Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans (19 Apr. 1963)

A beautiful 17 year old British girl is inadvertently driven to Mexico by a dangerous car thief who is unaware she is sleeping in the back seat.

Director:

Alan Crosland Jr.

Writers:

Amber Dean (novel), Lou Rambeau (teleplay)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Wilding, Anna Lee

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Michael Wilding	...	David Saunders
Anna Lee	...	Roberta Saunders
Katherine Crawford	...	Loren Saunders
Randy Boone	...	Pete Tanner
James Anderson	...	Vince Cates
Jesse Jacobs	...	Grosse
Eve McVeagh	...	Rose Cates
Russ Conway	...	Henderson Customs Insp.
Kreg Martin	...	Al
Jose De Vega	...	Gato
Frank Albertson	...	Constable Tom Batterman
Carlos Romero	...	Alfau Mexican Chief of Police
Tito De Mario	...	1st Youth
Ricky Vera	...	2nd Youth

Storyline

A vacationing British family is on the Arizona border with Mexico when their teenage daughter mistakes a criminal's stolen car for her family's and goes to sleep in the backseat. Not realizing she is there, the criminal drives the car to Mexico, where the girl witnesses a murder. When the parents realize their daughter is missing, they return to the diner in an attempt to locate her, but corrupt police forces on both sides of the border conspire to keep the daughter from her parents. A handful of honest citizens on both sides of the border try to help, but with the daughter knowing the truth about the car theft business, the criminals must keep her from reuniting with her parents. It's always good to see James Anderson, and here he plays a pivotal role in the effort to keep the parents from the daughter.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1963 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Revue Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Strange in a strange land.

Katherine Crawford and her parents are traveling through Arizona and stop for tea in a roadside cafe. (They're English.) Sleepy Katherine says she's going back to sleep in the car and wait for Mom and Dad. She gets into the wrong car! The car belongs to a couple of crooks and Katherine wakes up just in time to witness a murder, escape from the car, and find herself adrift in a small town across the Mexican border, pursued by the two murders, unable to speak Spanish, and -- well, I don't know, everything is just WRONG. Even the chili a kind lady gives her is "poco piquante." She meets a nice boy, Randy Boone, and he tries to help her get straight.

Katherine has no business being in the little village of La Cucaracha or whatever it is. If you can't stand the chili, get out of the cocina. Furthermore, how drowsy must you be to go to sleep in the back seat of someone else's car after mistaking it for your own? Any normal person would have to be stoned out of her mind.

On the other hand, Katherine Crawford, a blond teen ager, is cute enough in a thoroughly conventional way, and Michael Wilding and Anna Lee as the parents are accomplished actors. Randy Boone may be a splendid country singer. As an actor, he comes across as simple minded. He knows that they are being chased by two murderers as he drives Katherine to border, but he insists on pulling off the road to "think about it" and maybe have a little lunch. Not very bright.

Hitchcock was notoriously "mean", as the British put it, meaning he was tight with his pennies. The series as a whole always had a parched look. The rooms seemed barely furnished, the set dressing perfunctory. This episode is a bit more expansive. The Mexican village looks like a Hollywood version of a Mexican village, but it at least covers some territory and is colorful. Maybe it was a standing set, left over from some other production. I applaud it for getting us out of the usual middle-class kitchens.