strangers on a Train", the only one who instantly realised there was something very odd about Guy's flamboyant friend Bruno and who in turn because of her spectacles brings out all of Bruno's insane feelings because she reminded him of his first victim.
Being only 25 minutes there is no Dirk Bogarde (as in the Jean Simmons movie) who pops up to say "oh yes, I met your mother in the foyer". Poor Diana has to muddle through as best she can with only the help of an embassy official. In the Jean Simmons movie one of the big scenes is where she realises that the room she thought she remembered has been papered over and it turns up in "Into Thin Air" in a dramatic scene where Diana rips off the plain wallpaper to reveal the original rose pattern underneath!!
In a cute little aside Alfred Hitchcock says "I thought the little leading lady did rather well, didn't you"!!! She was Pat Hitchcock, his daughter and I thought she did very well. I always thought she was wonderful as the bespectacled sister from "Strangers on a Train", the only one who instantly realised there was something very odd about Guy's flamboyant friend Bruno and who in turn because of her spectacles brings out all of Bruno's insane feelings because she reminded him of his first victim.
A decent remake of "The Lady Vanishes".
b_kite26 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Episode 5 starts when Diana Winthrop (Pat Hitchcock) arrives at a fancy Paris hotel with her mother Mrs. Winthrop (Mary Forbes), after settling in, it becomes evident that she is sick and a call from the doctor, sends Diana out to get medicine. However, when she returns she discover no one remembers her or her mother nor believes her when she tries to convince them, she gets help from a investigator and soon the truth is revealed...
While the episode is a decent remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) even Hitchcock references this in the opening narrative, it has its issues as described by fellow reviewer "Hitchcoc" the two being it all seems just like a lot to go throw when they could have just let the daughter in on the whole thing from the start, and could have kept the whole wild chase from happening, the other being its hard to believe the whole incident could have been covered up in two hours as the episode suggests, its also rather shocking that the hotel wouldn't have known that the girl and detective would have contacted her train or way of passage there to confirm that they did indeed get there, its all rather unbelievable! Pat Hitchcock does decent here I always thought she was a decent actress tho her career never really took off! All in all a decent episode with some issues, but, still decent!
While the episode is a decent remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) even Hitchcock references this in the opening narrative, it has its issues as described by fellow reviewer "Hitchcoc" the two being it all seems just like a lot to go throw when they could have just let the daughter in on the whole thing from the start, and could have kept the whole wild chase from happening, the other being its hard to believe the whole incident could have been covered up in two hours as the episode suggests, its also rather shocking that the hotel wouldn't have known that the girl and detective would have contacted her train or way of passage there to confirm that they did indeed get there, its all rather unbelievable! Pat Hitchcock does decent here I always thought she was a decent actress tho her career never really took off! All in all a decent episode with some issues, but, still decent!
Solid Version of the Story Idea, & A Nice Opportunity For Pat Hitchcock
Snow Leopard13 February 2006
This is both a solid version of the story idea here titled "Into Thin Air", and a nice opportunity for Pat Hitchcock to take a starring role that, for the most part, also plays to her strengths. The story is an interesting one, and has been used from time to time in various forms, with Alfred Hitchcock himself having used a variant of the basic idea in "The Lady Vanishes". Here, it fits the half-hour anthology format pretty well, using the running time to draw out the mystery just long enough, without building up undue expectations for the resolution.
Pat Hitchcock plays a young woman traveling in Paris with her mother, and experiencing a series of disorienting and frightening events when her mother becomes ill and then disappears. Everyone around her insists on denying facts that she knows to be true, and indeed they always have convincing ways of proving her wrong. If you look at the story from a coldly clinical perspective, there are perhaps a couple of holes in it, and the resolution is perhaps not completely satisfying, but while it lasts, it succeeds quite well in establishing a convincing atmosphere of baffled fear.
In his closing appearance, Alfred Hitchcock plays the proud father, at least to the degree that his dry nature allows him to. Pat Hitchcock was never going to be a star, but she obviously shared her parents' enthusiasm for making good movies, and she always gave solid, believable, sympathetic performances in the various character roles in which she appeared. For Hitchcock fans, it's very nice to see her get this chance to take the spotlight herself for a little while.
