Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) Tea Time (1958) User Reviews

A Dialogue-Heavy Dandy from Season 4

[samgslp · 7/10 · 1 September 2011]

In the fourth season of Hitchcock Presents, the show increasingly made use of elaborate set design and took a turn away from the early episodes, which often took place on two or three sets and was centered mostly on dialogue. In a way, Tea Time is more like a season one or two episode in that it could easily be reproduced on stage without losing much, if any of its impact.

The premise centers around a successful middle-aged businessman, Oliver, and his complex romantic affairs. His wife, Iris, receives an invitation for tea from his slightly younger and slightly more attractive mistress, Blanche.

Blanche asks for Iris to consider divorcing Oliver, as their marriage has become dull and she seems to be primarily interested in his finances. Iris flatly refuses and mocks Blanche for her romantic idealism, but the tables quickly turn when Blanche reveals that she has a letter proving that Iris had an affair early in her marriage. Iris comes up with a desperate plan to resolve the conflict and keep her husband.

The dialogue proves to be the thrust of the episode, and both actresses do an excellent job providing interest with very little to work with. The typical Hitchcock themes of divorce, affairs, and murderous intentions are all in place and provide for a nicely executed episode, although it is not exactly enthralling. Nice performances, classic premise, some unexpected turns in the story, and a whole lot of dialogue make this installment a worthwhile addition to season four.

Modestly enjoyable.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 2 April 2021]

The show begins with a strange encounter. It seems that the woman who's been having an affair is having a nice, civil tea in a nice restaurant as they discuss the affair and the troubled marriage. While smiling and acting nicely, the two take turns taking jabs at each other. Ultimately, the mistress pulls out her trump card and blackmails the wife to allowing her husband to get a divorce. But the wife is no shrinking violent, and she decides the best way to deal with this is murder!!

The twist at the end is interesting and worth seeing. However, it's not a great twist nor an especially memorable one. Interesting but not great.

Marrige on the rocks

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 13 June 2012]

***SPOILERS*** Wanting to get middle age and rich Oliver Teleton, Murray Matheson, whom she's having a secret affair with all for herself Blanche Herbert. Marsha Hunt, attempts to get his boozy wife Iris, Margaret Leighton, to give him a divorce since the two haven't exactly been that close to each other since their marriage. A marriage that Oliver in being dead drunk, form downing about a dozen martini's, at the time and couldn't quite see straight,in what a walking disaster Iris was, hopelessly fell into.

With Iris refusing to let go of her both big prize and meal ticket Oliver by divorcing him Blanche comes up with a love letter that she wrote her previous lover Robert Cresent just before she married Oliver stating that it's Robert that she's in love with and as for Oliver she's just marrying him for his money! This would give Oliver all the ammunition he needs to not only divorce Iris but leave her penniless in any divorce settlement! With the shoe now on he other foot it's Iris who tries to pay off Blanche, with $75,000.00 in jewelry, in giving her the love letter she wrote Cresent with Blanche adamantly turns down.

With construction going on outside Blanche's apartment, with all the furniture there provided by Oliver, Iris uses the cover of jackhammers to pull out a gun and blast a totally shocked and surprise Blanche away! With Iris now assured that Oliver would never find out about her feelings about him she goes back to Oilver's office to act as if nothing happened between her and Blanche just hours before.

***SPOILERS*** It's then that we and Iris get the story of what the not so out of the loop and naive Oliver was really up too all that time. He in fact was sick and tired of having to be involved with both Iris & Blanche and used the two to cancel out each other by planting the love letter, that he in fact wrote, that started this whole mess in he first place. Oliver was going through a second childhood and wanted to be a young man again and what better to be that then having a sexy blond young girlfriend, Angela Austin, to match! And with him now having in on with Angela Austin and with both Blanche, who's dead, and his wife Iris, who's facing life or the chair for murder, out of the picture he's now home free to do whatever he want's with his life!

"Bigger than both of you, isn't that what they say?"

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 7 October 2021]

I thought the ending to this story was somewhat inconclusive. There were a couple of possibilities to my mind. After planting her husband Oliver's (Murray Matheson) gun in his coat pocket at work, Iris Teleton (Margaret Leighton) overhears the phone conversation he's having with a private investigator, who observed Iris going to Blanche Herbert's (Marsha Hunt) apartment. But that conversation never revealed that Iris killed Blanche. So there's still the possibility that Oliver would be arrested for Blanche's murder, particularly since the dead woman held a button from Oliver's coat in her hand, as if from a struggle.

