Where the Woodbine Twineth

Episode aired Jan 11, 1965
TV-PG
48m

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

561

YOUR RATING

Eileen Baral in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962)

Crime Drama Horror Mystery Thriller

After Eva Snyder becomes an orphan, she comes to live with the elderly Mississippi riverboat Captain King Snyder and his old-maid daughter Nell. While the Captain is piloting his boat, Nell ... Read allAfter Eva Snyder becomes an orphan, she comes to live with the elderly Mississippi riverboat Captain King Snyder and his old-maid daughter Nell. While the Captain is piloting his boat, Nell finds it difficult to govern Eva, who constantly talks to imaginary friends whom Eva belie... Read allAfter Eva Snyder becomes an orphan, she comes to live with the elderly Mississippi riverboat Captain King Snyder and his old-maid daughter Nell. While the Captain is piloting his boat, Nell finds it difficult to govern Eva, who constantly talks to imaginary friends whom Eva believes are real, including Mingo and her father Mr. Peppercorn. When the Captain returns, he ... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

561

YOUR RATING

29User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

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Trivia
This episode is based on the short story "You Never Believe Me" by Davis Grubb (1919-1980), best known for writing The Night of the Hunter (1955).

Goofs
There are 2 Eva dolls. The first one shown in the box looks eerily like the little blonde girl. The 2nd one, when Neil hugs her on the ground outside, looks nothing like the young actress. The blonde "Eva" dolls change back and forth between shots.

Quotes
[introduction - Hitchcock is eating pies]
Himself - Host: As you can see, I'm in training for a pie-eating contest. I take all athletic matches seriously. I've been practicing for some weeks now and have myself honed to a razor-sharp edge. Furthermore, I do not expect to have any trouble making the weight. This evening, in addition to a pie-eating contest, we are presenting a story entitled "Where the Woodbine Twineth" or, as our network insists on calling it, "WT2." "Where the Woodbine Twineth" is about a little girl who had some imaginary playmates. This would not seem to be a very serious problem, but it was. It was. We now have a different kind of competition: an endurance contest. The question is how many of you can endure the next sixty seconds?

User reviews29

Review

Featured review

10/10

Genuinely eerie one-of-a-kind Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode

Saw this two nights ago (May 18, 2014) on MeTV and WHOA - I wasn't familiar with the episode and didn't know where it was leading the viewer. I felt four separate cases of chills crawl up my spine and settle on my neck. (There is something that's too creepy about lonely little girls interacting with their doll and invisible playmates.) The lead, Margaret Leighton, an actress trained on the British stage who won two Broadway Tony Awards, was spot-on convincing portraying the caring-but-baffled "spinster" aunt and primary caregiver of her overly imaginative young niece. There is strong character support from Juanita Moore (remember 1959's "Imitation of Life"). The story is set in early 1960's South (probably Lousiana or Mississippi) where racial segregation was the policy. And the fact that a young white blonde girl is so attached to her African-American doll only adds to the dissonance and disconnect between niece and her aunt. I'm not going into plot points; there are plenty spread across other reviews, but trust me, you won't easily forget this episode. (And, oh, that final fade-out.)