Pat Hitchcock plays a young woman traveling in Paris with her mother, and experiencing a series of disorienting and frightening events when her mother becomes ill and then disappears. Everyone around her insists on denying facts that she knows to be true, and indeed they always have convincing ways of proving her wrong. If you look at the story from a coldly clinical perspective, there are perhaps a couple of holes in it, and the resolution is perhaps not completely satisfying, but while it lasts, it succeeds quite well in establishing a convincing atmosphere of baffled fear.
In his closing appearance, Alfred Hitchcock plays the proud father, at least to the degree that his dry nature allows him to. Pat Hitchcock was never going to be a star, but she obviously shared her parents' enthusiasm for making good movies, and she always gave solid, believable, sympathetic performances in the various character roles in which she appeared. For Hitchcock fans, it's very nice to see her get this chance to take the spotlight herself for a little while.
the short story of lady vanishes
AvionPrince169 January 2022
The story is pretty intriguing and remind me of Lady Vanishes in some way and i still enjoyed the episode. We are wondering what happened and where is the mother? We just want the explanation and now we just wait for answers for all our questions. A very good investigations story that is pleasant to follow.
"What have you done with my mother?"
classicsoncall10 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Here's a nice little mystery with a theme Alfred Hitchcock used much earlier in his career when he directed 1938's "The Lady Vanishes". While I was entertained by that film, I do question the rave reviews it has garnered which I mention in my own comments for that picture here on IMDb. You can find similarities in this story as well to the various versions of "Gaslight", although here, no one was trying to make Diana Winthrop (Patricia Hitchcock) think she was crazy, even though the thought will cross one's mind if you hadn't been privy to the opening segment of the story. Considering what would turn out to be a legitimate reason for all the secrecy of why the elder Winthrop woman (Mary Forbes) was vacated from the hotel, it seemed rather extravagant to me that the hotel would decide to renovate the entire room, along with altering the guest register. I always marvel at that one in other films as well, as how could that be done without leaving some kind of trace? With all that, I kind of knew where this story was going just before it's resolution was offered near the end. In world history, the bubonic plague that was cited as the cause of Mrs. Winthrop's death was the third and it fit the era involved in the teleplay. Still, it might have made more sense for the authorities to level with Diana Winthrop right from the start, but then, I guess you wouldn't have had the mystery.
"I'm not going out of my mind"
ackstasis31 January 2009
No, you're not the only person who noticed similarities between "Into Thin Air" (Season 1, Episode 5) and Hitchcock's own 'The Lady Vanishes (1938).' Indeed, Hitch himself openly acknowledges the mutual source for both works, humbly referring to the director of the latter in the third person. This episode, directed by Don Medford, is certainly inferior to its cinematic counterpart, but it effectively creates a sense of paranoid mystery from a familiar story. Daughter Patricia Hitchcock, who had previously appeared in small roles in 'Stage Fright (1950)' and 'Strangers on a Train (1951),' is given the lead role she does a fair job, but certainly wasn't the next Ingrid Bergman or Grace Kelly. Pat Hitchcock has a slightly-whiny voice that she shows off when asked to sound panicked, the sort of hysterical performance that wasn't uncommon among actresses in the 1940s. Her father, of course, seems rather proud of the effort, and mischievously remarks "incidentally, I thought the little leading lady was rather good, didn't you?"
When Diana Winthrop (Hitchcock) books herself and her sick mother (Mary Forbes) into a Paris hotel, she doesn't give a second thought to her own mental health. However, after being sent away to collect some medicine for her mother, Diana returns to find that her mother is missing, and, worse still, nobody in the hotel claims to remember her. Beginning to doubt her sanity, she seeks help from the British embassy, but they have a hard time taking her word over that of half a dozen hotel employees and a sign-in register from which the name Winthrop has disappeared. The story fits snugly into the half-hour time-slot, though the conclusion is not as satisfying as it might have been. "Into Thin Air,' just like 'The Lady Vanishes,' toys with the intriguing question of how one can maintain confidence in their own sanity if everybody is scheming against them. After all, as Orwell put it, perhaps a lunatic is simply a minority of one.
