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Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 4 Episodes
Season 4 Episode Guide
36 Episodes 1958 - 1959
Episode 1
Poison
Sun, Oct 5, 195826 mins
Harry Pope awakens in bed to discover that there's a sleeping poisonous snake lying on his abdomen under the blanket.
Episode 2
Don't Interrupt
Sun, Oct 12, 195830 mins
Radio warns that a mental patient escaped from a hospital into a severe New Mexico blizzard. At the rail-stop near the sanitarium, a huge, old cowboy boards the train and calms a rattled family with tall tales of the West, as the besieged train grinds to a halt. Totally entranced is the family's young boy, dressed as a gunslinger. Is the patient the old cowpoke ?
Episode 3
The Jokester
Sun, Oct 19, 195830 mins
A practical joker plays one joke too many and is punched and knocked unconscious. To the concerned bar owner he appears dead so he makes plans to dump the body in a bad part of town. But considering the jokester's reputation his demise might not be quite true.
Episode 4
The Crooked Road
Sun, Oct 26, 195830 mins
Harry Adams and his wife are driving cross-country through a rural Deep South town when a local speed trap ensnares the young couple. The corrupt redneck police officer, Chandler, arrests them and attempts to extort money from them. The more sophisticated and civilized vacationers from the Big Apple protest their innocence. But the worse they protest, the more the charges, cost & beatings inflicted by Officer Chandler and the entire town of corrupt rednecks becomes. Even Mrs. Adams sincere attempts to mollify the highway robbery patrol doesn't work. How more bad can it get? Yet, the "victim" Mr. Adams, as well as his wife, are not who they appear to be...
Episode 5
The $2,000,000 Defense
Sun, Nov 2, 195830 mins
Facing the death penalty for murdering his wife's lover, Lloyd Ashley guarantees his lawyer Mark Robeson $2 million if Robeson gets him off, as a guilty verdict looks increasingly certain. Ashley claims the gun fired accidentally, though the safety catch was on, but ballistics expert John Keller testifies that that's impossible.
Episode 6
Design for Loving
Sun, Nov 9, 195830 mins
In the near future of 1965, a drone seeks escape from his dull job, and his wife's constant demands. Charles Brailing longs to chuck it all and fly down to Rio a la Fred Astaire. Sharing his dilemma with another middle-age crazy hubby, Brailing purchases an answer which should satisfy all parties, even the lovely Lydia - an android duplicate.
Episode 7
Man with a Problem
Sun, Nov 16, 195830 mins
Carl checks into a hotel and promptly steps out onto the ledge, apparently intending to kill himself. Carl recounts the events that have led him to this decision. His beautiful wife Karen was having an affair with a married man called Steve and eventually decides to leave her husband for him. Carl warns her that men like Steve will never leave their wives for a mistress but she dismisses this only to find that her husband had it right all along. In despair, she commits suicide. On the ledge, Carl seems willing to talk only to the local beat cop, Officer Barrett who goes out on the ledge to talk Carl into stepping back into the room. Little does he know that this is exactly what Carl had in mind.
Episode 8
Safety for the Witness
Sun, Nov 23, 195830 mins
How long can a man who witnessed the murder of a star witness to murder survive in the Roaring '20s U.S.? The trigger-men are prized customers of the gunsmith who witnessed the murder, timid Cyril T. Jones who survives 3 bullets from his clients. Jones clams up while hospitalized, pretending he can't talk whenever lawmen try to interrogate him as he recovers.
Episode 9
Murder Me Twice
Sun, Dec 7, 195830 mins
At a house party, Lucy Pryor allows herself to be hypnotized by Miles Farnham. While under his spell, she claims to be a woman living in 1853 and in the process of describing what she did, picks up a pair of scissors and kills her husband. In looking into the case, the coroner determines that in 1853 a woman did just as Lucy described but is suspicious that this could be a sham. At the inquest, Miles suggests that he hypnotize Lucy, with unexpected consequences.
Episode 10
Tea Time
Sun, Dec 14, 195830 mins
Blanche Herbert invites Iris Teleton to tea at a posh restaurant. Blanche and Iris' husband Oliver have been having an affair for some time and she now wants Iris to grant her husband a divorce. Iris flatly refuses but it appears that she too once had an affair, a fact that Blanche is obviously prepared to use to her advantage. Iris is determined not to let her husband go free and sets out to ensure that neither he nor his lover ever spend time together again. Little does she realize exactly what her husband is up to.
