The Sign of Satan (8 May 1964)

A group of studio executives and a leading lady (Gia Scala) view a screening of a black mass, and are impressed by the performance of Karl Jorla. They want him for the lead in their next ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Douglas

Writers:

Robert Bloch (short story), Barré Lyndon (teleplay)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Lee, Gia Scala

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Christopher Lee	...	Karl Jorla
Gia Scala	...	Kitty Frazier
Gilbert Green	...	Max Rubini
Adam Roarke	...	Ed Walsh
Myron Healey	...	Dave Connor
Byron Keith	...	Capt. Hartzell
Nicki Brick	...	The Script Girl
Sol Gorss	...	The Studio Policeman
Horst Ebersberg	...	The 1st Acolyte (as Hans Ebers)
Dieter Jacoby	...	The 2nd Acolyte
Eric Forst	...	The 3rd Acolyte
Walter Friedel	...	The 4th Acolyte

Storyline

A group of studio executives and a leading lady (Gia Scala) view a screening of a black mass, and are impressed by the performance of Karl Jorla. They want him for the lead in their next horror picture, so they fly him into Hollywood from France. They need to arrange for publicity but Jorla refuses, saying that the film they observed was of him as the real-life arch-priest of a group of devil worshipers who will track him down and kill him. The studio tries to protect him, but he trusts no one. He disappears, then suddenly emerges three days later in a scene with the leading lady, cryptically mumbling the address in Topanga Canyon where he may be located. The police find his murdered corpse, but an autopsy reveals that he has been dead for at least three days.

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Plot Keywords:

black mass | movie studio | death threat | satanic cult | ghost | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1964 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions, Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During Hitchcock's closing remarks at the end of the show, he's advanced on by a slender figure, in tights, with a very strange head. The head is an unused design for the aliens in "It Came from Outer Space." This seems to be its only appearance on screen.

User Reviews

A scared Lee is a first - He usually scares us...

Greetings mystery fans... This is one of my favorite Hitchcocks from the TV shows... One we read less about, I don't know why, since Christopher Lee gives one of the finest performances of his career (and I've seen 70% of his work - more than 250 listings on IMDb)! In this segment, Lee is visibly shaken, more like scared out of his wits, and understandably so; he's a devil's disciple willing to 'opt out' of the fold, which, like the mafia, is a 'no no'... Being a regular of his weekly shows (there is a nightly rerun of the A.H. Hour on the national satellite network called 'BOOK' on Bell's XPressVu), I can safely say that this is one of Hitchcock's finest. . I recommend you get the full version (quite rare), not just the 60 minute segment (including commercials).. Happy frights with this one, Hitchcock fans... Claude Lebaron