When Diana Winthrop (Hitchcock) books herself and her sick mother (Mary Forbes) into a Paris hotel, she doesn't give a second thought to her own mental health. However, after being sent away to collect some medicine for her mother, Diana returns to find that her mother is missing, and, worse still, nobody in the hotel claims to remember her. Beginning to doubt her sanity, she seeks help from the British embassy, but they have a hard time taking her word over that of half a dozen hotel employees and a sign-in register from which the name Winthrop has disappeared. The story fits snugly into the half-hour time-slot, though the conclusion is not as satisfying as it might have been. "Into Thin Air,' just like 'The Lady Vanishes,' toys with the intriguing question of how one can maintain confidence in their own sanity if everybody is scheming against them. After all, as Orwell put it, perhaps a lunatic is simply a minority of one.
COME TO PARIS... AND DISAPPEAR?
tcchelsey5 February 2024
This is an excellent re-working of SO LONG AT THE FAIR (1950), starring Jean Simmons, whose brother vanishes at a fashionable hotel. A classic mystery that dates back well over 100 years.
Series writer Marian Cockrell dusted it off a bit, and instead of a missing brother, now it's a missing mother, Mrs. Winthrop (played by Mary Forbes), whose frantic daughter, Diana (Patricia Hitchcock) can't find her. The people managing the hotel paint her into a corner, making it appear she's just plain nuts!
This may be Pat Hitchcock's finest appearance on her father's show, and you really feel sorry for her. She is absolutely convincing. I think her best work ever was in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, a few years earlier.
Unless you have seen the movie or read the age-old story, you will never guess the outcome. That's the best part, and what Hitch assurredly wanted. A supreme cast backs this up with Alan Napier (BATMAN) playing Sir Everett, also British actor Geoffrey Toone, who would soon appear in THE KING AND I. Mary Forbes was popular in several classic films, such as the PICTURE OF DORAN GRAY and JANE EYRE, usually playing distinguished elder women. I'm sure Hitch was one of her fans.
If you are a movie buff among buffs, this story was also redone in 1933 as MIDNIGHT WARNING, starring Claudia Dell. The writers put a macabre slant on it, but nevertheless fascinating to watch play out. This film is also out on dvd for collectors.
One of the best early episodes. SEASON 1 EPISODE 6 remastered Universal dvd box set. 2005. 4 disc set.
Series writer Marian Cockrell dusted it off a bit, and instead of a missing brother, now it's a missing mother, Mrs. Winthrop (played by Mary Forbes), whose frantic daughter, Diana (Patricia Hitchcock) can't find her. The people managing the hotel paint her into a corner, making it appear she's just plain nuts!
This may be Pat Hitchcock's finest appearance on her father's show, and you really feel sorry for her. She is absolutely convincing. I think her best work ever was in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, a few years earlier.
Unless you have seen the movie or read the age-old story, you will never guess the outcome. That's the best part, and what Hitch assurredly wanted. A supreme cast backs this up with Alan Napier (BATMAN) playing Sir Everett, also British actor Geoffrey Toone, who would soon appear in THE KING AND I. Mary Forbes was popular in several classic films, such as the PICTURE OF DORAN GRAY and JANE EYRE, usually playing distinguished elder women. I'm sure Hitch was one of her fans.
If you are a movie buff among buffs, this story was also redone in 1933 as MIDNIGHT WARNING, starring Claudia Dell. The writers put a macabre slant on it, but nevertheless fascinating to watch play out. This film is also out on dvd for collectors.
One of the best early episodes. SEASON 1 EPISODE 6 remastered Universal dvd box set. 2005. 4 disc set.
A Brief Treatment Of A Well-known Story
atlasmb18 October 2018
A variation on a common theme, this episode from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" attempts to provide another take in a half-hour format. Unfortunately, it falls short.
