Each episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" begins with the unmistakable caricatured profile of Hitchcock himself. He introduces the episode, shows up to introduce commercial breaks and, being the good host, bids his viewers good night at the end of each episode. All of this is done with the pithy, tongue-in-cheek, insinuations for which Hitchcock was noted. He is laughing at us, at the sponsors, and at the world in general, it seems, as if he knows a secret we don't.
The series is an anthology of stories and, like "The Twilight Zone", it features stories that are imaginative and cleverly written. Where "The Twilight Zone" features stories of science fiction, "Hitchcock Presents" features stories about criminal intent, psychological aberrations, or just odd views of personalities.
It seems that the whole is greater than its parts, because although some episodes--when viewed separately--are not very impressive, as a body of work, the series is impressive, with fine performances and good writing.
As a child, I remember that merely hearing the show's theme music (Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette") and seeing Hitchcock's profile was enough to suggest the presence of the macabre. His off kilter sense of humor as host of the series, served to tie the individual shows together, despite commercial interruptions. Like a Tony Perkin's smile, he seemed to intimate hidden depths and dark intentions.
The series is an anthology of stories and, like "The Twilight Zone", it features stories that are imaginative and cleverly written. Where "The Twilight Zone" features stories of science fiction, "Hitchcock Presents" features stories about criminal intent, psychological aberrations, or just odd views of personalities.
It seems that the whole is greater than its parts, because although some episodes--when viewed separately--are not very impressive, as a body of work, the series is impressive, with fine performances and good writing.
As a child, I remember that merely hearing the show's theme music (Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette") and seeing Hitchcock's profile was enough to suggest the presence of the macabre. His off kilter sense of humor as host of the series, served to tie the individual shows together, despite commercial interruptions. Like a Tony Perkin's smile, he seemed to intimate hidden depths and dark intentions.