Backward, Turn Backward (31 Jan. 1960)

Matt Thompson is bludgeoned to death with a pipe wrench and suspicion immediately falls on 59 year-old Phil Canby. The wrench belonged to Canby and he was there that evening fixing a leaky ... See full summary »

Director:

Stuart Rosenberg

Writers:

Charles Beaumont (teleplay), Dorothy Salisbury Davis (story)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Tom Tully, Phyllis Love

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Tom Tully	...	Phil Canby
Phyllis Love	...	Sue Thompson
Alan Baxter	...	Sheriff Andy Willetts
Paul Maxwell	...	Saul
Rebecca Welles	...	Betty Murray
Peggy Converse	...	Mrs. Lyons
Raymond Bailey	...	Mr. Harris
David Carlile
Selmer Jackson	...	Minister
Mark Erickson

Storyline

Matt Thompson is bludgeoned to death with a pipe wrench and suspicion immediately falls on 59 year-old Phil Canby. The wrench belonged to Canby and he was there that evening fixing a leaky sink. The real problem however is that Canby is in love with Thompson's 19 year-old daughter, Sue, and they plan on getting married; everyone knew Matt Thompson was violently opposed to their relationship. Canby maintains his innocence throughout and the local Sheriff, who finds it very hard to believe that the mild mannered Canby would do such a thing, investigates. In the end, the true culprit is revealed.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 January 1960 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Revue Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: BACKWARDS, TURN BACKWARDS (TV) (Stuart Rosenberg, 1960) ***

Yet another episode of the popular TV series that, apart from making the Hitchcock name a household word and his figure a veritable brand, also served as a fertile training ground for a host of future Hollywood directors (as much as a safe haven for its past stars). Again, this only proved to be borderline horror and at the very climax of it at that – when the sweet, innocent heroine turns out to be a homicidal mental case – but I found the thing most interesting for its intimate depiction of the controversial relationship between 52-year old (but acting 59) Tom Tully and 35-year old (but looking 19) Phyllis Love. Also on hand is Sheriff Alan Baxter who, apart from trying to keep the townspeople from lynching Tully, investigates the latter over the murder of Love's father (even if he had secretly suspected the true identity of the killer all along).