Hitchcock's daughter, Pat, plays the primary character, Diana Winthrop-a young lady traveling with her mother. Their stop at a Parisian hotel turns into a mystery. Or does the young woman suffer from a mental malady? Pat Hitchcock is convincing as the distraught daughter who may be the victim of gaslighting, but the half-hour formula can be blamed for an abrupt ending that offers no surprise, merely resolution.
Hitchcock's daughter, Pat, plays the primary character, Diana Winthrop-a young lady traveling with her mother. Their stop at a Parisian hotel turns into a mystery. Or does the young woman suffer from a mental malady? Pat Hitchcock is convincing as the distraught daughter who may be the victim of gaslighting, but the half-hour formula can be blamed for an abrupt ending that offers no surprise, merely resolution.
Pat Hitchcock was a Pretty Decent Actress
Hitchcoc3 October 2008
A young woman and her mother arrive in Paris. They check into a hotel. The mother is quite ill and the doctor sends the young woman off to get some medicine. It's all a ruse. When she returns, her mother has disappeared. She begins her personal investigation into the missing mother's whereabouts. One must suspend belief when one considers why this whole persiflage takes place. When we finally find out what happened it makes no sense why these people couldn't have kept the daughter in the loop. She was certainly a cool head, rather staid, and wouldn't have presented a security risk. For a government to have gone to so much effort to cover something up is beyond belief. Also, to have done what they did in a couple hours is also ridiculous. Can you imagine how hard it would be to set all this up, including the remodeling of the hotel room? It's an interesting episode, but it's not the Twilight Zone, so things should have some verisimilitude.
Only five episodes into the series...and this episode turns out to be a remake!
planktonrules15 February 2021
When I watched "Into Thin Air", I felt annoyed. First, a similar sort of plot was used in "The Midnight Warning" back in 1932 and "The Lady Vanishes" (a Hitchcock movie) in 1938. But, as I watched, I noticed that "Into Thin Air" wasn't just a reworking of these old films but an actual remake of the 1950 movie "So Long at the Fair"! This is weird...why only five episodes into "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" would they forego making an original story and just did a retread of a 1950 film! I felt rather annoyed by this....though you might not if you haven't seen these movie.
Two British women arrive in Paris from India in order to see and experience the 1889 World's Exposition....the same international expo that debuted the Eiffel Tower. Soon after checking in to the hotel, the mother begins feeling sick. A doctor arrives and sends the daughter to get medicine. When she returns with the medicine, the hotel employees behave a if they've never seen her and they say that a her mother NEVER was in the hotel. And, the more the woman digs, the more it appears that either the daughter is insane OR there's some conspiracy afoot. What's really going on here?
As I mentioned above, this is based on a good story...it's just that if you've seen the movie, then none of this will be worth seeing. If you haven't, by all means see it...it's very interesting and the basic story is quite sound. So, a 4 if you've seen the film and an 8 if you haven't. I'll just split the difference and give this one a 6 overall.
By the way, I also really love Alfred Hitchcock's comment at the end...considering the leading lady in the episode is his daughter, Patricia.
Two British women arrive in Paris from India in order to see and experience the 1889 World's Exposition....the same international expo that debuted the Eiffel Tower. Soon after checking in to the hotel, the mother begins feeling sick. A doctor arrives and sends the daughter to get medicine. When she returns with the medicine, the hotel employees behave a if they've never seen her and they say that a her mother NEVER was in the hotel. And, the more the woman digs, the more it appears that either the daughter is insane OR there's some conspiracy afoot. What's really going on here?
As I mentioned above, this is based on a good story...it's just that if you've seen the movie, then none of this will be worth seeing. If you haven't, by all means see it...it's very interesting and the basic story is quite sound. So, a 4 if you've seen the film and an 8 if you haven't. I'll just split the difference and give this one a 6 overall.
By the way, I also really love Alfred Hitchcock's comment at the end...considering the leading lady in the episode is his daughter, Patricia.
All sizzle, no steak.
and_shove_it_up_your_butt10 November 2019
Into Thin Air
Prismark1018 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Alfred Hitchcock mentions in his introduction that so many people vanish into thin air.
This episode was in itself a variant of Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.
