Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962)

Master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock presents several short stories. The stories are invariably surprising, often containing elements of horror, comedy, suspense, and the supernatural.

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host (268 episodes, 1955-1962)

Storyline

Master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock presents several short stories. The stories are invariably surprising, often containing elements of horror, comedy, suspense, and the supernatural.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | hosted television series | humor | looking at the camera | cult tv | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock presenta

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revue Studios, Shamley Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min 25 min (266 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most people who have seen this series remember Alfred Hitchcock's opening and closing narratives for the series. However, for each episode more than one opening and closing was filmed, as Hitchcock's famous jibes at the sponsors were unappreciated in the European markets. So for each episode, Hitchcock filmed two openings and two closings: one would be for American viewings (jokes about sponsors) and the second would be for European showings (jokes about Americans and not about sponsors). For most of the third season, Hitchcock even did the opening and closings in French and German, as he spoke both languages fluently.

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Quotes

[Hitchcock arrives for his introduction dressed in a safari outfit and pith helmet]
Himself - Host: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to darkest Hollywood. Night brings a stillness to the jungle. It is so quiet, you can hear a name drop. The savage beasts have already begun gathering at the water holes to quench their thirst. Now one should be especially alert. The vicious table-hopper is on the prowl, and the spotted back-biter may lurk behind a potted palm. To take me through this most savage of...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Four Rooms (1995)

User Reviews

Great Quality & Great Variety

For those who like classic television, it doesn't come any better than "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". Although he did not direct every episode by himself, his stamp is on every program. Almost every episode is of high quality, with clever and creative stories combined with writing and acting that ranges from good to outstanding. There is also terrific variety - you never know whether a given episode will be serious or light-hearted, whether there will be a happy ending or a tragic one. Each show keeps you guessing, and most have a twist at the end, many of them quite memorable. There are also a lot of big stars who appear in one or more episodes, as well as some young actors who would become stars, and the ones that don't have anyone famous generally have a pretty good set of character actors. If all that weren't enough, you have Hitchcock himself introducing each episode with some hilarious remarks - often making fun of TV commercials - and often in humorous settings that have a connection to the upcoming episode.

Episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" are well worth the trouble to find, whether you are fortunate enough to find broadcasts of them or whether you need to track down some videos of selected episodes.