An older man arrives in a small town. He begins by driving out to view some dilapidated property. A smile settles on his face and he heads back to town. Cut to a less-than-attractive real estate office with an agent that fits right in. When our hero asks about buying the property, there is a pregnant pause. It seems the old woman who lives there has a huge asking price for the property, and the idea of his going out there seems fruitless. When he visits the owner, she tells him that unless he comes up with the outrageous price, she is not interested. Soon she tells a tale of a son who obviously went bad, got himself into big trouble, and was killed inside the house. The conclusion is very satisfying and quite "Hitchcockian." This episode keeps us engaged all the way through, the acting is quite good, and it makes good use of the format.
11 Reviews
"The Right Kind of House" is mini-classic
chuck-reilly10 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Alfred Hitchcock's half hour series was noted for its superb ironic endings, usually to the dismay of someone who deserved his or her fate. The 1958 entry "The Right Kind of House" has all the elements of classic Hitchcock: suspense, an unnerving plot line, some repulsive characters, and the requisite twist at the end of the story. Jeanette Nolan plays an old lady who is trying to sell her dilapidated house for the ridiculous price of $50,000. Since this is the 1950s, $50,000 is a small fortune. When a semi-retired man (Robert Emhardt) comes along and decides that he can meet her price, the story begins to unfold regarding the house, the old lady and why the Real Estate price is so high. It seems that the place has sentimental value to the old gal. Her son (James Drury) was mysteriously killed there by an unknown assailant years ago. She had loved this fellow dearly even though he had robbed a bank in New York City with an accomplice. He had returned to live with her after absconding with the money (about $250,000), but he kept the cash hidden away in a small black attaché case. Later, his partner-in-crime came calling for him one night, and in lieu of forcing the money out of him, shot him dead in the living room. Ms. Nolan had heard the men arguing and the fatal shots, but was upstairs in her bedroom when the dastardly deed was executed. The stolen money was never recovered by the police (who also came calling after her son's homicide) or by her son's murderer. Which brings us to Mr. Emhardt and why he would want to pay the exorbitant price of $50,000 for Jeanette's ramshackle old house. What Emhardt doesn't know is that wily old Ms. Nolan has been waiting for him to arrive for a long time and she's got a BIG surprise for him.
This episode was handled skillfully by the prolific movie and television director Don Taylor. Ms. Nolan is chiefly remembered now for her ground-breaking performance as Lady Macbeth in Orson Welles' famous film. Of course, Drury went on to fame and fortune playing "The Virginian" on the old TV western. Emhardt was one of the better character actors of his day and his familiar face and voice were seen frequently by anyone with a TV set for his entire career.
This episode was handled skillfully by the prolific movie and television director Don Taylor. Ms. Nolan is chiefly remembered now for her ground-breaking performance as Lady Macbeth in Orson Welles' famous film. Of course, Drury went on to fame and fortune playing "The Virginian" on the old TV western. Emhardt was one of the better character actors of his day and his familiar face and voice were seen frequently by anyone with a TV set for his entire career.
Real estate murder
TheLittleSongbird25 December 2022
"The Right Kind of House" is Don Taylor's second episode after the above average if unexceptional "The Deadly". Part of me knew it would be a better episode from reading the synopsis alone, it is a great premise, very darkly suspenseful sounding and very Hitchcockian. The sort of premise that fits perfectly within 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and one that Hitchcock himself would have been at home actually. Talented actors like Robert Emhardt and Jeanette Nolan promised a lot too.
Luckily, this reviewer was not disappointed at all. "The Right Kind of House" is indeed superior to "The Deadly" and is a contender for Taylor's best episode. For me, it is also one of the best episodes of Season 3, with other standouts of the previous episodes being "The Glass Eye" and "Reward to Finder" and "Lamb to the Slaughter" standing out of the succeeding ones. As well as one of the most atmospheric in terms of creepiness and one of the best acted.
My only minor issue with "The Right Kind of House" was the ending, it is not a surprise really at all, actually thought it was fairly easy to figure out too early. It does have to be said though that it is still cleverly done and something that would be at home in a Hitchcock film.
Emhardt, in his penultimate appearance in the series, is excellent and brings all the qualities that made him consistently great in all his previous 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' entries. Nolan is every bit his equal in a moving performance that makes one feel for her situation, her character comes over as very real and not a caricature. Their chemistry absolutely blisters, one of the season's best lead chemistries.
Taylor's direction never tries to do too much while keeping the drama tight and not letting the suspense levels drop. Absolutely loved the storytelling, which is a very powerful and darkly tense one and is uncompromising in its approach to a sensitive subject while also movingly tragic. Which is what makes "The Right Kind of House" so scary, and the twists are well done, not expected and aren't obvious or far fetched.