Diana Winthrop (Pat Hitchcock) and her mother Mrs Herbert Winthrop (Mary Forbes) check into a Paris hotel during the exhibition when the city is busy.
They have arrived from India and decided to stopover in Paris for the Exhibition. Unfortunately Mrs Winthrop falls ill and the doctor arrives.
He is worried and sends Diana for some medicine urgently that the his wife can dispense.
By the time Diana gets back, Her mother has disappeared. The hotel has no knowledge of the Winthrop's. Worried she goes to the British Embassy for help.
Diana thinks she is either confused, going mad or there is a conspiracy at play.
An effective episode that fits well in the half hour format. Pat Hitchcock is a good actress. I guess the denouement would be a disappointment for some.
Diana's mother died of the plague she presumably got in India. The doctor did not want the daughter to suffer the sudden loss of her mother.
Then again making the body disappear and issuing denials would not make her feel any better.
This episode was in itself a variant of Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.
Diana Winthrop (Pat Hitchcock) and her mother Mrs Herbert Winthrop (Mary Forbes) check into a Paris hotel during the exhibition when the city is busy.
They have arrived from India and decided to stopover in Paris for the Exhibition. Unfortunately Mrs Winthrop falls ill and the doctor arrives.
He is worried and sends Diana for some medicine urgently that the his wife can dispense.
By the time Diana gets back, Her mother has disappeared. The hotel has no knowledge of the Winthrop's. Worried she goes to the British Embassy for help.
Diana thinks she is either confused, going mad or there is a conspiracy at play.
An effective episode that fits well in the half hour format. Pat Hitchcock is a good actress. I guess the denouement would be a disappointment for some.
Diana's mother died of the plague she presumably got in India. The doctor did not want the daughter to suffer the sudden loss of her mother.
Then again making the body disappear and issuing denials would not make her feel any better.
Edwardian joke
Cristi_Ciopron6 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Well, this is a very Hitchcockian treat, bravo! Hitchcock sums it exquisitely and dryly on his intro; this pretty Edwardian (--and set in Paris--) episode retakes the theme of the vanishing character—a mother disappears in a Parisian hotel while her daughter goes for a prescription and then none will tell this young woman where the mother is.
The sketch begins with two traveling ladies who come from India, head to Britain and take a few days in Paris. Which French metropolis is on the brim of the Exposition. There, you see. Daddy Hitchcock sometimes used to revisit some favorite theme or subjects, remaking them as TV episodes; a shrewd oldster, if you ask me. The THIN AIR episode is a joke, a short joke. His TV series also features several costume episodes; this is one of them.
The sketch begins with two traveling ladies who come from India, head to Britain and take a few days in Paris. Which French metropolis is on the brim of the Exposition. There, you see. Daddy Hitchcock sometimes used to revisit some favorite theme or subjects, remaking them as TV episodes; a shrewd oldster, if you ask me. The THIN AIR episode is a joke, a short joke. His TV series also features several costume episodes; this is one of them.
Into thin air
coltras3510 May 2022
When a young woman leaves her ill mother in a Paris hotel room and comes back later, she finds her mother is missing, and all the hotel's employees deny she and her mother were booked in.
Patricia Hitchcock is quite endearing as a daughter who finds her mother missing. You can feel her desperation. The story is a reworking of 'So long at the Fair' and the Lady Vanishes. It's quite impressive how the plot and good characterisation can be efficiently condensed into 25 mins. It's a watchable thriller with a satisfying twist.
Patricia Hitchcock is quite endearing as a daughter who finds her mother missing. You can feel her desperation. The story is a reworking of 'So long at the Fair' and the Lady Vanishes. It's quite impressive how the plot and good characterisation can be efficiently condensed into 25 mins. It's a watchable thriller with a satisfying twist.
The lady vanishes
TheLittleSongbird26 January 2022
'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' was a bit of a mixed bag up to this early stages. The first two episodes to me were great, but the next two were disappointing. The biggest interest point of "Into Thin Air" is that it stars Hitchcock's own daughter Patricia in the first of ten appearances in the series in the lead role. The story, while not novel which is acknowledged by Hitchcock himself in the bookending, was a very good idea and very Hitchcockian, even though not directed by Hitchcock.
