Toby (4 Nov. 1956)

New York, 1910. Bookkeeper Al Birch expects the arrival of his sweetheart Edwina from 20 years ago. When she arrives, she is still every bit the lady. But she doesn't come alone.

Director:

Robert Stevens

Writers:

Victor Wolfson (teleplay), Joseph Bates Smith (story)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Jessica Tandy, Robert H. Harris

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Jessica Tandy	...	Edwina Freed
Robert H. Harris	...	Albert Birch
George Mathews	...	Mac McKirk
Mary Wickes	...	Mrs. Foster the landlady
Ellen Corby	...	Marie McKirk
Penny Santon	...	Italian Tenant

Storyline

New York, 1910. In a poor neighborhood, a heat wave is making everyone weary and truculent. Meanwhile, Mr. Birch is renting a basement flat for his fiancée, Edwina. She was his sweetheart twenty years ago; now, thanks to a newspaper advertisement she placed, the two have found each other again. He wants everything to be perfect for her arrival, which means, among other things, a dozen roses. She loved roses. It strikes him as a bad sign when he breaks the vase the roses were to go in. The first real sign of trouble is seeing Edwina herself. She's still a beautiful woman and every bit the lady she always was. But she doesn't come alone. She arrives with a bundle in a baby blanket. This first shock gives way to more unpleasant surprises and mysterious behavior from the woman he hopes, at long last, to marry.

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Plot Keywords:

1910s | baby | bookkeeper | basement flat | mysterious behavior | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 1956 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Mrs. Foster: So, well, then he says he wants new dishes in the cupboards. "New dishes," I says. "Mr. Birch, look, I don't put new dishes in my furnished flats." But no, he insists, "She's got to have new dishes when she moves in."

User Reviews

It Was Fun to See Jessica Tandy, but......

I know that my comments sometimes go over the same ground. With the pressure of producing so many of these little stories, there is going to be a clinker in the lot. A lonely man who left his only love is about to get her back. He is scared and apprehensive and unsure. He banters with the local characters and sets up shop for her reappearance. Apparently, a personal ad leads to their reunion. They are going to be married. The woman finally shows up and she is pretty strange. She has a baby with her. It is supposedly the son (Toby) of her now deceased sister. She immediately puts him in a spare bedroom and that's where he stays. She occasionally gets a baby bottle of warm milk to give to little Toby. Weeks pass and nobody sees the baby. This gets so far fetched that at some point we say "Right!" I had it figured out about five minutes after she appeared. Still, Jessica Tandy being the consummate actress, really hams it up and does what she can with this clinker.