"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" The Older Sister (1956)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Robert Stevens

Writers:

Robert C. Dennis (teleplay)
Lillian de la Torre (story)

TV Series:

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955)

Original Air Date:

22 January 1956 (Season 1, Episode 17)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

One year after Mr. and Mrs. Borden were brutally murdered, a reporter tries to interview Lizzie Borden and her sister Emma about the killings.

Plot Keywords:

Sister | Reporter | Newspaper | Interview | Female Reporter

Cast

Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Joan Lorring	...	Emma Borden
Carmen Mathews	...	Lizzie Borden
Polly Rowles	...	Nell Cutts
Patricia Hitchcock	...	Margaret (as Pat Hitchcock)
Wendy Winkelman	...	Little Child (as Wendy Winkleman)
Kay Stewart	...	Grace

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

Quotes:

Himself - Host: Did she seem a trifle overwrought to you? She did to me. But then I react in precisely the same way whenever I hear a child singing Davy Crockett. Being more civilized than Lizzie, I don't go about hitting tables. I hit the child instead, not with the ax of course but in a nice way.

They Should Have Axed for Help!

This is a character study and had a little different feel to it than some of the other episodes. Of course, it's about the case of Lizzie Borden who was accused, then acquitted of the murder of her mother and father with an ax. This takes place a year after the trial, as Lizzie and her sister are holed up in their family home, dealing with the constant bombardment of reporters and nosy people. Children chant around their house and make their lives miserable. Enter a really offensive newspaper reporter who will not take no for an answer. She digs and digs and actually puts herself in harm's way. There is an interesting twist. There are some theories about these murders that involve questionable evidence gathered after the event. I'm sure police departments at the time had rather primitive means of collecting such evidence. Anyway, like most Hitchcock offerings, we are treated to a different perspective and a pretty well done little film.