Whodunit

The entry doesn't come off despite some promising ingredients. The clever premise would make an engaging Twilight Zone, minus Hitch's whimsy, of course. Mystery writer Arlington (Williams) is murdered in bed, but heaven's admitting angel (Napier) gives him a few minutes reprieve to return to earth and find out who the culprit is. Trouble is there's no shortage of suspects, including the writer's wife (Blake). Seems our sleuth was not a very nice guy in real life. So which suspect is it.

Some Hitch favorites are in the cast, including Williams, Napier, and the sour-looking Coolidge. But I did expect Marshal Dillon to stride in and rescue Miss Kitty, oops, right era, wrong series. But it was unusual seeing Blake in a role outside of Dodge City. Frankly, I didn't think the rather listless payoff measured up to the opening. Plus, the suspects' portrayals are colorless, probably so that the culprit will be hard to detect. Anyhow, if heaven is anything like Hitch's version, I'm ready, especially if Ruta Lee is my angel escort.

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" tended to repeat guest stars quite often, and "Whodunit" represents the third time British actor John Williams appeared on the show in season 1 alone.

It begins in a cartoony version of Heaven and Alexander (Williams) comes gliding into the Wilfred's office (Alan Napier) on a cloud....and he's wearing silly little angel wings. Wilfred the Recorder talks over Alexander's life and informs him he was murdered. This annoys Alexander to no end, as the record doesn't show WHO murdered him...and since Alexander was a mystery writer, he feels he needs to know. Fortunately, Wilfred allows Alexander to relive his last year of life...to figure out who his murderer is.

Well, THAT was an experience! And, not a good one. The episode was just silly and dumb....and left me wondering who thought this would be a good idea for an episode!

Famed mystery and suspense writer Alexander Penn Arlington finds himself in heaven after the shocking revelation that he was murdered over his assumption that he had a heart attack. Arlington talks with his recording angel Wilfred and the two come to an agreement that he can return to earth to live out his last day to discover who murdered him and why?. The question however isn't why but who as Williams plays such a cocky stuck up a** that its hard to imagine he wasn't murdered long before, the revelation of the perpetrator is pretty weak, the only sorta saving grace is the fact that Williams himself admits in the end that he was an a** and doesn't understand how he made it to heaven in the first place, the response to that is sadly even more stupid. I was more interested when Amanda Blake showed up in a rare appearance outside of Gunsmoke then anything else. However, the opening scene of John Williams riding into heaven on a cloud dressed in full angel get up (i.e. wings & harp) maybe one of the funniest things ever.

Alfred Hitchcock liked a touch of humor in his stories, and sometimes a lot more than that. This is one example, a mystery writer who thinks he should have no trouble figuring out who murdered him given his last day to live over again. In the end he still needs help figuring it out, but also by then no longer really cares. Indeed, he now wonders how he ended up in Heaven -- only to learn that mystery writers always go there. God apparently has interesting tastes.

Alfred Hitchcock presents a whodunit with difference. Alexander Penn Arlington (John Williams) is a deceased mystery writer who meets the recording angel.

Arlington learns that he had been murdered but the angel could not tell him who was the culprit.

Arlington simply wants to know. He persuades the angel to relive his final day so he can figure out the murderer.

Only to find out that Arlington was a horrid man. There was simply a queue of people who would want to kill him.

I liked how Arlington was shown to be urbane and charming up there at the beginning. Back on Earth he was a nasty piece of work. He did well with a young wife but no wonder she looked elsewhere.

The episode leaves the whodunit as a grey area but Hitchcock confirms it later.