Beginning with the conclusion itself, as an ardent fan of the ‘Master of Suspense’, either you must have already seen this ‘One of The Best’ TV series of the last century coming from the inimitable genius or would be going for it next, after reading this short note of appreciation praising the unique show for sure, in order to experience the magical nostalgia.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) (1955-1962)
(7 Seasons with 268 episodes) A dramatic anthology of well-chosen short stories adapted for the small screen, the series began in 1955 and was also hosted by Alfred Hitchcock himself adding that famous unique touch of his own to its each episode. The stories were wisely selected offering an interesting mix of mystery, suspense, shocks, horror, comedy, supernatural and satires too in its 7 seasons featuring about 268 episodes of 25 minutes each. There were several inclusions taken from ‘Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine’ and a few even had open endings, ironical conclusions and smartly fleeing villains too providing that witty entertainment as expected from a Hitchcock venture.
Written superbly with some great imaginative remarks made on the social evils, human nature, its relation with crime and more, the project truly remains one of the most engaging television series ever. And that is the reason why it still gets repeatedly aired on many reputed channels even after half a century, despite being in black & white or without any great sound effects as per the current trends. Opening with an iconic profile of Hitchcock and a catchy theme music, the episodes often had the maestro making some hilarious comments upon the commercials, sponsors and even the censors before talking about the basic plot and its twist, which eventually remained one of the key attractions of the series, throughout its various seasons.
An indisputably daring move (going for the small screen) by the trendsetting film-maker to reach a wider audience, the series not only featured some exceptional writers but it also had many great actors and directors contributing in its huge success, as a team (with a few episodes directed by Hitchcock too). And that is the reason Hitchcock always gave the major credit of its success to the writers & directors perfectly delivering as per his cinematic vision and reputation of being known as “The Master of Suspense”.
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour – (1962-1965)
(3 Seasons with 93 episodes)Post its first seven season till 1962, the engrossing anthology series got revived in the same year with a new name “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” which followed the similar format of its original but had longer episodes now stretching up to 50-55 minutes. Each episode was again hosted by Hitchcock himself with his famous comical comments followed by a fresh mysterious story loaded with a surprising twist. This new format ran for 3 seasons of around 93 episodes within the time span of 3 years from 1962-1965 and remained the last phase of this original TV series, brilliantly conceived by the master (including a few episodes directed by himself).
Alfred Hitchcock Presents – (1985-1989)
(4 Seasons with 76 episodes)
Following the huge success of its earlier seasons, a fine attempt was made to bring back the famous series again on the small screen in 1985 which featured both remakes and new stories in its 76 episodes (22-25 min. each) spread over the 4 seasons till 1989. But this time it was in colour having the old footage of Hitchcock as the host, who probably became the first posthumous host in the television history, quite amusingly.
AvailabilityAt the time of writing this article, the serial is being aired on FOX Crime Channel (In India) and its first five seasons have been officially released as multi DVD sets by Universal too which are widely available at Amazon.com and other online stores for purchase.
However, almost all the episodes in its first season and most of the rest too are also available on Youtube.com at different personal channels of fans and die-hard followers of the one of its kind, Alfred Hitchcock. So, you can straight away dig on to this ‘not to be missed treasure’ after reading its concise description and have a great time full of mystery, suspense, drama and thrill in a pure Hitchcockian style.
Cheers!
