Flight to the East (23 Mar. 1958)

Ted Franklin is a reporter who is assigned to cover the trial of an Arab leader accused of murder. His stories about the Arab leader's guilt win him international acclaim. When his stories ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Joel Murcott (teleplay), Bevil Charles (story)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Gary Merrill, Patricia Cutts

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Gary Merrill	...	Ted Franklin
Patricia Cutts	...	Barbara Denim
Konstantin Shayne	...	Abdul Ismael
Anthony George	...	Sasha Ismael
Mel Welles	...	Police Inspector Kafir
Harvey Stephens	...	European Bureau Manager
Ralph Clanton	...	Sir Robert Walton

Storyline

Ted Franklin is a reporter who is assigned to cover the trial of an Arab leader accused of murder. His stories about the Arab leader's guilt win him international acclaim. When his stories begin to stress the Arab's innocence he loses his prestige. When the Arab is found guilty and executed, Frank is fired and humiliated. Later, Franklin's past is revealed: he killed a German general and stole a number of war souvenirs. Franklin finds himself in the news again, but this time he is on the receiving end.

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Plot Keywords:

trial | cairo egypt | alternate version of same incident | nairobi kenya | magic carpet | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1958 (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

User Reviews

Overly Dense Storyline

Needlessly complex storyline that's also awkwardly told. The narrative is anchored in a conversation between Cutts and Merrill aboard a flight to Cairo, but keeps cutting to flashbacks as reporter Merrill explains a court case he was involved in. The many details of the case are somewhat confusing, plus filming separate versions of the same event from two different standpoints (Merrill's & Cutt's) doesn't help. The dual versions is a novel concept for 50's TV, but in this context simply compounds the basic problem. Then there's the expected payoff that's both weak and implausible.

Frankly, I'm surprised the script passed muster with the producers. There may be some good plot ideas lurking somewhere in the screenplay, but unfortunately they're buried by the crowded storyline. At least, Cutts is lovely to look at and Merrill is a persuasive actor. Otherwise it's a disappointing entry.