Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season Two
starring: Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams, Arthur Gould-Porter, Patricia Hitchcock
directed by: Alfred Hitchcock, Francis M. Cockrell, Herschel Daugherty, James Neilson, John Meredyth Lucas
directed by: Alfred Hitchcock, Francis M. Cockrell, Herschel Daugherty, James Neilson, John Meredyth Lucas
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Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca)Release Date: 10/17/2006Rating: Nr
Amazon.com:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" appears to be the guiding philosophy behind season 2 of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Like season 1, these 39 episodes (totaling 16 hours, 52 minutes, and originally broadcast from September 30, 1956 to June 23, 1957) follow the established formula that made the series so popular, with self-contained tales of murder, suspense, and intrigue (mostly running about 26 minutes each) based on short stories from a variety of new and established writers in the mystery genre. (Many of these stories also found their way into Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.) By latter-day standards of intensity, most of these episodes play like tame, parlor-trick mysteries or single-room chamber pieces that accommodated the show's emphasis on budget-friendly production values. Still, modern-day viewers can readily appreciate the consistently high quality of writing, direction, and performance, along with the droll, playful introductions by Hitchcock himself, now fully established as a TV celebrity in addition to his global acclaim as "the master of suspense." (Ironically, Hitchcock's first-season jokes at the expense of series sponsors are mostly missing here; apparently Hitchcock agreed to aim his humor elsewhere.) With the release of season 2, Universal has upgraded their disc format to appease fans who complained about double-sided discs in season 1; these five discs (eight episodes each, with seven on disc 5) are single-sided, double-layered, and neatly presented with no-frills menus and easy access to episodes. (Unfortunately, cast and credits are not listed on the packaging, which includes brief plot synopses on the inside slip-case.) Picture quality is uniformly crisp and clean, and sound quality is mostly excellent, allowing for somewhat lower volume on a few episodes (so turn 'em up). Another improvement on these DVDs is the inclusion of four chapter stops for each episode.
As with season 1, the season premiere ("Wet Saturday") was directed by Hitchcock, who also helmed "Mr. Blanchard's Secret," the season highlight thriller "One More Mile to Go," and "The Three Dreams of Mr. Findlater." It's no accident that these rank among the finest episodes (Hitchcock enjoyed the speed and economy of TV directing), but while there are a few misfires along the way, most of these episodes adhere to the smart, literate standard of the series. They're also an impressive showcase for new and established actors from the twilight of Hollywood's golden age: Seasoned veterans like Cedric Hardwicke, Mildred Dunnock, Henry Jones, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Edmund Gwenn, and Albert Salmi do fine work here, and the relative newcomers include Rip Torn, William Shatner, Dick York, and Robert Culp, among others. Of course, no crime could go unpunished in '50 TV-land, so Hitchcock (in closing each episode) assures us that all criminals were eventually brought to justice. All in a day's work for Alfred Hitchcock Presents! --Jeff Shannon
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca)Release Date: 10/17/2006Rating: Nr
Amazon.com:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" appears to be the guiding philosophy behind season 2 of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Like season 1, these 39 episodes (totaling 16 hours, 52 minutes, and originally broadcast from September 30, 1956 to June 23, 1957) follow the established formula that made the series so popular, with self-contained tales of murder, suspense, and intrigue (mostly running about 26 minutes each) based on short stories from a variety of new and established writers in the mystery genre. (Many of these stories also found their way into Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.) By latter-day standards of intensity, most of these episodes play like tame, parlor-trick mysteries or single-room chamber pieces that accommodated the show's emphasis on budget-friendly production values. Still, modern-day viewers can readily appreciate the consistently high quality of writing, direction, and performance, along with the droll, playful introductions by Hitchcock himself, now fully established as a TV celebrity in addition to his global acclaim as "the master of suspense." (Ironically, Hitchcock's first-season jokes at the expense of series sponsors are mostly missing here; apparently Hitchcock agreed to aim his humor elsewhere.) With the release of season 2, Universal has upgraded their disc format to appease fans who complained about double-sided discs in season 1; these five discs (eight episodes each, with seven on disc 5) are single-sided, double-layered, and neatly presented with no-frills menus and easy access to episodes. (Unfortunately, cast and credits are not listed on the packaging, which includes brief plot synopses on the inside slip-case.) Picture quality is uniformly crisp and clean, and sound quality is mostly excellent, allowing for somewhat lower volume on a few episodes (so turn 'em up). Another improvement on these DVDs is the inclusion of four chapter stops for each episode.
