"Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
Mr. Blanchard's Secret (1956)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Emily Neff (story)
Sarett Rudley (teleplay)

TV Series:

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955)

Original Air Date:

23 December 1956 (Season 2, Episode 13)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Babs Fenton has an overactive imagination. She believes that her new neighbor Charles Blanchard has killed his wife...

Plot Keywords:

Shocking | Black Humor | Twist | Murder | Morbid

Cast

Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Robert Horton	...	John Fenton
Meg Mundy	...	Mrs. Blanchard
Mary Scott	...	Babs Fenton
Dayton Lummis	...	Charles Blanchard
Eloise Hardt	...	Maid

Runtime:

26 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Movie Connections:

Remade as What Lies Beneath (2000)

some great Hitchcock moments

One of the few episodes directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Not one of the most clever of stories but was interesting to see a voyeuristic plot line a few years after he made 'Rear Window'. This episode has Hitchcock's storytelling style written all over it:

1. Classic gag in opening scene, the woman is rattling on like a manic about the neighbors, while husband is lying in bed motionless. She kisses him and he doesn't react. By the end of the scene she leaves the room and we are forced to wonder "is he dead?" Then at the last minute husband snaps up and reveals he was pretending to sleep.

2. Another great moment while she sneaks into neighbors house and is snooping through closet, man walks up behind her. All in one wide shot first we see a hand, then arm, as he walks into view toward us. She doesn't see him yet -- trademark helpless shock moment for the audience, very similar to 'Psycho' shower approach.