Alfred Hitchcock Television
NOW ON DVD
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Four O'Clock
Black
& White version
(Suspicion):
Paul Steppe (E. G.
Marshall), a watch repairman, is
convinced his
wife
Fran (Nancy Kelly)
is cheating on him while he tends to the store every afternoon. Consumed with
jealousy, he devised a time bomb, set to go off at four o'clock - the same time
her "lover" pays his daily visit. One day, when his wife is at the market, he
sneaks into the house to plant the device. There, Paul is surprised by two
burglars, who tie him up and gag him in the basement - leaving him at the mercy
of his own device, ticking away. With an hour to go, his wife comes home and
Paul overhears the two talking. Apparently her "lover" is none other than her
brother Dave (Richard
Long), who was recently released from
prison. Deciding to reveal her secret to Paul, the two leave for the clock
maker's store, leaving Paul alone with the clock, ticking away. As the last
minutes pass, Paul unsuccessfully attempts to free himself before the deadline.
The meter reader comes by, but he doesn't even notice him. A small neighbor boy
does see Paul through the window, but won't get help. When Fran and Dave
return, they watch calmly as Paul is escorted out of the house in a
straight-jacket... having gone mad from the afternoon's experience. What
happened... what went wrong? Four O'Clock
was one of only 20 TV shows personally directed by
Alfred Hitchcock. Fabulous! The Black/White version was a full
hour production on Suspicion and first aired 9/30,1957.
COLOR
version
(AHPC):
The color remake was a half-hour production and first aired 5/4/1986. Judge
Paul
Magrew (Kenneth
McMillan), a jealous and obsessive
old man, suspects his younger wife (Ellen
Tobie) of having an affair. When he
hires a private detective, who comes back with photographs of Karen meeting
secretly with an ex-con named Ben (Richard
Cox), the judge's suspicions are
confirmed. Presiding over a trial, the judge learns the details on how to make
a homemade bomb and hurries home to set one up for his wife and her lover in the
basement. Unbeknownst to the judge, two burglars break into the house and knock
him unconscious, tying him up next to the explosive. When he regains
consciousness, he finds himself with only twenty minutes to spare before the
bomb is set to go off. Karen and Ben arrive, find the house ransacked, and Ben
leaves before the police arrive. Later, the police find the judge mad, having
gone out of his mind from waiting for the explosion, and he has to be taken to a
mental hospital for a little rest and relaxation. Ben returns shortly after,
promising to take care of his little sister, while her husband recovers... What
happened... what went wrong? Very interesting how they turn a one-hour script
into a half-hour production. Directed by
Andrew Mirisch.
First aired 5/4/86.
Both versions are of Excellent quality. The cost of DVD set is $14.99. or you may order only the black & white version or the only the color version for $9.99. + US shipping $.99 first class or $5.10 priority. Outside US $3 for air.
This reproduction is sold collector to collector. The seller owns no rights to this movie and no transfer of rights is given or implied. Defective discs will be replaced with same title only. No refunds.
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