When I wrote my series on Robert Bloch's contributions to the Alfred Hitchcock TV show, I wondered why I did not see an episode with a scene that stuck in my head after I saw it in 1988 when the USA network ran the entire series. The scene involved John Carradine in a wheelchair asking a young man named Dancer to dance for him. I have now located that episode, and it's as good as I remembered; aspects of the story remind me of the work of Robert Bloch, but "Death Scene" is actually based on a short story of the same name by a mystery writer named Helen Nielsen, and the teleplay is another fine piece of adaptation by James Bridges.
Helen Nielsen was an American writer who lived from 1918 to 2002. The first of her 18 mystery novels was The Kind Man, published in 1951, and she had about 50 stories published in the digests between 1954 and 1991. She also wrote teleplays and had some of her works adapted for the screen, mostly on television, from 1959 to 1982. Five episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents featured her work as well as a single episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, "Death Scene," which aired on NBC on Monday, March 8, 1965.
"Death Scene" first appeared here |
Leo sets his sights on the valuable property and resolves to seduce the film director's lovely daughter. Bonding with the older man over talk of the expensive car, Leo quickly appeals to his daughter, Monica, and the courtship is rapid and successful, though Monica shuns "popular clubs and bright lights." Leo soon becomes "firmly entrenched at Mon-Vere" and observes that the rear of the property is in disrepair and overlooks "a sheer drop of at least two hundred feet."
Leo proposes marriage and Revere agrees, with the condition that Leo purchase a $50,000 insurance policy naming Monica as beneficiary. After the arrangements have been made, Leo, Monica, and Gavin discuss honeymoons on the rear patio, near the crumbling wall that overlooks the precipice. Monica sits on the wall and Leo moves to keep her from falling, but as he does so Gavin pushes him over the edge and he falls to his death. As he falls, he sees Monica's face clearly and realizes she is Revere's wife, not his daughter.
Vera Miles as Nikki Revere |
James Bridges adapted "Death Scene" for the small screen and top talent was used to ensure that it made an engrossing hour of television. Harvey Hart directed the show and Vera Miles stars as Nikki Revere, while the great Hollywood actor John Carradine plays Gavin Revere and young star James Farentino plays Leo Manfred.
As the opening credits appear, we hear a musical theme on brass and strings and know that we are in for another treat, because the score of this episode was composed by Bernard Herrmann and lives up to his usual high standards. Establishing shots show the gate to Mon-Vere and its grounds; the famously elaborate and expensive Beverly House compound was used for location filming. The property once was owned by William Randolph Hearst and has been seen in many films, including The Godfather.
James Farentino as Leo |
James Bridges adds a buddy character named Dancer Smith, an aspiring actor who is both co-worker and roommate to Leo Manfred. Adding this character allows Leo to express his thoughts in conversation. Hart uses various low- and high-angle shots to keep the scene in the garage interesting, including alternating zooms on Leo and Nikki as their eyes lock while he revs the motor, suggesting that his heart races at the sight of her. Unlike the story, Leo insists on driving her home (rather than being told to do so) and, as he drives, he puts popular music on the radio, begins to bop around in his seat, and asks Nikki if she does the Swim or the Watusi. Instead of the faint smile she gives Leo in the story, Nikki does a sultry swim move at the door before disappearing into the house.
John Carradine as Gavin |
Buck Taylor as Dancer |
After another scene with Dancer at the apartment, where Nikki telephones Leo, Leo speaks to Gavin about marriage and pushes the old man's wheelchair slowly along the edge of the pool, suggesting that he's thinking about causing an accident, then pushes him near the edge of the precipice. Bernard Herrmann's score features descending and ascending plucked strings and ominous horns to add to the sense of menace.
Mon-Vere |
Later, Leo calls Nikki and she says that Gavin has forbidden her to see him. She invites him over the next morning, saying that they'll speak to Gavin together. By the pool, Gavin tells Nikki that she must choose between him and Leo. She approaches Leo as if to embrace him but then shoves him backward toward the edge of the pool. Gavin wheels forward and provides the final push. Instead of falling 100 or 200 feet over the edge of a cliff, Leo falls into the nearly empty pool and is killed. We see his body floating in a few inches of water at the bottom, in a shot slightly reminiscent of the one that frames Sunset Boulevard.
Why did James Bridges decide to have Leo die in a fall into a pool rather than over the side of a cliff? Perhaps it was easier to film and more dramatic to see Leo's body clearly from the point of view of Gavin and Nikki, not far away. Unlike the short story, Leo never seems to realize that Nikki is really Gavin's wife. Bridges cleverly foreshadows the ending near the beginning of the show, when Leo asks Nikki about the dance called the Swim and she shows him that she knows how to do it; subsequent scenes showing the pool and the one where Leo wheels Gavin along its edge suggest a pool-related accident is coming, but until the end of the hour it's not clear whether the fall will occur there or at the edge of the property, much less who will be the one to fall.