Writing is compact and not talk heavy or melodramatic and has grit, with some occasional darkly funny moments that don't jar. The production values are slick and atmospheric enough and Hitchcock's bookending is suitably droll. Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" is a great choice for the theme music. Sadie's backstory, told through flashback, intrigues and is emotional, really explaining very well how she came to be in a way that doesn't over explain. This kind of story structure has real danger of bogging down the momentum and over explaining, but neither is the case here.
Absolutely excellent and one of the season's best. 9/10.
Luckily, this reviewer was not disappointed at all. "The Right Kind of House" is indeed superior to "The Deadly" and is a contender for Taylor's best episode. For me, it is also one of the best episodes of Season 3, with other standouts of the previous episodes being "The Glass Eye" and "Reward to Finder" and "Lamb to the Slaughter" standing out of the succeeding ones. As well as one of the most atmospheric in terms of creepiness and one of the best acted.
My only minor issue with "The Right Kind of House" was the ending, it is not a surprise really at all, actually thought it was fairly easy to figure out too early. It does have to be said though that it is still cleverly done and something that would be at home in a Hitchcock film.
Emhardt, in his penultimate appearance in the series, is excellent and brings all the qualities that made him consistently great in all his previous 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' entries. Nolan is every bit his equal in a moving performance that makes one feel for her situation, her character comes over as very real and not a caricature. Their chemistry absolutely blisters, one of the season's best lead chemistries.
Taylor's direction never tries to do too much while keeping the drama tight and not letting the suspense levels drop. Absolutely loved the storytelling, which is a very powerful and darkly tense one and is uncompromising in its approach to a sensitive subject while also movingly tragic. Which is what makes "The Right Kind of House" so scary, and the twists are well done, not expected and aren't obvious or far fetched.
Writing is compact and not talk heavy or melodramatic and has grit, with some occasional darkly funny moments that don't jar. The production values are slick and atmospheric enough and Hitchcock's bookending is suitably droll. Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" is a great choice for the theme music. Sadie's backstory, told through flashback, intrigues and is emotional, really explaining very well how she came to be in a way that doesn't over explain. This kind of story structure has real danger of bogging down the momentum and over explaining, but neither is the case here.
Absolutely excellent and one of the season's best. 9/10.
THE RIGHT KIND OF REVENGE?
tcchelsey23 December 2022
"The Right Kind of House" is a Hitchcock gem. Actually, this is a duel between two superb actors;
Jeanette Nolan and Robert Emhardt (a series regular in some other over the top roles). All you have to do is watch.
Emhardt plays easy going, but slippery country gentleman Mr. Waterbury, who is looking for a nice house to retire and call home. OK? Nolan is the owner of that house, but wants a fortune for it --which Waterbury is willing to pay. The question is why?? --without giving too much away...
Although you may have guessed at this point that there's something worth his while stashed under the floorboards. The ending is an absolute knock-out, an excellent two character cat and mouse story if there ever was one. Credit writer Robert C. Dennis, who also did much work for PERRY MASON. And doesn't this start out like a Perry Mason mystery?
Jeanette Nolan, long in westerns, was one of the most popular actresses on tv and this particular episode shows why. Well directed by Don Taylor, one of the best at his craft. As always, Hitch has the last laugh.
By the way. The asking price for the shack is $50,000, worth today about 520,000 dollars!
SEASON 3 remastered CBS dvd box set. 5 dvd set. 2007 release.
Emhardt plays easy going, but slippery country gentleman Mr. Waterbury, who is looking for a nice house to retire and call home. OK? Nolan is the owner of that house, but wants a fortune for it --which Waterbury is willing to pay. The question is why?? --without giving too much away...
Although you may have guessed at this point that there's something worth his while stashed under the floorboards. The ending is an absolute knock-out, an excellent two character cat and mouse story if there ever was one. Credit writer Robert C. Dennis, who also did much work for PERRY MASON. And doesn't this start out like a Perry Mason mystery?
Jeanette Nolan, long in westerns, was one of the most popular actresses on tv and this particular episode shows why. Well directed by Don Taylor, one of the best at his craft. As always, Hitch has the last laugh.
By the way. The asking price for the shack is $50,000, worth today about 520,000 dollars!
SEASON 3 remastered CBS dvd box set. 5 dvd set. 2007 release.
