"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" is one of the true highlights of American television. Its overall presentation, the stories, the twists to the tales, the calibre of acting and writing talent, not to mention the man himself making an appearance, all resulted in an exceptional show. It always fascinates me in how much story can be added into 25 minute episodes, just like with "Rod Serling's Twilight Zone." There are so many talented people amongst the cast, some who were already established and others who were yet to be known. Here are some of the actors and stars involved: Claude Rains, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Bette Davis, Walter Matthau, Roger Moore, Denholm Elliott, Hazel Court, Mark Richman, Harry Guardino, John Larch, Dick York, Charles Bronson, Burt Reynolds, Murray Hamilton, Harry Dean Stanton, Vera Miles, John Forsythe and others. You could not ask for a more varied and diverse range of cast members such as the above. Alfred Hitchcock really adds to the proceedings here. It isn't every filmmaker who can advertise and market his own films or television shows but Hitchcock was a born showman. His methods of advertising are effortless and natural. His introductions and conclusions to his television show are delivered with a dry, deadpan sense of humour. I have had a bit of a chuckle at some of this. This show lasted for seven seasons and ran from 1955 to 1962. Then under the title of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," the episodes were extended to 50 minutes each but there is a fair bit of padding to these.