Episode 11
And the Desert Shall Blossom
Sun, Dec 21, 195830 mins
A killer on the run demands help from two cantankerous Western prospectors, when his car breaks down near their remote shack. The old couple already face eviction unless they can demonstrate that they are homesteading, but in a patch of Nevada desert which can barely support a juniper tree, how can they?
Episode 12
Mrs. Herman and Mrs. Fenimore
Sun, Dec 28, 195830 mins
Poor widow Billy Herman plans to speed the demise of the wealthy uncle who lives with her in Boston. A comely new female boarder quickens the hearts of both the niece and the elderly misanthrope. The new tenant, a struggling actress, is perfect casting for the crucial role in the gaslight era murder melodrama the niece has plotted for so long.
Episode 13
Six People, No Music
Sun, Jan 4, 195930 mins
When wealthy department store owner Stanton Barryvale dies, mortician Art Motherwell anticipates a windfall from a lavish funeral. But the dearly departed awakens from "death" to insist the mortician keep expenses to the bare minimum.
Episode 14
The Morning After
Sun, Jan 11, 195930 mins
A mother who's distraught about her daughter's affair with a married businessman confronts the man in his office. He's been trying to assure them for a year that he's working on gaining his freedom from his wife so he can marry the young daughter. The middle-aged executive won't waver from his story, but can't persuade the indignant, self-righteous mother to stop interfering.
Episode 15
A Personal Matter
Sun, Jan 18, 195930 mins
A failing mining operation in the Mexican hills has claimed its latest 'victim'; the American project engineer is fed up with cave-ins and other recurring problems. Unexpectedly, a car pulls up with two occupants. One is the mine's financier. The other man is supposedly an associate of his. With the mine needing only five more weeks of drilling and his project engineer on the verge of quitting, the desperate financier has run out of options and asks his associate to help make the engineer stay. He agrees, on one condition. The man's plan? Have the financier drive off right away leaving the engineer, as well as the financier's associate, stuck at the mine. With no options for at least 5-6 weeks, the engineer reluctantly agrees to continue the work. That night, the engineer hears a news report on the radio regarding the murder of a building project official in southern California, allegedly committed by a man who has fled to Mexico. Suspecting the new arrival from America and fearing for his life, the engineer tries to make a quick exit, but the financiers' associate walks in brandishing a gun. The two agree to a truce, albeit a temporary one, till the job is completed. As long as the truce is in effect, the engineer doesn't have to fear the associate killing him, and he'll continue to do his work. But after the job's completed, it's anyone's guess what will happen, leading to a twist at the end.
Episode 16
Out There - Darkness
Sun, Jan 25, 195930 mins
Miss Fox is a wealthy widow who lives alone with her dog, Vanessa. She has an arrangement with one of the building employees, Eddie McMahon, to walk Vanessa but when he asks her for a $50 loan, she refuses. When she walks Vanessa on Eddie's day off, she is mugged and is robbed of her wedding ring. She identifies Eddie as her attacker, though he strongly denies any involvement. A year after being incarcerated for the crime, the police locate her missing ring and the real perpetrator of the crime. Eddie is released and gets his old job back but also has something special in mind for Miss Fox.
Episode 17
Total Loss
Sun, Feb 1, 195930 mins
Jan Manning is having serious financial problems. She runs a dress shop, but sales are down and she doesn't have her dead husband's knack at purchasing, the end result being that she has too much inventory. One of her suppliers, Mel Reeves, has a solution; he needs only to hire someone to break into the shop through the skylight and set it on fire allowing Jan to collect on her insurance policy. But when the shop burns down, Jan tells the insurance investigator what happened only to be told that no one broke into the shop and that she is responsible for setting the fire herself.
Episode 18
The Last Dark Step
Sun, Feb 8, 195930 mins
Brad Taylor is a real-estate entrepreneur who is engaged to Janice Wright. Unbeknownst to her, Brad is still seeing an old flame, Leslie Lenox, a writer. Leslie doesn't take to Brad's decision to stop seeing her very well, particularly as she has been paying all of his bills for quite a long time. Leslie makes it very clear that should Brad not drop Janice, she will do everything in her power to ensure he never marries her. Seeing no other way out, Brad decides get rid of Leslie permanently, but is in for a surprise when he gets home to find two detectives waiting for him.
Episode 19
The Morning of the Bride
Sun, Feb 15, 195930 mins
A lonely woman is anxious to marry her long-time fiancé, whose mother she's never even met. She waited through his military service in the Korean War, the mother's illness, all the while worried that her younger, wealthier fiancé will find someone who's his equal. How long must the less educated woman wait to move from her small, furnished apartment to his family's mansion - and why the delay ?