Virginia Aldridge as Susu |
Nick Borgani as Sam Gread |
Harvey Hart (1928-1989) does a superb job of pacing in his direction of "Death Scene," and the narrative never slows down. He uses occasional mirror shots and angled shots to make the show visually interesting. Hart was a Canadian director who worked mostly in episodic TV from 1955 to 1989; he directed five episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Vince Williams as Our Hero |
The great film actor John Carradine (1906-1988) plays Gavin Revere. He was the father of film stars Keith and David Carradine and he was on stage, in film, and finally on TV for over 60 years, from 1930 to his death. Among his many great films were The Grapes of Wrath (1940), Man Hunt (1942), and House of Frankenstein (1944); he also appeared in other films directed by John Ford and Fritz Lang, as well as other horror pictures. This was his only appearance on the Hitchcock show, but he made memorable appearances on The Twilight Zone, Thriller, and Night Gallery.
James Farentino (1938-2012) plays Leo. Born in Brooklyn, he was in two episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ("The Black Curtain" was the other) and his career on screen lasted from the early 1960s until 2006. He was also on Night Gallery as well as several short-lived TV series.
Leonard Yorr as Wagner |
In smaller roles:
*Leonard Yorr (1915-1994) plays Wagner, Leo's boss at the garage; this was his only appearance on the Hitchcock show and he made a handful of appearances on screen from 1952 to 1972.
Horace Brown as Harry (?) |
*Captain Horace Brown (1905-1972) plays Harry, who (I think) has a brief scene as another mechanic at the garage; he has five credits on IMDb.
*Nick Borgani (1904-1987) plays villain Sam Gread in Death Scene. He had a career that spanned over 40 years on screen but most of his roles seem to have been uncredited bit parts.
*Vince Williams plays Our Hero in Death Scene; he was in four episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, including "Starring the Defense."
Sources:
"“The Bodyguard” Mansion – Aka The Beverly House
Compound | IAMNOTASTALKER." IAMNOTASTALKER
The Bodyguard Mansion Aka The Beverly House Compound Comments. Web. 24 June
2017.
"Death Scene." The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. NBC. 8 Mar. 1965. Television.
The FictionMags
Index. Web. 24 June 2017.
Galactic Central. Web. 27 June 2017.
Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. Churchville, MD: OTR Pub., 2001. Print.
"Helen Berniece Nielsen." Contemporary Authors Online. Gale, 2003. Web. 24
June 2017.
IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 24 June 2017.
Nielsen, Helen. "Death Scene." 1963. Hitchcock in Prime Time. New York: Avon,
1985. 330-41. Print.
Norris, J. F. "Pretty Sinister Books." FFB: The Kind Man - Helen Nielsen. 01
Jan. 1970. Web. 24 June 2017.
Stephensen-Payne, Phil. "Galactic Central." Galactic Central. Web. 24 June 2017.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 June 2017. Web. 24 June
2017.
In two weeks: We conclude our series on James Bridges with a look at "Power of Attorney," starring Richard Johnson and Geraldine Fitzgerald!
13 comments:
I'm glad you mention Buck Taylor's resemblance to Burt Reynolds, because I thought of that immediately the first time I saw it. I suppose he resembles him in other roles, but in this role it's really uncanny. But I don't know if I ever knew he was Dub Taylor's son.
Thanks to MST3K, I'm very familiar with "High School Big Shot." Virginia Aldridge makes a very good femme fatale in that one.
Speaking of MST, that's what I couldn't help thinking of when Farantino and Taylor started heckling Carradine's film! After all, they don't exactly heckle it, they start talking for the characters in it.
I think it's partly because he wears that sleeveless shirt that looks like one Burt wore in Deliverance, if memory serves. I like your comparison to MST3K.
I partially read your very long analysis. When I got to the part about Nikki Revere's car being a Duesenberg and misspelled, I knew to take the entirety with a big grain of salt. Strangely, this error was corrected later when it was referred to correctly as a British car. In fact, it was a Rolls Royce. There were many such errors, but space os too limited to detail them all.
I corrected the spelling mistake. The car in the short story was a Duesenberg. Thanks for reading!
I partially read your critique but then got to the part where you misspelled the word "is" and so took your entire diatribe with a grain of salt. There was plenty more wrong with your comment but, you're right, space os limited.
Guy's got a point, fellas. Maybe it's time we hang it up. Nick's paying good money for these posts, and if we can't guarantee him 100% accuracy, and a zero tolerance policy for typos, just who do we think we are? To quote Luther Heggs, "Drop dead, that's who!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkSk-Zz9Bno
I just finished watching this episode on MeTV. It is a very entertaining hour! One question, what was the make and model of the car that Leo borrowed from his boss, in order to drive Nikki home? The car has a very distinctive front grill that I just can't place.
Looks like a 64 Mercury Maurader. But I couldn't see any badges on the car with my marginal eyesight.
Thought they probably used a modern car from that scene and this episode was first shown in March 1965.
Now the other car is a Dusey. Maybe from the collection of Merle Norman? Just a guess!
The closing credits don't mention the cars, unfortunately.
Robby and Jack, thanks for your inputs. I thought Mercury Maurader at first, but the square bezels around the headlights and the hood ornament with the upward swept wings weren't on the Mercs. Anyways, I don't want to hijack this link and turn it into a car discussion, so I'll just keep thinking about it myself. Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
I Loved This Episode And Review!!!
Thanks!
1965 Imperial
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