Bryce Walton's second teleplay for Alfred Hitchcock Presents was "The Big Score," which was broadcast over the NBC network on Tuesday, March 6, 1962. The source for this episode was a story, also called "The Big Score," by Sam Merwin, Jr., that had been published in the July 1955 issue of Manhunt.
"Prominent businessman and philanthropist" F. Hubert Fellowes has been murdered in his home. His safe was rifled and the police have set up a five-state dragnet, suspicious that the crime was a "carefully planned, professional job." In truth, the criminals are four young people: Gino, Dora, Mike and Arne, who have spent the past three days cooped up in a tenement, afraid to venture outside. Dora was a babysitter working for Fellowes, and this was just the latest in a series of robberies she had set up for her friends. "They were just kids . . . without connections; ranging in age from 17 to 21, they were "treading water way over their heads." Living in a city that is known as a safe haven for important crime figures, Gino is a punk who arrived two years before, riding a freight car with barely a cent to his name. He wanted to make connections with successful criminals but failed and now wants to move on.
"The Big Score" was first published here |
Back at the tenement, Gino confronts Mike. Later that night, Dora comes home from another babysitting job to announce that the cops are checking each home in the neighborhood. An argument ensues and Dora kills Arne with a knife; Gino kills Mike by bashing him over the head repeatedly with the portable radio. Dora and Gino take the money and leave, avoiding trouble with the police on the way out and walking toward the highway. They are stopped by Ozzie and three mobsters, who tell them that Fellowes was the payoff man for the syndicate and that their future looks bleak.
From Manhunt |
The Jelke Ring reference is one that would have been familiar to readers in 1955 but is forgotten today. Minot Jelke, heir to an oleomargarine fortune, ran a New York prostitution ring that catered to the rich and famous and he was convicted in 1953 after a well-publicized trial.
A blurb in Manhunt says that Sam Merwin, Jr. (1910-1996), was a "former editor and an author whose work has covered virtually every field." He started out as a reporter, then edited magazines on and off from the 1930s to the 1970s, including important science fiction pulps and detective digests such as Startling Stories and Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine. His stories began to see publication as early as 1938 and he wrote mysteries, science fiction, romance, and even a few comic books. Other than this episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, his only other TV credit is a story that was adapted for Lights Out.
Rafael Campos as Gino |
Evans Evans as Dora |
Gino goes back to the tenement and there is a confrontation in which he appears to attack Arne, though it's not clear if Arne is dead or just drunk. Gino and Dora gather up the loot and leave. Instead of making their way to the main road on foot, we next see them speeding through the night in a sports car, pursued by another car. Though they are exhilarated by the speed of the chase they soon find themselves forced to the side of the road. Gino and Dora try to escape but are stopped by Ozzie and another man, who hold them at gunpoint. Ozzie tells Gino that the cash is syndicate money and that Fellowes was their boss. Ozzie's final line to Gino reinforces that the young man remains a "punk," unable to break out of his class and join the successful criminals.
Philip Reed as Fellowes |
Rafael Campos (1936-1985) stars as Gino and, at 26, appears too old for the part. In the story, the character is said to be 20 years old and in the show he remarks that he is too young for a gun license. Campos was born in the Dominican Republic and made his debut in The Blackboard Jungle (1955). He appeared often on TV for the next three decades.
John Zaremba as Lt. Morgan |
The other cast members all had unremarkable careers except for John Zaremba (1908-1996), who has a brief role as Lt. Morgan, the detective who interrogates Dora after the murder. He was in eleven episodes of the Hitchcock series, the last of which discussed here was "Starring the Defense."
The seventh season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents has not been released on DVD in the U.S. and I was not able to find a legal place online to view this episode.
Sources:
"The Big Score." Alfred Hitchcock Presents. NBC. 6 Mar. 1962. Television.
"The FictionMags Index." The FictionMags Index. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. Churchville, MD: OTR Pub., 2001. Print.
IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Walton, Bryce. "The Big Score." Manhunt July 1955: 120-38. Print.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
OVERVIEW: BRYCE WALTON AND ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS
Bryce Walton's contributions to Alfred Hitchcock Presents are a mixed bag. Three of his short stories were adapted by other writers, one each in the fourth, fifth and sixth seasons, then he wrote three teleplays in the latter part of the seventh season, one of which was an adaptation of his own story and another of which was also credited to Henry Slesar.
"Touché" is a clever story from 1958 that has the sort of twist ending that appealed to the producers of the TV series. The teleplay is by William Fay and the episode benefits from strong performances by Paul Douglas and Robert Morse.
"Cell 227" is an adaptation of "An Eye for an Eye," a story from 1959, and Walton's story is a thoughtful look at a difficult topic--capital punishment. Bill Ballinger's adaptation removes the story's subtlety and lops off its ending, changing the focus and making it more of a thriller than a meditation.
"The Greatest Monster of Them All," a story also from 1959, is adapted by Robert Bloch, who added humor and action to make a show that serves as a good send-up of the monster movie industry.
"The Woman Who Wanted to Live" was Walton's first teleplay for the series. He adapted his own story from 1961, adding some humor and an entertaining scene with a trio of juvenile delinquents. The result is a standout episode.
