The Children of Alda Nuova (5 Jun. 1962)

Frankie Fane is an American who has been in Rome for about six weeks and is starting to get bored. He hasn't picked up much of the language and has visited most of the tourist sites in Rome... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Florey

Writers:

Robert Wallstens (story), Robert Wallstens (teleplay)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Carson, Stefan Schnabel

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Jack Carson	...	Frankie Fane
Stefan Schnabel	...	Siani
Thano Rama	...	Paolo
Lídia Vani	...	The Old Woman (as Lidia Vana)
David Fresco	...	The Cripple
Carlo Tricoli	...	Man in the Village
Christy Cummins	...	Gina
Raymond Cavaleri	...	Giulio
Raymond Giarrusso	...	Cesare (as Ray Giarrusso)
Vicente Padula	...	The Waiter (as Vincent Padula)
Christopher Dark	...	Ainsley Crowder

Storyline

Frankie Fane is an American who has been in Rome for about six weeks and is starting to get bored. He hasn't picked up much of the language and has visited most of the tourist sites in Rome itself. A fellow Amrecian suggests that he rent a car and visit some old ruins just a short drive from the city. When he gets there he finds the villagers unfriendly and a large group of teenagers that constantly follow him around. He quickly realizes that he may be in trouble, but it may also be the case that he gets what he deserves.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 June 1962 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Revue Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Weird, awkward episode

This episode begins with an American ordering a drink (or at least trying to) at a café in Italy. A nearby patron helps our unlikeable protagonist order correctly and subsequently reveals himself to be an intellectual American, aware of many obscure sites that the average tourist would never know of. So the unruly American travels to Alda Nuova for a good time. Unfortunately, there are no good times to be had for the viewer of this episode, for it is dry, confusing, and poorly edited. Ancient Italy serves as a nice idea for a setting, but the sets used for this episode do little to create the illusion of grand antiquity.

The lead actor performs quite well in his role, but it doesn't make up for the lack of organization in the story. Increasingly negative and tense situations arise, but it doesn't do anything to pique the viewer's interest, as the American character is a goon and the Italian children look like a bunch of college students with dirt on their faces. Leading up to the end, you have a feeling that some kind of twist is likely to occur, but quite frankly, it doesn't really matter. Overall, this is a very poor episode and one of the worst installments of season 7.