tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post3854124865171770003..comments2024-03-27T05:54:38.797-07:00Comments on <i>bare</i>•bones e-zine: The Hitchcock Project-Henry Slesar Part Nineteen: "The Throwback" [6.20 ]John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082147756474762000noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-26639624504227338372021-04-01T07:50:23.551-07:002021-04-01T07:50:23.551-07:00I haven't worked on "Tea Time" yet b...I haven't worked on "Tea Time" yet but I'm looking forward to it! Thanks for the note!Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-71097003367681062192021-04-01T00:42:23.061-07:002021-04-01T00:42:23.061-07:00Hi Jack. I had to get back to you regarding a dece...Hi Jack. I had to get back to you regarding a decent Hitch Presents on MeTV tonight: Tea Time. The title wasn't promising but the episode, female dominated for the most part, was interesting in presenting two attractive women, one markedly older than the other (but WTF), the actor who was the objects of their (er...) affections, or, more properly, ambitions, was none other than that middle aged, silver haired Leslie Howard of old television in the black and white days, Murray Matheson; and he did not disappoint. <br /><br />He played a wealthy professional man balancing two lovers, one his wife, aging and needy, the other the woman he seems eager to marry. Alas, for these ladies, a third woman enters the scene late in the play, and so far as the viewer can ascertain the scheming Mr. Matheson was going to come out the winner, as he had set the whole thing up in the first place so as to. well, kill two birds with one stone. The reward: a much younger, hotter bird young enough to be his grand-daughter.<br /><br />Like many Hitch episodes of Season 4 this one was talky, and it featured more "tortuous" (and not in a bad way) plotting than most, in which as often as not character was destiny. In this case guile trumped everything. The ladies were ruthless enough, but what they were after (money) they did not possess in sufficient quantity for either to win out; and besides, I don't think either cared as much for Our Murnau as they claimed to. Murray, of course knew what he wanted, and he was able to get the prize. I like Tea Time way better the another featuring Mr. Matheson having lady troubles in which he gets into a fight with Scott Marlowe to settle the matter once and for all. This episode goes straight for the jugular. The competing women cancel one another out, leaving the spoils to the gentleman, with his not having to lift more than a finger, and that to dial a telephone.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-59142122037683519752017-10-19T15:41:03.772-07:002017-10-19T15:41:03.772-07:00Thanks, John. This is one of those episodes that&#...Thanks, John. This is one of those episodes that's probably more interesting to talk about than it is to watch.Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-18362496317557110572017-10-18T23:55:19.525-07:002017-10-18T23:55:19.525-07:00Now that's funny, Jack. It did occur to me tha...Now that's funny, Jack. It did occur to me that Scott Marlowe was not credible playing a straight guy, and this hurt the episode somewhat. Imagine Robert Horton in the role, eh? Being British, or British seeming, Murray Matheson, whom I've always liked, was just a bit more credible inasmuch as in the good old days Brits tended to come off as gay or gayish in films and on television, thus his gentleman's gentleman came off as at least if nothing else dashing. <br /><br />Still, using his butler (if that's what he was), and a butch one in the bargain, raised issues of subtexts, as in abounding. Still and all, an entertaining episode with more of a sexual edge than most Hitch half-hours, which often come off an asexual, even with cheating husbands and wives, and even with their running off with someone else, committing murder, one thinks of them more as bad people, morally wrong, more than as sexual beings,--or maybe that's just me.<br /><br />Of course television was heavily censored back then, yet sexuality was implied in some series, such as Peter Gunn, The Untouchables, various anthologies, to one degree or another, till the rules of the game were modified somewhat in the middle and late Sixties. In the half-hours, not so much in the hour longs, Hitchcock's show seems more asexual than most, as it was aimed at an adult audience, and yet those man/woman scenes seldom give off strong sexual vibes.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-4792617756059332792014-06-01T17:29:57.727-07:002014-06-01T17:29:57.727-07:00When I wrote this article, I deleted comments abou...When I wrote this article, I deleted comments about Scott Marlowe's personal life, but it's pretty interesting if you want to look it up. Suffice it to say that only in Hollywood could Scott Marlowe and Murray Matheson duel over a woman.Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-22903271228962088972014-06-01T14:19:15.437-07:002014-06-01T14:19:15.437-07:00I saw it again pretty recently. I noticed it also ...I saw it again pretty recently. I noticed it also had Bert Remsen as one of the police.<br /><br />Even though I know him from a decent number of things, to me Scott Marlowe is always Andre the blackmailer (who seems to be a blackmailer for fun as much as for money) in the Outer Limits episode THE FORMS OF THINGS UNKNOWN.Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09603892208775996594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-54914303868070717532014-01-11T11:59:09.225-08:002014-01-11T11:59:09.225-08:00I will probably do a series on Bryce Walton eventu...I will probably do a series on Bryce Walton eventually and then I'll get to "Touche"!Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-48909967845126443062014-01-11T09:32:56.457-08:002014-01-11T09:32:56.457-08:00The Throwback is the second ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESE...The Throwback is the second ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episode about dueling that was directed by John Brahm. Touché (1959) starred Paul Douglas and Robert Morse and was based on a story by Bryce Walton. Both episodes are equally disappointing.Harvey Chartrandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-32634839340459505882014-01-10T18:42:26.797-08:002014-01-10T18:42:26.797-08:00Thanks for your comment, Brian! Brahm really maile...Thanks for your comment, Brian! Brahm really mailed this one in. Funny that such a good Thriller episode was on right after it, also directed by JB!Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-2748141283028863522014-01-09T23:55:12.543-08:002014-01-09T23:55:12.543-08:00I haven't read the short story but from your d...I haven't read the short story but from your description it flows along much nicer than this episode. Had no idea Brahm directed this; it looks nothing his characteristically moody pieces. Maybe he wasn't feeling well when he shot it. Thanks for the great article!Brian Duranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02724290376009803159noreply@blogger.com