Solid Hitchcock
dougdoepke13 January 2011
Solid entry, nothing special, but it will keep you guessing. So why does Waterbury (Emhardt) decide to pay 5-times the value of Sadie's (Nolan) old house, and why does she insist on only taking that unreasonable amount. It's both a clever and novel gimmick from series favorite Henry Slesar. The humorous opening in the real estate office amounts to a colorful touch that helps lift the narrative— ditsy secretary Sally really wears out that gum! Then too, Emhardt and Nolan play off one another so well.
Speaking of the two expert leads, AHP distinguished itself from the glamour obsessed 1950's by regularly featuring ordinary looking people like Emhardt and Nolan in lead parts. The crew of regulars during this early period also includes such outstanding performers as the bald Robert H. Harris, the meek John Qualen, the twitchy Phyllis Thaxter, and average-Joe Biff McGuire. It's a tribute to the quality of the stories, I think, that the series appeal did not depend on the physical attractiveness of its leads. With Hitchcock, story was always paramount, as it is here.
Speaking of the two expert leads, AHP distinguished itself from the glamour obsessed 1950's by regularly featuring ordinary looking people like Emhardt and Nolan in lead parts. The crew of regulars during this early period also includes such outstanding performers as the bald Robert H. Harris, the meek John Qualen, the twitchy Phyllis Thaxter, and average-Joe Biff McGuire. It's a tribute to the quality of the stories, I think, that the series appeal did not depend on the physical attractiveness of its leads. With Hitchcock, story was always paramount, as it is here.
Home is where the hurt is
hellraiser720 March 2020
This is my tenth favorite episode. I wouldn't say the ending is much of a twist as you have an idea where it's going with itself. That doesn't make it any less suspenseful, it's suspenseful in a different way because it's like we have an idea that the hammer is going to drop at the end, but we don't know how hard. I also like the format of this episode as it's sort of a story within a story.
We see the person that want to buy the house, on the surface he seems like just a regular customer however we instantly know the guy is untrustworthy and he really doesn't give us any reason to trust him as we know nothing about him and he never states he's reason as to why he wants a rundown house so much.
Sadie is sympathetic, she's really sweet but you sense from her voice and even from some of her physicality she is a deeply sad individual. We get to her flashbacks about her son, we see despite a guy with big dreams in the big city, they have turned into nightmares for him. The story is tragic, despite a good homestead with a good mom, the son just seemed to be at the wrong end of things.
As she goes on with the story we become more and more intrigued because we already know that somehow this story is connected with what's currently going on in the present but without the full story we can't confirm anything, that is until the end which really shows home is where the hurt is.
Rating: 4 stars
We see the person that want to buy the house, on the surface he seems like just a regular customer however we instantly know the guy is untrustworthy and he really doesn't give us any reason to trust him as we know nothing about him and he never states he's reason as to why he wants a rundown house so much.
Sadie is sympathetic, she's really sweet but you sense from her voice and even from some of her physicality she is a deeply sad individual. We get to her flashbacks about her son, we see despite a guy with big dreams in the big city, they have turned into nightmares for him. The story is tragic, despite a good homestead with a good mom, the son just seemed to be at the wrong end of things.
As she goes on with the story we become more and more intrigued because we already know that somehow this story is connected with what's currently going on in the present but without the full story we can't confirm anything, that is until the end which really shows home is where the hurt is.
Rating: 4 stars
Clever and enjoyable
sheepandsharks18 December 2023
There are two things that can make me really love an episode of AHP: captivating performances from the actors, or an ending I didn't see coming. This episode has both! It is one of the more clever entries of the show.
Our 2 leads are able to switch between character archetypes in a way that remains completely believable. In only 22 minutes, you feel like you understand everything about both of them. The bit characters of the real estate agent and his secretary are also really fun. I wish we could've seen a bit more of them.
This doesn't get a perfect 10/10 from me only because I feel the pacing could have been better. The placement of the flashback killed the momentum that was building. I think it would've worked better if it had been shown earlier in the episode, and told by the real estate agent or police officer.
Our 2 leads are able to switch between character archetypes in a way that remains completely believable. In only 22 minutes, you feel like you understand everything about both of them. The bit characters of the real estate agent and his secretary are also really fun. I wish we could've seen a bit more of them.
This doesn't get a perfect 10/10 from me only because I feel the pacing could have been better. The placement of the flashback killed the momentum that was building. I think it would've worked better if it had been shown earlier in the episode, and told by the real estate agent or police officer.
True switch ending
drystyx24 October 2023
How to do this without a spoiler?
Well, I'll go into the atmosphere. An elderly, congenial man approaches a real estate agent in a Mayberry RFD sort of town.