As with season 1, the season premiere ("Wet Saturday") was directed by Hitchcock, who also helmed "Mr. Blanchard's Secret," the season highlight thriller "One More Mile to Go," and "The Three Dreams of Mr. Findlater." It's no accident that these rank among the finest episodes (Hitchcock enjoyed the speed and economy of TV directing), but while there are a few misfires along the way, most of these episodes adhere to the smart, literate standard of the series. They're also an impressive showcase for new and established actors from the twilight of Hollywood's golden age: Seasoned veterans like Cedric Hardwicke, Mildred Dunnock, Henry Jones, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Edmund Gwenn, and Albert Salmi do fine work here, and the relative newcomers include Rip Torn, William Shatner, Dick York, and Robert Culp, among others. Of course, no crime could go unpunished in '50 TV-land, so Hitchcock (in closing each episode) assures us that all criminals were eventually brought to justice. All in a day's work for Alfred Hitchcock Presents! --Jeff Shannon
Related Items:
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season Three
- Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection
- Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
- Perry Mason - Season Two, Vol. 2
- see more
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- The start of something gigantic?
Just what did I mean by that? Well, both good news and bad, sort of.
Yesterday, I looked up this series on the Wilkipedia web site and I believe it stated that the series went on for 14 seasons! That's great of course, but what that also means is that some lucky individuals (who have the patience to wait years for the most likely inevitable gigantic box-set), will probably save a couple hundred dollars! Oh well, I'm sure most of us don't have that much patience!
I have Season 1, ... Read More
Rating: - Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 2
We have really enjoyed these episodes.The quality is excellent, and the programs are great.
Rating: - Hitchcock
Typical TV shows from one of the best Mystery and Suspence Directors.
Good for teen to adults.
Rating: - alfred hitchcock present(ed)
i love alfred hitchcock present's and his movie's. i find them very relaxing and spirited. his uplifting theme's on how he write's his stories are really cool. this is worth every penny ?
Rating: - awesome!!!!!
I've almost quit watching regular TV.The Hitchcock series isa thousand times better than anything you'll see on television today. For mature audiences but without having to put up with the offensive sex scenes and gruesome violence.Every video I've ordered has arrived quickly and in terrific condition.These are wonderfully written, intelligent teleplays.Thank goodness they're on DVD since I was too young to have enjoyed them when they were first aired. The whole series is a treat!! And the ... Read More
- The start of something gigantic?Just what did I mean by that? Well, both good news and bad, sort of.
Yesterday, I looked up this series on the Wilkipedia web site and I believe it stated that the series went on for 14 seasons! That's great of course, but what that also means is that some lucky individuals (who have the patience to wait years for the most likely inevitable gigantic box-set), will probably save a couple hundred dollars! Oh well, I'm sure most of us don't have that much patience!
I have Season 1, ... Read More
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 2We have really enjoyed these episodes.The quality is excellent, and the programs are great.
- HitchcockTypical TV shows from one of the best Mystery and Suspence Directors.
Good for teen to adults.
- alfred hitchcock present(ed)i love alfred hitchcock present's and his movie's. i find them very relaxing and spirited. his uplifting theme's on how he write's his stories are really cool. this is worth every penny ?
- awesome!!!!!I've almost quit watching regular TV.The Hitchcock series isa thousand times better than anything you'll see on television today. For mature audiences but without having to put up with the offensive sex scenes and gruesome violence.Every video I've ordered has arrived quickly and in terrific condition.These are wonderfully written, intelligent teleplays.Thank goodness they're on DVD since I was too young to have enjoyed them when they were first aired. The whole series is a treat!! And the ... Read More
