"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" Never Again (1956)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Robert Stevens

Writers:

Gwen Bagni (teleplay) &
Irwin Gielgud (teleplay) ...

TV Series:

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955)

Original Air Date:

22 April 1956 (Season 1, Episode 30)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Karen has once again broken her promise not to drink anymore, and now she is in a strange bed, injured, with no memory of what happened the night before.

Plot Keywords:

Hangover | Party | Injury | Broken Promise | Recovering Alcoholic

Cast

Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Karen Stewart
Louise Allbritton	...	Renee (as Louise Albritton)
Warren Stevens	...	Jeff Simmons
Jack Mullaney	...	Marlow
Joan Banks	...	Margaret
Mason Curry	...	Mr. Sterling
Karine Nordman	...	Tipsy Woman
Marion Gray	...	Party Goer
Jack Mulhall	...	Bar Patron
Carol Veazie	...	Nurse
Jack Ramstead

Runtime:

USA:30 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

Trivia:

One of the few episodes in which the serious subject matter (in this case, alcoholism) prompted host Alfred Hitchcock to deliver a straightforward closing monologue, rather than his usual humorous quips.

A Sad Story!

This is a bit different for this series. It's the story of a neurotic woman who is an alcoholic. It begins as she lies in a hospital bed, trying to put the pieces together of an evening she can't really remember. She has been injured with cuts and just can't remember. We are taken in flashback to the events of the previous days and that evening. She is consumed with jealousy and self doubt and makes life miserable for all around her. Obviously, Hitchcock is going to put a zinger at the end, but this is more "Lost Weekend" or "Days of Wine and Roses" than the usual ironic fare that was this TV show. It is pretty penetrating. At this time, most didn't know what an alcoholic was. Most thought they were those men hanging from lamp poles singing Sweet Adeline. This is really quite well done and quite tragic.