Some critics think that Season Five of Alfred Hitchcock Presents was the best season of them all. Hitchcock directed the first two episodes, “Arthur” and “The Crystal Trench.” I enjoyed all 38 episodes especially “The Specialty of the House” and Steve McQueen in “Man From the South.” I own all five seasons on DVD, but if you only want to buy one season, Season Five is the one you want! GRADE: A+
EPISODE LISTING
Episode 1: “Arthur”
Episode 2: “The Crystal Trench”
Episode 3: “Appointment at Eleven”
Episode 4: “Coyote Moon”
Episode 5: “No Pain”
Episode 6: “Anniversary Gift”
Episode 7: “Dry Run”
Episode 8: “The Blessington Method”
Episode 9: “Dead Weight”
Episode 10: “Special Delivery”
Episode 11: “Road Hog”
Episode 12: “Specialty of the House”
Episode 13: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
Episode 14: “Graduating Class”
Episode 15: “Man From the South”
Episode 16: “The Ikon of Elijah”
Episode 17: “The Cure”
Episode 18: “Backward, Turn Backward”
Episode 19: “Not the Running Type”
Episode 20: “The Day of the Bullet”
Episode 21: “Hitch Hike”
Episode 22: “Across the Threshold”
Episode 23: “Craig’s Will”
Episode 24: “Madame Mystery”
Episode 25: “The Little Man Who Was There”
Episode 26: “Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?”
Episode 27: “The Cuckoo Clock”
Episode 28: “Forty Detectives Later”
Episode 29: “The Hero”
Episode 30: “Insomnia”
Episode 31: “I Can Take Care of Myself”
Episode 32: “One Grave Too Many”
Episode 33: “Party Line”
Episode 34: “Cell 227”
Episode 35: “The Schartz-Metterklume Method”
Episode 36: “Letter of Credit”
Episode 37: “Escape to Sonoita”
Episode 38: “Hooked”
Nice that there are on TV now. Always fun to pick one up and try and remember it. I still want to look under my bed after watching them. What was the one where the murder weapon is a leg of lamb, which she cooks?
“Specialty of the House,” Patti. There are plenty of gems in this Season Five set!
It was Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Patti. Ambrose Bierce’s “Incident at Owl’s Creek Bridge” was another memorable one. Stanley Ellin’s “The Speciality of the House” is one of the most memorable mystery stories ever.
I can’t remember the name of the episode that scared e the most but it involved nurses in an isolated house.
Jeff may be right, Patti. I’ll have to go back and watch those episodes again.
The “Owl Creek Bridge” short film, of French Canadian origin as I recall, was purchased to run in THE TWILIGHT ZONE series… I wonder how the AHP version stacks up. Might the one you refer to, Jeff, be “A Home Away from Home”? Based on a Robert Bloch story (paging Jack Seabrook).
And, George, you really should put it, you have all five seasons on dvd so far, as the series ran longer than that…
You’re right, Todd. ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS was on seven seasons. I don’t know why it’s taking so long to bring the final two seasons to DVD. Season Six is out in Australia but not in the U.S.
Todd, I do believe you are right – thanks!
Lamb to the Slaughter.
Barbara Bel Geddes was the “loving wife” in the TV adaptation.
Thanks for the clarification, Jeff!
We’ve got to get back to watching these. They put it on Netflix streaming awhile back and we’ve watched quite a bit of the first season and are enjoying the heck out of them. Fun to see Hitchock’s sense of humor when he is onscreen doing his host duties.
Of course it’s subjective, but I think the Hitchcock introductions in Season Five are the bomb, Carl.
I think Jeff is right because I remember Specialty of the House. The menu at an exclusive club, right?
It is on a cable channel here but perhaps not everywhere. And I think my library has most of them.
I also like the one with the cigarette lighter-where he has to bet his finger it will light ten times. Scary. Was it Roddy McDowell?
No, that was Steve McQueen, Patti.
@Patti Abbott
I believe the lighter episode starred Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen. Or so Wikipedia says.
George, the internet also says that the show ran for ten seasons, from 1955 to 1965.
George, the show’s last three seasons had a different title. So disregard my last comment.
I think the last few seasons had little involvement by Hitchcock, Drongo.
Wow, 38 shows to a season. We’ll never see the like of that again, nor of this program with it’s combination of quality writing, acting and presentation. I only watched a few of these when it was on, my parents thought it was too scary for me, and they preferred comedy and variety shows. One TV and the parents ruled. I ought to see if the library has these DVDs.
I’m sure your Library will have all five seasons of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, Rick. You’re right about 38 episode seasons. Now, we’re lucky if we get more than a dozen episodes without a “mid-season” break.
I read Man from the South as a kid and it’s stuck with me ever since, even though that was some time ago. Didn’t realize that it was adapted as a Hitchcock episode.
Almost all the ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episodes are based on classic crime short stories, Bill. That’s just the way things were done back then.
Oh, thanks, Drongo.
According to imdb, “Man From the South” ran on January 3, 1960. The “Woman” role was played by McQueen’s first wife, Neile Adams.
it looks like our library system has the first four seasons so far.