The Hitchcock Project-Act of Faith by Nicholas Monsarrat [7.27]

by Jack Seabrook

"Act of Faith" is based on a short story called "Up the Garden Path" by Nicholas Monsarrat. The story was collected in The Ship That Died of Shame and Other Stories (1959), and a postscript says that it was first published in the British tabloid, Daily Sketch. A copyright date of 1953 is given. I have searched Daily Sketch in the online British Newspaper Archives, but I could not find the story.

"Up the Garden Path" is narrated by an unnamed, successful London author. As the story opens, he speaks to his secretary, dictating responses to letters that he has received from friends, strangers, and people asking for money. The last letter he dictates is to Alan Chatterton, a fellow author who offers to let the narrator read the part of a novel he has written so far and asks for help if he likes it.

Recalling his own days as a struggling writer, the narrator invites Chatterton to visit, and he arrives a few days later. He is twenty-two years old and needs money to survive while finishing his book, a job he estimates will take six months. The narrator reads the sample, likes it, and agrees to pay a small amount each month but, as time passes, Chatterton begins to ask for more money but does not want to show his benefactor any more of his unfinished work.

The requests for money continue and the reasons pile up: a holiday, rent, an overcoat, a new typewriter; by year-end, the total is about 1000 pounds. In May, Chatterton reveals that he has to get married and claims that, if he doesn't, he may never finish the book. He asks for 500 pounds to settle down with his new wife and offers the narrator a contract giving him a half-interest in the novel.

A few days later, the narrator is dining at an opulent club when he sees Chatterton entertaining a large party; a waiter confirms that he is a good customer. The next morning, the narrator confronts Chatterton in a rage, thinking he's been conned out of a total of about 1800 pounds. Chatterton claims that it was his wedding party and just one of the many experiences he needs for his book, which is nearly done. The men argue and the narrator angrily tears up the contract and dismisses Chatterton. He soon learns that at least two other men have been supporting the young writer as well.

Chatterton's book is published while the narrator is out of the country on a lecture tour and it's a runaway best-seller. The narrator returns home to find a check repaying him in full. He reads the book, thinks it brilliant, and realizes that the young man had been working on it the whole time. The narrator sends a congratulatory note and runs into Chatterton later that year. The young man thanks his benefactor and adds, "'But you never really believed in me, did you?'"

In his postscript, Nicholas Monsarrat writes that "Up the Garden Path" is based on personal experience. He loaned money to a struggling writer, whose book was a modest success and who never repaid the loan. Monsarrat later discovered that two of his friends had also supported the writer. He concludes that it was not his only "exercise in Good Samaritanism," but it was "the least edifying." The short story is an odd choice to adapt for Alfred Hitchcock Presents because no crime is committed and there is little suspense, other than the question of whether Chatterton will finish his book and pay the narrator back. The reader, like the narrator, grows to suspect that Chatterton is a fraud as the story develops, but the surprise at the end is that the young man was being truthful all along. In other words, the twist ending is that there is no twist!

Nicholas Monsarrat (1910-1979) was an English author who served in WWII and who wrote novels beginning in 1934, including The Cruel Sea (1951) and The Tribe That Lost Its Head (1956). He also wrote short stories from 1943 to 1974. His works were adapted for film and television, including two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents; the other was "A Secret Life."

George Grizzard as Alan Chatterton

In the short story, the narrator thinks he is being led "up the garden path" by Chatterton, only to learn that he was mistaken. The phrase means to be misled into believing something that is false. The title was changed to "Act of Faith" when the story was adapted for television by Eric Ambler and the TV version follows the plot of the story closely. The location has been moved from London to New York City and the narrator has been christened Ralston Temple, who has an English accent and is the only British character in the show. In the first scene, Temple dictates letters to his secretary, who has been named Alice; her role in the TV version is much larger than it is in the story.

In the story, the narrator responds to Chatterton's letter and the young man responds by visiting and bringing sample chapters from his novel; the narrator then reads them and agrees to sponsor him. In the TV show, the secretary has already read the sample chapters and encourages a reluctant Temple to support the writer. The second scene shows Chatterton's visit to Temple, and the young man is far less charming than he is in the story. He wears shabby clothes and his behavior is rude and arrogant, making the viewer wonder why Temple agrees to give him money.

A new scene follows, where Temple is sick in bed and his secretary visits him. This scene summarizes the section of the story where Chatterton keeps asking for more money for various things, and the secretary remains supportive. In between scenes, there is stock footage of New York City at different times of the year, showing the passage of time. In the next scene, Alice takes a phone call from Chatterton, followed by his visit where he offers Temple a half-interest in the book because he has to get married. Temple refers to his decision to fund Chatterton's marriage as an "'act of faith,'" thus giving the episode its title, though his entire course of sponsorship could be seen as such an act.