"Into Thin Air" is neither one of the best or worst episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', certainly better than the rating here implies (somehow managing to be rated worse than the previous episode "Don't Come Back Alive"). More of somewhere in the middle, that does a good deal right but it could have been fresher and runs out of gas at the end (which is a shame). Very neat set up, with a clear 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'So Long at the Fair' influence, with generally solid albeit not amazing execution.
Many things in "Into Thin Air" are good. The production values are solid, some stylish shots and a nice atmosphere created. The music is suitably ominous without being over-emphasised, and cannot get enough of the theme tune for reasons that have been pointed out in my reviews for the previous 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes. The intro is wonderfully dry and acerbic and Don Medford directs in a way that is not static or routine, even if he is not in complete control in the latter stages.
Enough of the script intrigues and there is some nice suspense. Patricia Hitchcock does a good sympathetic job in the lead roles, one of her better performances of the series. The rest of the cast support her well. Alan Napier was always great value, always liked him in 'Batman' for instance.
However, "Into Thin Air" is another episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' that tries to cram in too much in too short a duration. It feels very rushed, sprawling in structure and needed a much longer length, this is a story that would have leant itself much better as feature length. The suspense also could have been more consistent, it's there but just not enough.
Really do agree that a lot of suspension of disbelief is needed, though it is not as much as "Don't Come Back Alive" and even more so that the very abrupt and anti-climactic ending is a let down. Giving the sense that the writers didn't know how to end it so tacked one on.
Concluding, acceptable if not great. 6/10.
"Into Thin Air" is neither one of the best or worst episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', certainly better than the rating here implies (somehow managing to be rated worse than the previous episode "Don't Come Back Alive"). More of somewhere in the middle, that does a good deal right but it could have been fresher and runs out of gas at the end (which is a shame). Very neat set up, with a clear 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'So Long at the Fair' influence, with generally solid albeit not amazing execution.
Many things in "Into Thin Air" are good. The production values are solid, some stylish shots and a nice atmosphere created. The music is suitably ominous without being over-emphasised, and cannot get enough of the theme tune for reasons that have been pointed out in my reviews for the previous 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes. The intro is wonderfully dry and acerbic and Don Medford directs in a way that is not static or routine, even if he is not in complete control in the latter stages.
Enough of the script intrigues and there is some nice suspense. Patricia Hitchcock does a good sympathetic job in the lead roles, one of her better performances of the series. The rest of the cast support her well. Alan Napier was always great value, always liked him in 'Batman' for instance.
However, "Into Thin Air" is another episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' that tries to cram in too much in too short a duration. It feels very rushed, sprawling in structure and needed a much longer length, this is a story that would have leant itself much better as feature length. The suspense also could have been more consistent, it's there but just not enough.
Really do agree that a lot of suspension of disbelief is needed, though it is not as much as "Don't Come Back Alive" and even more so that the very abrupt and anti-climactic ending is a let down. Giving the sense that the writers didn't know how to end it so tacked one on.
Concluding, acceptable if not great. 6/10.
Ms (Patricia) Hitchcock's incredibly irritating
UNOhwen27 January 2022
I really dislike stupid, i.e. Wilful spots behaviour.
This story - as me Hitchcock says himself - is a classic, and had been oft-told I'm film (including[[=nm0000033]]'s own, [[=tt0030341]), literature, etc. It's the story of two people, one of whom (I'll refer to this person as 'b', and the stories' protagonist, as 'a') mysteriously disappears, and everyone insists that 'a'arrived alone with no other companion.
The protagonist in this story is played but Mr Hitchcock's own daughter, [[=nm0386877]], who I've seen in other stories, and elsewhere, but here....as I first said, I hate stupid, and the more (these are the 30-minute series) I watched of her, the more angered I got.
I didn't sympathise, with her OMG; her poor, elderly mum!') - nothing.