"The Big Score" is less successful, as Walton adapts a 1955 story by Sam Merwin, Jr. In trying too hard to portray young people who get involved in crime, Walton's script and the overall episode fall flat.
"The Opportunity" is another standout episode, where Walton and Henry Slesar adapt a 1957 story by J.W. Aaron and venture into edgy areas of the human condition. Great direction and strong acting make this episode one worth revisiting. I suspect Slesar was asked to revise Walton's teleplay, and Walton did not write any more shows for the Hitchcock series, which was about to expand to an hour.
"Touché" is a clever story from 1958 that has the sort of twist ending that appealed to the producers of the TV series. The teleplay is by William Fay and the episode benefits from strong performances by Paul Douglas and Robert Morse.
"Cell 227" is an adaptation of "An Eye for an Eye," a story from 1959, and Walton's story is a thoughtful look at a difficult topic--capital punishment. Bill Ballinger's adaptation removes the story's subtlety and lops off its ending, changing the focus and making it more of a thriller than a meditation.
"The Greatest Monster of Them All," a story also from 1959, is adapted by Robert Bloch, who added humor and action to make a show that serves as a good send-up of the monster movie industry.
"The Woman Who Wanted to Live" was Walton's first teleplay for the series. He adapted his own story from 1961, adding some humor and an entertaining scene with a trio of juvenile delinquents. The result is a standout episode.
"The Big Score" is less successful, as Walton adapts a 1955 story by Sam Merwin, Jr. In trying too hard to portray young people who get involved in crime, Walton's script and the overall episode fall flat.
"The Opportunity" is another standout episode, where Walton and Henry Slesar adapt a 1957 story by J.W. Aaron and venture into edgy areas of the human condition. Great direction and strong acting make this episode one worth revisiting. I suspect Slesar was asked to revise Walton's teleplay, and Walton did not write any more shows for the Hitchcock series, which was about to expand to an hour.
EPISODE GUIDE-BRYCE WALTON ON ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS
Episode title-“Touché” [4.35]
Broadcast date-14 June 1959
Teleplay by-William Fay
Based on-"Touché" by Walton
First print appearance-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, November 1958
Watch episode-here
Broadcast date-5 June 1960
Teleplay by-Bill Ballinger
Based on-"An Eye for an Eye" by Walton
First print appearance-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, December 1959
Watch episode-unavailable
Available on DVD?-here
Episode title-“The Greatest Monster of Them All” [6.18]
Broadcast date-14 February 1961
Teleplay by-Robert Bloch
Based on-"The Greatest Monster of Them All" by Walton
First print appearance-Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, May 1959
Watch episode-unavailable
Available on DVD?-here
Episode title-“The Woman Who Wanted to Live” [7.18]
Broadcast date-6 February 1962
Teleplay by-Walton
Based on-"The Woman Who Wanted to Live" by Walton
First print appearance-Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, May 1961
Watch episode-unavailable
Available on DVD?-unavailable
Episode title-“The Big Score” [7.22]
Broadcast date-6 March 1962
Teleplay by-Walton
Based on-"The Big Score" by Sam Merwin, Jr.
First print appearance-Manhunt, July 1955
Watch episode-unavailable
Available on DVD?-unavailable
Episode title-“The Opportunity” [7.33]
Broadcast date-22 May 1962
Teleplay by-Walton and Henry Slesar
Based on-"Golden Opportunity" by J.W. Aaron
First print appearance-Manhunt, March 1957
Watch episode-unavailable
Available on DVD?-unavailable
In two weeks: our series on British actor John Williams begins with "The Long Shot!"
Even though it's such a grim movie, I've always like Rafael Campos in LADY IN A CAGE, where he and James Caan and Jennifer Billingsley takes turns scaring Olivia De Haviland.
ReplyDeleteAnd even if I knew her from nothing else, I've always liked Evans Evans a whole lot in BONNIE AND CLYDE.
Great work as always, Jack. Do you know if there is a specific reason why AHP/AHH has taken so long to be released on Region 1 DVD? According to Amazon the first season was released in 2005 and 11 years later only six of the ten seasons are available on DVD. And will it ever see a Blu Ray treatment?
ReplyDeleteGrant, I've never seen "Lady in a Cage," and it's been many years since I've seen "Bonnie and Clyde." I didn't think much of Evans's work in the Hitchcock episodes but everything I've read says she was great in "Bonnie and Clyde."
ReplyDeleteBrian, thanks! All I can guess is that Universal did not make enough money on the DVDs and gave up. They released season six as an "on demand" DVD set and got a lot of flak for it. I check the internet every so often to see if season 7 is coming but so far I've seen nothing. And it kills me that they haven't released the hour long episodes. I have DVDs that were recorded off TV airings of seasons 7-10 but I'd love clean, uncut prints. I very much doubt it will ever come out on Blu Ray.
If you've got an all-region DVD player, you can order all seasons of AHP and AHH from Amazon.co.uk. Very affordable and nice, sharp prints. I'm pretty sure Universal will get around to releasing the rest here in America some day but when? Who knows?
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Jack. I try to catch the AHH episodes in syndication whenever I can but there are still quite a few that I have never seen. Blu Ray would be fantastic but I agree that it will probably never happen.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Peter. I didn't know that they had been released in other markets. Unfortunately, I have a region 1 player but this may convince me to shop around.