This episode is bursting with talent. They all came together perfectly to create about as good an entry into this series as you'll ever find.
Before we get to what we saw on the screen let's look at what contributed to it. It started with a great screenplay. The short story was by Ray Bradbury. It was part of his 1955 anthology, The October Country. The screenplay was adapted and written by James Bridges, who wrote a lot for Hitchcock's TV series. He was born in Paris Arkansas. He was a great choice for writing this tale set in the South. It was directed by the frequent Hitchcock collaborator, Norman Lloyd. The Bernard Herrmann score added perfect flavor. I'm tempted to watch it again with my eyes closed just to hear his music.
Then there's what we got treated to on the screen. First there's the star, Pat Buttram. He was known at the time as a character actor, mostly in Westerns and comedies. A few years after this episode aired he'd take on the role for which he was most famous - Mr. Haney in Green Acres. Then there was the Black Shakespearian actor, William Marshall. Not many years later he'd be the title character in the Blackula movies and later still the King of Cartoons on Peewee's Playhouse. There was the Academy Award winning actress, Jane Darwell, who'd been so memorable in roles in Gone With the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath and The Ox-Bow Incident. James Best as the sleazy boyfriend some years before he'd be remembered for Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane in The Dukes of Hazard. There was George Lindsey before he was Goober on the Andy Griffith Show, Marlon Brando's older sister, Broadway star Jocelyn Brando, Slim Pickens during the same year he'd give one of the most memorable performances of all time in Dr. Strangelove and, of course Billy Barty from so many iconic films, the most famous of which was The Wizard of Oz.
This was an anthology series. Like all such series it's very uneven from one episode to another. This one stands out. Very nicely done.
Before we get to what we saw on the screen let's look at what contributed to it. It started with a great screenplay. The short story was by Ray Bradbury. It was part of his 1955 anthology, The October Country. The screenplay was adapted and written by James Bridges, who wrote a lot for Hitchcock's TV series. He was born in Paris Arkansas. He was a great choice for writing this tale set in the South. It was directed by the frequent Hitchcock collaborator, Norman Lloyd. The Bernard Herrmann score added perfect flavor. I'm tempted to watch it again with my eyes closed just to hear his music.
Then there's what we got treated to on the screen. First there's the star, Pat Buttram. He was known at the time as a character actor, mostly in Westerns and comedies. A few years after this episode aired he'd take on the role for which he was most famous - Mr. Haney in Green Acres. Then there was the Black Shakespearian actor, William Marshall. Not many years later he'd be the title character in the Blackula movies and later still the King of Cartoons on Peewee's Playhouse. There was the Academy Award winning actress, Jane Darwell, who'd been so memorable in roles in Gone With the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath and The Ox-Bow Incident. James Best as the sleazy boyfriend some years before he'd be remembered for Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane in The Dukes of Hazard. There was George Lindsey before he was Goober on the Andy Griffith Show, Marlon Brando's older sister, Broadway star Jocelyn Brando, Slim Pickens during the same year he'd give one of the most memorable performances of all time in Dr. Strangelove and, of course Billy Barty from so many iconic films, the most famous of which was The Wizard of Oz.
This was an anthology series. Like all such series it's very uneven from one episode to another. This one stands out. Very nicely done.