My reason; from the get-go, when Ms Hitchcock's character arrives with her mother in Paris, the mother complains of exhaustion, and Ms Hitchcock's 'daughter' gives little, if any semblance of acting realisticly, as a concerned person would. The more procrastinating being done - first to simply check in to the hotel and get the room, Mr Hitchcock's character is constantly smiling, and saying and doing things which seem ludicrous - and only serve to slow down getting what her mum needs (she just wanted a bed too lie down on)
If anyone (in reality) were with someone - a close relative - especially someone considerably older - who complained of illness and also appeared to have something wrong with them, I think most people would stop whatever it is they'd been doing, and focus on getting this older person immediate care.
Moreover, as the situation gets more ominous,I doubt anyone would be in a happy mood, and definitely not smiling incessantly, as the possiblity of something bad had happened to your older missing loved one grew.
I understand she's Mr Hitchcock's daughter - and as I've said, I've seen her perform elsewhere much better, but I can't believe when they (this episode's writers, actors, and tech crew) initially sat around, doing a read-through of the script, no one said, 'Pat; this isn't a happy story. You might be happy very early on, over this trip, but, as things get progressively more ominous, both your facial expression and your voice should convey that'.
Apparently, no one said anything to the 'boss' daughter', which is wrong.
If you really want to see Mr Hitchcock's take on this story, watch [[=tt0030341], and pass this by.
This story - as me Hitchcock says himself - is a classic, and had been oft-told I'm film (including[[=nm0000033]]'s own, [[=tt0030341]), literature, etc. It's the story of two people, one of whom (I'll refer to this person as 'b', and the stories' protagonist, as 'a') mysteriously disappears, and everyone insists that 'a'arrived alone with no other companion.
The protagonist in this story is played but Mr Hitchcock's own daughter, [[=nm0386877]], who I've seen in other stories, and elsewhere, but here....as I first said, I hate stupid, and the more (these are the 30-minute series) I watched of her, the more angered I got.
I didn't sympathise, with her OMG; her poor, elderly mum!') - nothing.
My reason; from the get-go, when Ms Hitchcock's character arrives with her mother in Paris, the mother complains of exhaustion, and Ms Hitchcock's 'daughter' gives little, if any semblance of acting realisticly, as a concerned person would. The more procrastinating being done - first to simply check in to the hotel and get the room, Mr Hitchcock's character is constantly smiling, and saying and doing things which seem ludicrous - and only serve to slow down getting what her mum needs (she just wanted a bed too lie down on)
If anyone (in reality) were with someone - a close relative - especially someone considerably older - who complained of illness and also appeared to have something wrong with them, I think most people would stop whatever it is they'd been doing, and focus on getting this older person immediate care.
Moreover, as the situation gets more ominous,I doubt anyone would be in a happy mood, and definitely not smiling incessantly, as the possiblity of something bad had happened to your older missing loved one grew.
I understand she's Mr Hitchcock's daughter - and as I've said, I've seen her perform elsewhere much better, but I can't believe when they (this episode's writers, actors, and tech crew) initially sat around, doing a read-through of the script, no one said, 'Pat; this isn't a happy story. You might be happy very early on, over this trip, but, as things get progressively more ominous, both your facial expression and your voice should convey that'.
Apparently, no one said anything to the 'boss' daughter', which is wrong.
If you really want to see Mr Hitchcock's take on this story, watch [[=tt0030341], and pass this by.
Hitchcock nepotism
gclarkbloom5 May 2022
...the entire premise of this episode is beyonf farcical... it is preposterous...
...obviously Hitchcock was dpreading himself a bit too thin...and recycled the plot of an earlier film...
...and the casting of Hitchcock's dsyghter may have saved on production costs...but her performance is shrill and, after a few minutes of her near hysteria...simply annoying...
...as always, giving someone a role simply because they are related to the producer/director rarely turns out well...snd this sad, insipid production is a classic example...
...obviously Hitchcock was dpreading himself a bit too thin...and recycled the plot of an earlier film...
...and the casting of Hitchcock's dsyghter may have saved on production costs...but her performance is shrill and, after a few minutes of her near hysteria...simply annoying...
...as always, giving someone a role simply because they are related to the producer/director rarely turns out well...snd this sad, insipid production is a classic example...
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