Episode 20
The Diamond Necklace
Sun, Feb 22, 195930 mins
A jewelry firm casts out the last of a family who've been employees for 117 years, and the company won't hire the last of the line because she's a woman. Faithful service goes unrewarded when her father is given a week to finish up, but he'll show how much he'll be missed by selling the firm's most expensive gem by his last day of 37 years service.
Episode 21
Relative Value
Sun, Mar 1, 195930 mins
John Manbridge likes the good things in life, including betting on the horses. With no real means of support, he's taken to forging cheques from his cousin Felix Manbridge's account. Aware of this, Felix warns his cousin that should it happen again, he would prosecute--but reminds him that with his own current state of ill-health, John will soon inherit everything. John decides to accelerate the process, not realizing that Felix has decided to do the same, with unintended consequences.
Episode 22
The Right Price
Sun, Mar 8, 195930 mins
Jocelyn and Mort Barnhardt are married but are also business partners who bicker constantly about who contributes more to the business. One night, their home is broken into and the burglar goes about methodically looking for their valuables. When Mort investigates, he finds a chatty crook who offers him a deal: if they work together, they can get a nice fat insurance settlement in the bargain. Mort doesn't have much that's valuable so he proposes that the burglar kill Jocelyn. It doesn't quite go as planned however.
Episode 23
I'll Take Care of You
Sun, Mar 15, 195930 mins
John Forbes own a used car lot and business has been very slow. He only has one employee, whom he calls Dad, and has always assured him that no matter what, he will always take care of him. John's real problem is his extravagant wife who has just told him that she will be going on an expensive trip. When the opportunity presents itself, he takes care of the matter in a decisive way and with Dad's assistance, covers up his deeds. As the police bear down on him, John must determine who he will take care of first.
Episode 24
The Avon Emeralds
Sun, Mar 22, 195930 mins
Scotland Yard is tasked with ensuring that the recently widowed Lady Gwendolyn Avon doesn't smuggle an expensive necklace known as the "Avon Emeralds" out of England. Most of her late husband's estate was given up in death taxes and the police are sure she could sell them at a premium abroad. Inspector Benson is tasked with ensuring the jewels' safekeeping but when they are stolen from the hotel safe, it appears Lady Avon has a perfect plan.
Episode 25
The Kind Waitress
Sun, Mar 29, 195930 mins
Thelma Tompkins is a waitress in a hotel restaurant. She's a good waitress and has always been kind to old Mrs. Mannerheim who eats in the restaurant every evening. Thelma is shocked when Mrs. Mannerheim tells her that she is her closest friend and has left her a considerable legacy in her will. In the interim, she gives Thelma a brooch. Over the following months, Mrs. Mannerheim becomes ever more demanding and Thelma's musician boyfriend Arthur suggests that maybe the time has come for the old lady's demise to accelerated somewhat. Thelma poison's her tea but without any obvious effect. Thelma takes matters into her own hands and the subsequent coroner's inquiry reveals some interesting information about the poison she was using.
Episode 26
Cheap Is Cheap
Sun, Apr 5, 195930 mins
Alexander Gifford has to be the cheapest skinflint on the planet. He chides his wife for leaving a light turned on and he reads his neighbor's newspaper rather than buy his own. When his wife discovers he has bank accounts totaling $33,000 she starts spending money on herself, and he decides he has to do something about it. He tries to hire a "hit man," but recoils when he's told that the fee would be $500. The "hit man" refers him to a chemist to buy poison, but again recoils at the cost. He decides to find a low-cost way to proceed, but even when he's successful, he is taken aback when the doctor tells him that the funeral will likely cost at least $160. Even with that, he finds a way to avoid the costs.
Episode 27
The Waxwork
Sun, Apr 12, 195930 mins
A writer must spend a night in a wax museum's murderers' gallery, to make good a gambling debt knowingly paid with a bad check to a testy Englishman. The museum's owner is so obsessed with the accuracy of his replicas, he's as scary as they are. Especially so to the magazine writer from the U.S., who's already facing deportation or a stretch in a London jail.
Episode 28
The Impossible Dream
Sun, Apr 19, 195930 mins
Oliver Mathews was once a major movie star, but is now an over-the-hill "has-been" with only limited movie roles and with few fans. He's also being blackmailed by Grace Dolan whose daughter once had an affair with Mathews. He's now broke and decides to get rid of Dolan but finds that his personal assistant Miss Hall, who is infatuated with him, saw him commit the deed. Her price for not going to the police is to make her one dream come true.
