It's really amazing how hit-and-miss Alfred Hitchcock's shows were by episode, as opposed to his movies which were mostly excellent, esp. From 1944 on or so onward, the majority of them.
Phyllis Thaxter was one of the greatest actresses in my opinion - given the right MATERIAL; with Hitchcock, her appearances in Nothing Ever Happens In Linvale (season 2), and more so in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "The Five-Forty-Eight," are just superb.
But in this, this horrible, headache-inducing one, she can't save it. Arthur Kennedy stars as her husband in this overlong, boring story, where she absolutely loathes this new beach house he's forced her to move to with him, and he loves it, and that's about all we know in terms of WHY she hates it, until the surprise ending.
We see a young woman, in her early 20s I'd say, a "beach bunny" character, who is this romantic vision for him, despite his days as a leading man far gone (why on earth would she be attracted to him?, as one reviewer noted), and with both him and his wife looking older than they were, more like their mid to late 60s (he was 49 or 50 when this was made, Thaxter 44 or 45) - and this episode may make you feel old too.
There's really no story here; she hates the house, she's hating him, he's hating her but hides beneath a smile instead of showing it....this is cliched, very dull, just awful overall.
You never know if you will like an episode, and you're investing a lot more time of course in these Hour shows rather than the half hour Presents ones of course - and when it doesn't pay off, it's bad enough, but the time SPENT meanwhile is misery.
I don't know if this is the very worst one I've seen, but there is no sense in seeing it.
The best part of this episode was when I turned off the TV.
Phyllis Thaxter was one of the greatest actresses in my opinion - given the right MATERIAL; with Hitchcock, her appearances in Nothing Ever Happens In Linvale (season 2), and more so in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "The Five-Forty-Eight," are just superb.
But in this, this horrible, headache-inducing one, she can't save it. Arthur Kennedy stars as her husband in this overlong, boring story, where she absolutely loathes this new beach house he's forced her to move to with him, and he loves it, and that's about all we know in terms of WHY she hates it, until the surprise ending.
We see a young woman, in her early 20s I'd say, a "beach bunny" character, who is this romantic vision for him, despite his days as a leading man far gone (why on earth would she be attracted to him?, as one reviewer noted), and with both him and his wife looking older than they were, more like their mid to late 60s (he was 49 or 50 when this was made, Thaxter 44 or 45) - and this episode may make you feel old too.
There's really no story here; she hates the house, she's hating him, he's hating her but hides beneath a smile instead of showing it....this is cliched, very dull, just awful overall.
You never know if you will like an episode, and you're investing a lot more time of course in these Hour shows rather than the half hour Presents ones of course - and when it doesn't pay off, it's bad enough, but the time SPENT meanwhile is misery.
I don't know if this is the very worst one I've seen, but there is no sense in seeing it.
The best part of this episode was when I turned off the TV.
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