This man looks like he could be the mayor of Mayberry, but he isn't the mayor here. He's a visitor, and he tells the real estate agent that he is looking for a certain kind of house, and one really caught his eye.
It's for sale, but at a price over ten times the market price.
Not a bit dissuaded, this congenial man approaches the owner who won't budge a bit on her price.
He tries to win her over, but she remains cold to his smiles.
She has an affection for the house. Her wayward son was killed there long ago by his partner in crime. She tells a story to the visitor, treating him as a guest, but never bending a bit in her price for the house.
There's more to the story, but, well, that's the "twist". Very well written and very well thought out.
Well, I'll go into the atmosphere. An elderly, congenial man approaches a real estate agent in a Mayberry RFD sort of town.
This man looks like he could be the mayor of Mayberry, but he isn't the mayor here. He's a visitor, and he tells the real estate agent that he is looking for a certain kind of house, and one really caught his eye.
It's for sale, but at a price over ten times the market price.
Not a bit dissuaded, this congenial man approaches the owner who won't budge a bit on her price.
He tries to win her over, but she remains cold to his smiles.
She has an affection for the house. Her wayward son was killed there long ago by his partner in crime. She tells a story to the visitor, treating him as a guest, but never bending a bit in her price for the house.
There's more to the story, but, well, that's the "twist". Very well written and very well thought out.
This Old House
telegonus31 August 2017
The Right Kind Of House is an above average Hitchcock episode. I'd rate it higher but for the ending seeming to me to have been telegraphed too early; but then not everyone's so clever at seeing where a story's going to go,--which is a mixed blessing to begin with--so there's no reason to give it away.
A retired businessman visiting a small town checks into a real estate office looking for a house. The realtor has many for sale, but the man wants a particular house, one whose owner is asking much more money for than most people would likely want to pay for such a rundown old place, and one cannot help but wonder why.
Does the house harbor a dark secret? By the end the viewer shall find out. The ambiance is, as is so often the case for the Hitchcock series, cozy, and this somewhat conceals the maneuverings of the two main characters. They are superbly played by the always reliable Robert Emhardt and Jeanette Nolan.
A retired businessman visiting a small town checks into a real estate office looking for a house. The realtor has many for sale, but the man wants a particular house, one whose owner is asking much more money for than most people would likely want to pay for such a rundown old place, and one cannot help but wonder why.
Does the house harbor a dark secret? By the end the viewer shall find out. The ambiance is, as is so often the case for the Hitchcock series, cozy, and this somewhat conceals the maneuverings of the two main characters. They are superbly played by the always reliable Robert Emhardt and Jeanette Nolan.
I guess I liked this one a bit less than most of the others.
planktonrules1 April 2021
I noticed that the previous episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" was one that the other reviewers disliked...though I did. In the case of "The Right Kind of House", the roles are reversed and I didn't like it as much as the other reviewers...mostly because I could see the big twist LONG before it occurred and I think most viewers will also see it as well.
A man arrives in a small town and approaches a realtor about buying a very specific house and giving him a long story about falling in love with the town...which seems pretty dubious. You can't help but think he has very specific reasons for wanting that particular house...especially when the woman selling it wants a ridiculous amount for it (five times the normal asking price) and he STILL wants to buy it.
Overall, a story that was interesting but the twist just left me flat. Good but the current score of 8.7 seems amazingly high as this would seem to indicate some brilliance I just didn't see when I saw the show.
A man arrives in a small town and approaches a realtor about buying a very specific house and giving him a long story about falling in love with the town...which seems pretty dubious. You can't help but think he has very specific reasons for wanting that particular house...especially when the woman selling it wants a ridiculous amount for it (five times the normal asking price) and he STILL wants to buy it.
Overall, a story that was interesting but the twist just left me flat. Good but the current score of 8.7 seems amazingly high as this would seem to indicate some brilliance I just didn't see when I saw the show.
"She must have hypnotized him."
classicsoncall18 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I tried to find a flaw in the plot for this episode and I couldn't come up with one. A number of these stories either included something or left a detail out that made the story illogical, but this time all the bases appeared covered. You have to hand it to old Sadie (Jeanette Nolan), she had the patience of a saint to wait out the murderer of her son who tried to cash in on a robbery done five years prior. I don't know however, how she figured she could get away with the old poisoned lemonade trick. The better solution might have been to call the police chief (Charles Watts) back to hang out in a nearby room to listen to her astute analysis of why Waterbury (Robert Emhardt) was the killer. After the arrest, she could have sold her house at a reasonable asking price, and lived off the two hundred grand her son came home with all those years ago. Oops, I think I found the plot hole.
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