A Man Greatly Beloved (12 May 1957)

In a small Massachusetts town, precocious young Hildegarde Fell learns a secret about crusty old John Anderson, who has just moved there.

Director:

James Neilson

Writers:

Sarett Rudley (teleplay), A.A. Milne (story)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Cedric Hardwicke, Evelyn Rudie

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Cedric Hardwicke	...	John Anderson (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Evelyn Rudie	...	Hildegard Fell
Hugh Marlowe	...	Rev. Richard Fell
Robert Culp	...	Clarence
Rebecca Welles	...	Mrs. Fell
Edith Barrett	...	Aggie Whiteford
Ken Christy	...	Dart Thrower

Storyline

Hildegard Fell is a precocious young girl, who is good at chess and good at telling stories. She has one to tell us, as a matter of fact. It's about a crusty old man named John Anderson, who just moved into the small Massachusetts town where she lives. Her father, the minister; her pretty mother; her friend, Mrs. Whiteford, a would-be medium; and Clarence, Mrs. Whiteford's nephew, all have a part in the story, too. It seems Mr. Anderson is a recluse and rather hard-hearted. He won't allow the church to hold their annual charity bazaar in his garden. Hildegard manages to win him over. And she learns a very interesting secret.

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Plot Keywords:

massachusetts | chess | girl | garden | recluse | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 1957 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Hildegard Fell: [to the camera] My name is Hildegard. Hildegard Fell. I'm writing about my hometown, Essington, Massachusetts and especially about Mr. Anderson. Mr. John Anderson. I'm trying to be absolutely honest about everybody, including myself, and that's the hardest part of all. My mother and father don't understand me. No one does really. My father is a minister, and it's not nice to criticize him. But I think he's just the teensiest bit too good-looking for a minister. Now, my mother, she's...

User Reviews

fairly fun and a bit quirky

This episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' benefits from good casting here with Cedric Hardwicke, Robert Culp, Edith Barrett, and Evelyn Rudie as the narrator, a small girl with a lot of cheek and curiosity.

Hardwicke is a stranger in town - but is he who Rudie thinks he is? The tone of this episode is quite light and having the little girl narrating gives it some interest. This is an amusing and engaging episode with its tongue firmly in cheek, and is all the better for it.

So with secrets, séances, and dotty character actors, 'A Man Greatly Beloved' tackles the way we sometimes see what we want to see, and accept appearances as they are. It's a decent episode, well filmed and well cast.