"Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
The Crystal Trench (1959)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

A.E.W. Mason (story)
Stirling Silliphant (teleplay)

TV Series:

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955)

Original Air Date:

4 October 1959 (Season 5, Episode 2)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Stella Ballister (Patricia Owens) receives the horrifying news that her husband met with an untimely demise while mountain climbing...

Plot Keywords:

Shocking | Black Humor | Twist | Murder | Morbid

Cast

Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
James Donald	...	Mark Cavendidge
Patricia Owens	...	Stella Ballister
Werner Klemperer	...	Mr. Ranks
Patrick Macnee	...	Professor Kersley
Ben Astar	...	Swiss Innkeeper
Frank Holms
Eileen Anderson
Otto Reichow
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harold Dyrenforth	...	Frederic Blauer

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Not Your Typical Ice Cube

Odd little drama, directed by Hitchcock himself. The story develops slowly and without much suspense, but we can't be sure where it's leading. Patricia Owns' husband is killed in a mountain-climbing accident. Stranger James Donald is delegated to break the news, except that he's immediately attracted to her. Unfortunately, her husband's body is unrecoverable, having slipped into a glacier's trench. After a decent interval, Donald makes his feelings known, but she refuses his marriage proposal, preferring to live in the past. She's also determined to wait the 40 years it will take for the ice flow to eject the body. Foolishly, the love-struck Donald decides to wait with her. The ending is both ironic and tragic.

For a modestly-budgeted series like Hitchcock's, outdoor mountain scenes require some charitable viewing since the stage sets are pretty obvious. The script too borders the mediocre-- especially the first few minutes where it's hard to keep up with the confusion of characters. Considering that up-and-coming writer Stirling Silliphant adapted the story, that's surprising. Unfortunately, the 30 minutes lacks many of the series strengths, but may appeal to the romantics among us.