Breakdown (13 Nov. 1955)

William Callew is involved in a bad traffic accident on a rural road, that leaves him so paralyzed he appears lifeless, and when help arrives they think he's really dead.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Francis M. Cockrell (teleplay), Louis Pollock (teleplay),

Stars:

Joseph Cotten, Alfred Hitchcock, Raymond Bailey

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Cotten	...	William Callew
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Raymond Bailey	...	Ed Johnson
Forrest Stanley	...	Hubka
Harry Shannon	...	Dr. Harner
Lane Chandler	...	Sheriff
James Edwards	...	Convict
Marvin Press	...	Chessy
Murray Alper	...	Lloyd
Holly Bane	...	Escaped Convict (as Mike Ragan)
Jimmy Weldon	...	Guard (as Jim Weldon)
Richard Newton	...	Ambulance Driver
Aaron Spelling	...	Road Worker
Harry Landers	...	Coroner
Elzie Emanuel	...	Black Escaped Convict

Storyline

Mr. Callew, a demanding businessman, is resting by the beach when he receives a telephone call from a recently discharged employee. The man is in tears, but the unyielding Callew shows no sympathy, and hangs up on him. Later, when Callew starts to drive home, his car runs off the road at a construction site. When he comes to, Callew is paralyzed. Several persons come by, but he is unable to communicate with them, so they think he is dead. Fully aware of his predicament, he becomes increasingly terrified.

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Plot Keywords:

businessman | paralyzed | beach | accident | aerial shot | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1955 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[afterword]
Alfred Hitchcock: Well, that was a bit of a near thing. He reminded me of my own situation. Imagine, if you can, the terror of being inside a television set, knowing that any moment, the viewer may shut you off, and being powerless to prevent it. And I go through this every week. My only consolation is that some portions of our program are so fascinating, that they hold the viewer spellbound. Such an episode follows immediately, and then I'll be back again.
[commercial break]
Alfred Hitchcock: There, now. That really ...

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Connections

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

User Reviews

Chilling

This has to be one of the creepiest films I've ever seen. It's a good thing that Hitchcock had his TV series where he could direct this episode. To run this story any longer than the 25 minutes would have seemed to drawn out but this story fits just perfectly in the allotted time. It's a chilling and suspenseful story that is imaginatively shot from one person's perspective. I won't say more; just see it.

(Even being a big Hitch fan I had never seen any of his TV shows; now it's so easy to see just the episodes he directed through iTunes. This was the first episode I've seen and it definitely lives up to the Hitchcock brand.)