Episode 29
Banquo's Chair
Sun, May 3, 195930 mins
John Bedford is suspected of being the murderer of his wealthy aunt, Miss Ferguson, but the police are unable to break his alibi. Now, exactly two years after the crime, a retired Scotland Yard investigator named William Brent, puts together a plan that he hopes will make the nephew confess. Brent invites the young man to a dinner in the home that once belonged to the late aunt, and secretly hires an actress to pretend to be the ghost of the dead woman. Everyone at the dinner is in on the scheme, and when the apparition appears, no one claims to see anything - but Bedford, that is.
Episode 30
A Night with the Boys
Sun, May 10, 195930 mins
After Irving Randall loses his weekly paycheck in a poker game with friends from work, he can't bear to tell his wife the truth so he tells her he was mugged on his way home. The tale gets complicated when she insists that he report it to the police. The police subsequently inform him that they have arrested the mugger and return his money to him. It's only the next day when he finally figures out exactly what is going on.
Episode 31
Your Witness
Sun, May 17, 195930 mins
Naomi Shawn is unhappily married. Her husband Arnold, a successful defense attorney, is having an affair with a younger woman and no longer shows interest in his wife. He also refuses to agree to a divorce, being satisfied with his current situation. In court, she watches her husband in action as he defends a hit-and-run driver. He negates the testimony of the prosecution's chief witness by challenging his visual acuity. After the trial, Naomi takes decisive action to end her marriage, utilizing the same eye-witness to bolster her story.
Episode 32
Human Interest Story
Sun, May 24, 195930 mins
Newspaperman Bill Everett is told by his editor to go to the bar across the street and interview a man who claims to be a Martian. There, Everett meets Howard Wilcox who spins a long tale about how he woke up one morning to find that his fellow Martians had all disappeared. He traveled to Earth and found himself in Wilcox's body. Everett convinces him to go home to his wife and even offers to accompany him. He nearly convinces Wilcox to keep his story to himself, but when he decides to tell his wife the whole story, Everett must take drastic action. All is explained when Everett provides a complete report to his editor.
Episode 33
The Dusty Drawer
Sun, May 31, 195930 mins
Norman Logan and William Tritt both live in the same boarding house. Tritt is a teller at a local bank and Logan is a professor, who is convinced that Tritt cheated him out of $200 on a deposit he made almost a year ago. Since that time Logan has been harassing Tritt, attempting to get him to admit to the theft, but to no avail. Logan then hatches a plot to challenge Tritts' sanity, and discredit him in the eyes of the bank manager. Logan accidentally discovers an unused, virtually hidden drawer in the desk used for seated transactions at the bank, and as Tritt comes to help him with his bonds, the light bulb over Logans' head has switched on, and he races out to get what he needs to put his plan into action - he buys a fake gun, returns to the bank, and demands $10,000 from Tritt, but by the time Tritt has raised the alarm, Logan has slipped the gun into the hidden desk drawer. He continues upping his antics with the increasingly rattled teller, until Logan is satisfied with the outcome.
Episode 34
A True Account
Sun, Jun 7, 195930 mins
Paul Brett is a top-notch criminal attorney who is consulted by Mrs. Cannon-Hughes. She was a nurse by profession who tended to the bedridden wife of Gilbert Hughes until her death. In the time since then, she married Mr. Hughes only to come to the conclusion that he murdered his first wife. Brett advises her that little that can be done without evidence, but he takes a liking to her and they eventually become lovers and marry when Gilbert takes his own life. Little does he realize the consequences of the choices he has made.
Episode 35
Touché
Sun, Jun 14, 195930 mins
Bill Fleming is upset that his wife is having an affair with Philip Baxter, the most recent of a long line of lovers. Bill is an ex-boxer and an outdoors man and nothing would give him more pleasure than to wring Baxter's neck. When he mentions to his fishing pal that he has a large collection of dueling weapons, his buddy suggests that he challenge Baxter to a duel. He tells Bill that under California law, you get special treatment in the courts if you kill someone in a duel. Little does Bill realize that his fishing pal had a purpose in giving Bill the advice he did.
Episode 36
Invitation to an Accident
Sun, Jun 21, 195930 mins
A scaffold falls on a new bride, after her husband accuses her of rendezvousing with an old flame. Another former suitor suspects the husband faked the accident, and urges her to cut off the affair. When she persists, he fears the unbalanced husband will again try to kill her, so he devises a plan to protect her.