Temple then sees Chatterton at the restaurant and, unlike the story, where the narrator summons the young author to his home the next day, in the TV show, Temple confronts Chatterton in the restaurant. In the following scene, at Temple's apartment, the teleplay deviates from the story by having Chatterton admit that he made up the story about needing to get married. Temple asks Chatterton if he has any other sponsors; in the story, he discovered this after his rift with the young man. The scene ends with Alice accusing Chatterton of stealing the sample chapters from another writer, a suggestion that is not in the story.

Dennis King as Ralston Temple

After stock footage of a ship entering New York Harbor represents Temple's return from a voyage, Alice hesitantly hands him a newspaper and there is a cut to the final scene, which plays out differently than in the story. In the TV version, Chatterton is at a bookstore, signing copies of his best-seller for a long line of women. Alice and Temple visit the store and Temple confronts Chatterton, who is now more of an equal to Temple as a successful author with a group of admiring fans. Chatterton signs a book for Temple and dismisses him as women gather around the table.

"Act of Faith" is a disappointing adaptation of a short story that, while enjoyable, probably should not have been chosen for this TV series. The camera setups at times recall those in the early days of live TV, when the camera is placed too close to one character, making them look unnaturally large in relation to other characters. The show as a whole looks like it was made on a low budget. There is no suspense and the attempts at humor fall flat. Worst of all, the two lead performances render the characters unlikeable. Temple seems like a flamboyant, older man, as if he is playing the part on stage for a large audience, while Chatterton seems like the "'angry young man'" Temple accuses him of being in the first scene when they meet. The two acting styles are quite different and don't match up well.

Eric Ambler (1909-1998), who wrote the teleplay, was born in London and was married to Joan Harrison, who produced this episode. He had a long and successful career as a novelist and is considered the father of the modern spy novel, having influenced such writers as Graham Greene and John le Carre. He was a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and adapted Monsarrat's novel, The Cruel Sea, for film. "Act of Faith" is not indicative of his writing and is the only episode he wrote for the Hitchcock TV show.

The show was directed by Bernard Girard (1918-1997), who directed many TV shows and a few movies between 1951 and 1975. He directed twelve episodes of the Hitchcock show, including "Ride the Nightmare."

Florence MacMichael as Alice

Alan Chatterton is played by George Grizzard (1928-2007), who was on screen from 1955 to 2006, working more often on television than on film. He had a Broadway career that spanned the same years and was in the original cast of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Grizzard was seen in three episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, including "Fog Closing In," as well as episodes of The Twilight Zone and Thriller and the famous Bus Stop episode, "I Kiss Your Shadow."

Dennis King (1897-1971) plays Ralston Temple. He was born Dennis Pratt in England, served in WWI, and began a long career as a stage actor in 1919. He moved to the US in 1921 and worked steadily on Broadway until 1969. He was both an actor and a singer and, though he made only a small number of films, he was a busy TV actor from 1948 to 1963. This was his only role on the Hitchcock TV show.

Alice, the secretary, is played by Florence MacMichael (1919-1999), who appeared on Broadway and whose long screen career lasted from 1943 to 1971. She was on The Twilight Zone and she was a semi-regular on Mister Ed (1963-1965); she also is credited with roles in three other episodes of the Hitchcock show, including "Annabel."

The cast and crew of "Act of Faith" were a talented group, but the episode is one of the weakest of the series. Read the story here or watch the TV show here; it first aired on NBC on Tuesday, April 10, 1962.

Sources:

"Act of Faith." Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 7, episode 27, NBC, 10 Apr. 1962.

"Eric Ambler, Thriller Writer Who Elevated the Genre to Literature, Is Dead at 89." The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/1998/10/24/arts/eric-ambler-thriller-writer-who-elevated-the-genre-to-literature-is-dead-at-89.html.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. OTR Pub, 2001.

IBDB, www.ibdb.com.

IMDb, www.imdb.com.

Lane, Christina. Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman behind Hitchcock. Chicago Review Press, 2020.

Monsarrat, Nicholas. "Postscript." The Ship That Died of Shame and Other Stories, Pan, 1980, pp. 203–204.

Monsarrat, Nicholas. "Up the Garden Path." The Ship That Died of Shame and Other Stories, Pan, London, 1980, pp. 115–129.

Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org.

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