The other possibility is that Iris's plan DID backfire, and that she would be found out for the murder. The only thing we know for sure is that Oliver Teleton threw both women over for the hot new blonde (Angela Austin) that came walking out of his office. Iris's quizzical look confirms that she bribed and killed Blanche unnecessarily. Maybe Hitchcock's closing argument for this story was intended for the viewer to figure it out by jumping through hoops.

COFFEE, TEA AND HOMICIDE?

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 29 April 2024]

Classis Hitchcock female duel of duels, and well cast with British actress Margaret Leighton, who I am sure Hitch recommended, and popular Marsha Hunt.

It all starts out at a fancy restaurant where Blanche (Hunt) asks Iris (Leighton) to simply give up her husband, played by Murray Matheson. She has been having an affair with the rich gentleman and wishes to live happily ever after! Of course, that would leave poor Iris in the dark, cutting off her money lifeline, right?

Oh yes, there's some tricks up everybody's sleeve in this one, the kind of Hitchcock story you will love. Wait for the ending --and all the NOISE -- without giving too much away. Surprisingly, this was written by Katherine Hite, who at the time was writing western material for GUNSMOKE. In the 70s she wrote for the WALTONS.

The dialogue between the ladies is the main attraction... and all smiles? At times, comes off as a witty stage play.

Look for comedic actor Fritz Feld as the maitre d. Best in these type of roles.

A tribute to Marsha Hunt, who was appearing in films well into her 80s. She passed in 2022 at age 104, one of the oldest living actresses from Hollywood's golden age.

SEASON 4 EPISODE 10 remastered Universal dvd box set. 15 hrs 30 mins. 6 dvds. Released 2008.

Tea turning deadly

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 2 June 2023]

Although Robert Stevens was the most frequent 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' director, with 44 episodes to his name, he was also one of the most inconsistent (Paul Henreid to me was also variable). A vast majority of his episodes were well worth watching, and there were excellent episodes such as "Our Cook's a Treasure", "One for the Road" and "The Glass Eye". There were misfires as such, with "Shopping for Death", "The Hidden Thing" and "Don't Interrupt" immediately springing to mind in my head.

"Tea Time" is not one of his best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes, it is not even one of his best from Season 4. It is also a long way from being one of his worst in my view. Personally don't think it is a great episode or that it quite lives up to its premise (it is though the kind that Stevens would do well at), and it is one that is easy to criticise if one prefers suspense laden episodes and ones that are not talk heavy. "Tea Time" still was for me an intriguing and well crafted episode, if a little lacking in the memorability factor.

Plenty of things are done well. It is very well acted, with a terrific double act in the form of Margaret Leighton and Marsha Hunt. Their chemistry suitably unsettles, and Murray Mattheson makes the most of his not as meaty role. Stevens directs with assurance throughout.

While the production values aren't perfect, the photography is suitably moody and has some elegance. Hitchcock's bookending is suitably ironic and the theme music has lost none of its devillish quality. The episode is quite talky in spots, especially early on, but it didn't feel overly so on the whole and it all intrigued. The story isn't perfect in pace but intrigues still and the ending is clever and not one that was expected by me.

It is not without flaws. Personally would have liked more suspense and a tighter pace, with the beginning being on the draggy and talky side.

Low budget does show at times, especially in the threadbare looking sets and editing that doesn't always flow. Odd seeing as the production values in Season 4 were generally more elaborate and opened up.

Concluding, good if not great. 7/10.

Hitchcock Must Have Really Despised Women

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 8 July 2013]

Another story of extortion and blackmail. The wife of a rich philanderer is approached by his present conquest and is asked to release him from their marriage vows. She is an attractive blonde (aren't they all in Hitchcock) and she has an incriminating letter. This was a marriage for money and the present wife had a few adventures of her own. Neither of the wants to budge but the newby has the goods and offers her adversary 24 hours to figure out what to do. Of course, it wouldn't be part of this series if murder wasn't a serious option. I won't rain on anyone's parade, so you'll have to see what happens. Watching these episodes fifty years after they were made shows what inferiors women were thought to be. The rich jerk seemed to hold all the cards. Of course, money has always talked and this is the foundation for his every move. Who knows what happens next and who really cares? These people are awfully hard to pull for.