ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR, THE: NIGHT OF THE OWL (TV)
Summary
One in this series of macabre dramas presided over by the "master of suspense," film director Alfred Hitchcock.
In this episode, "Reverend" Locke visits the home of firefighter Jim Mallory and his family and informs Jim that he will tell their adopted teen daughter Anne the grim truth about her birth parents' deaths – that her father murdered her mother and hanged himself in prison – unless he is paid $6,000 in hush money. Jim agonizes over the dilemma as Anne, annoyed with her little sister Barbara's antics, admits that there is "something inside her" that sparks anger and dark emotions. Jim's wife Linda urges him to tell the police about the blackmail; Lieutenant Hank Ames ends up accompanying Jim to the would-be drop site, but Reverend Locke does not fall for the trap and orders Jim via pay phone to get rid of the cop and pay him later.
Jim and Linda briefly consider telling Anne the truth themselves, but Jim resolves to pay the money in order to protect his daughter, He tells Reverend Locke that he will have gathered the cash by the following morning. Reverend Locke's partner, Parker, then emerges and demands the money, revealing that the scheme was his idea. He accidentally kills Reverend Locke when they begin to tussle. Parker starts a forest fire to cover up the crime, and Jim arrives on the scene to discover that the arsonist and his blackmailer are apparently one and the same.
Lt. Ames discovers that Reverend Locke was violently murdered prior to the blaze and naturally suspects Jim of killing him in a rage, though Jim protests that he only harmed the man "in his mind." Later, Parker calls Jim and demands $1,000. Jim wonders how he can prove that Reverend Locke's partner in crime was to blame for his death. He ventures out to the meeting spot and finds Parker hidden in a tree, but Anne, having guessed that her father is in trouble, arrives on the scene as well. Parker gleefully blurts out the truth about her birth parents before Jim can stop him. She flees, horrified, and Jim seemingly kills Parker in the ensuing brawl. Back at home, Jim anxiously checks on Anne, and she explains that she is simply sad for her birth parents' tragic lives and is comforted by her adoptive parents' strong love for her. Lt. Ames visits the house and Jim sadly confesses to killing Parker – but Lt. Ames reveals that the crook is still alive and has been arrested for Reverend Locke's murder, finally leaving the Mallorys in peace. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:48:35
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: 136882
- GENRE: Drama, mystery/suspense
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, mystery/suspense; Crime and criminals; Blackmail
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1962-1964; NBC, 1964-1965
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Joan Harrison … Producer
- Gordon Hessler … Associate Producer
- Alan Crosland Jr. … Director
- Richard Fielder … Writer
- Andrew Garve … Based on a novel by
- Lyn Murray … Music by
- Alfred Hitchcock … Host
- Brian Keith … Cast, Jim Mallory
- Patricia Breslin … Cast, Linda Mallory
- Mike Kellin … Cast, Parker
- Philip Coolidge … Cast, Reverend Locke
- Robert Bray … Cast, Lieutenant Hank Ames
- Frank Ferguson … Cast, Captain Garner
- Norman Leavitt … Cast, Ben Kaylor
- Terry Ann Ross … Cast, Barbara Mallory
- Claudia Cravey … Cast, Anne Mallory