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

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Sarett Rudley (teleplay)
Emily Neff (story)

TV Series:

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955)

Original Air Date:

23 December 1956 (Season 2, Episode 13)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A mystery writer's imagination gets her in trouble when she turns her overstimulated mind to her new next-door neighbors -- and wonders why she has never seen the wife.

Plot Keywords:

University Professor | Corporate Lawyer | Mystery Writer | Irish Stew | Comics Page

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

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Shamley Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mrs. Blanchard takes the silver lighter off of the Fenton's table, we see a closeup of her hand. She is wearing nail polish. In the next shot, she is not wearing nail polish.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Babs Fenton: [voice-over] Poor woman. It's a shame I had to kill her off that way. A psychiatrist would probably say that I had some hidden homicidal tendencies or something. Who knows? If I didn't get it off my chest by writing mystery stories, I might end up by committing a few murders myself...

Message to Babs-- "Get a Life"

Talk about nosy neighbors. Babs Fenton has got the mania in spades. But then, she's a mystery writer, so the over-active imagination comes naturally. The trouble is her imaginings dwell on the dark side. So, when neighbor Mrs. Blanchard doesn't appear for a few days, it's not something mundane like visiting family. Instead, it's likely the poor woman has been murdered by that cold-hearted, professorial husband of hers. That would be just like him. Mary keeps her nose glued to the window, except when she's caught investigating the neighbor's closet—a good, satisfying scene. Husband John needs to put a leash on her, but instead he takes it all in patient stride.

Hitchcock was never happier than when portraying dark deeds behind a respectable façade. This Hitch-directed entry is no exception. It's a good one that kept me guessing right up to the unusual climax. However, I'm still puzzling over Robert Horton's minor role. It's one that really calls for a utility actor, not a hunky, leading man like Horton. My guess is he was called in to boost marquee-appeal since the other principals were largely unknown. Anyway, the entry remains a suspenseful one with a good moral to think about.