The WORST episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Every episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour!
A continuation of the dramatic anthology series hosted by the master of suspense and mystery. When the series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" was revived in 1962, the name was changed but the format stayed fairly true to the original. In each episode, viewers would be strung along with the story, never knowing which way the final twist would turn.
#1 - The Paragon
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/8/1963
Alice Pemberton is a busy-body housewife who injects herself into the personal lives of everyone she knows: friends, relatives, her husband's business associates. Unfortunately she fails to realize that her constant attempts to give advice are alienating everyone. Her husband John is patient. He tries to tell her that her annoying behavior will cost them the last few friends that they have left. She refuses to listen. So, John decides to poison her.
#2 - The Cadaver
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/29/1963
Medical student Skip Baxter has an alcohol problem and a practical joke playing roomate named Doc Carroll. Doc wants Skip to quit drinking and cooks up a scheme. He takes a cadaver from the medical school morgue and dresses it to look like a waitress named Ruth. He then puts it into Skip's bed as he is sleeping off a hangover. When Skip wakes up, he sees the body and becomes convinced that he committed murder in an alcoholic stupor. He wraps the body in a rug and disposes it. When he returns to school, he finds out that Ruby is alive and that Doc has gotten into trouble for stealing a cadaver. Skip agrees to replace the body to get skip out of trouble. At the next anatomy class, the professor reveals the replacement cadaver to be the body of Doc Carroll.
#3 - Starring the Defense
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/15/1963
Miles Crawford is a former actor turned lawyer. He gets an oppotunity to practice both professions when his son Tod is arrested an put on trial for murder. Tod is guilty but Miles makes an impassioned summation that manages to sway both the judge and the jury. Unfortunately, the prosecutor is a movie fan and he points out that Miles's summation was lifted word for word from a old movie in which Crawford played a defense attorney in charge of a case very similar to the one he is in charge of now.
#4 - You'll Be the Death of Me
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/18/1963
During a lovers' quarrel Dandy Arthur kills his ex-girlfriend. Unfortunately, a button torn from her coats lands in his pocket during the struggle. His wife finds the button and Dandy sets out to kill her as well. Eventually, however, Dandy gives himself away by talking too much and is arrested by the police.
#5 - Terror in Northfield
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/11/1963
When his teenage son Tommy is found murdered in the town of Northfield, John Cooley sets out to avenge the boys death. John is a religious fanatic who believes he is on a mission from God. When he finds a piece of car headlight at the murder scene, he seeks out and kills the car's original owner Frency La Font and an elderly librarian who had some connection to the car. With all the murders, the residents of Northfield are unstandably shaken. They demand that Sheriff Will Pearce solve the case. Unfortunately, Pearce's girlfriend Susan Marsh falls under Cooley's suspicions since she bought the car from La Font. His attempt to kill her, however, is foiled at the last second by the timely arrival of Sheriff Pearce. Pearce explains that La Font murdered Tommy and confessed to it in his last will and testament.
#6 - A Nice Touch
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/4/1963
Larry Duke is an actor making his motion picture debut in Hollwood when he gets a phone call from his New York girlfriend Janice Brandt. Janice is an olderwoman who sacraficed her marriage and Hollywood career in order to advance Larry's career. She informs Larry that her husband Ed followed her to New York showed up drunk at her apartment and was knocked unconscious in a scuffle. Larry convinces Janice to smother Ed with a pillow so that she can come back to Hollywood. She agrees and reluctantly commits murder. In Hollywood, Larry calls the police and tells them about the murder in New York. He then head upstairs where he joins his new bride who he married to further advance his Hollywood career.
#7 - Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans
Season 1 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/19/1963
Visiting from Englad, David Saunders is making a cross-country tour of America by car with his wife Roberta and their daughter Loren. They stop at a cafe in Arizona late one evening. Since Loren cannot stay awake she heads to the car and goes to sleep in the backseat. Unfortunately she get into the wrong car. She gets into a stolen car that is headed for Mexico. The cafe owner runs a stolen car ring. Thing get worse for Loren when the car deal goes awry and she witnesses a murder. She is spotted before she can get away and the criminal begin to search for her as do her parents. Eventually the criminals find her, but she manages to get away with the help of a friendly rancher named Pete Tanner. Later Loren reunites his her family at the cafe. The cafe owner, however, is arrested.
#8 - Death and the Joyful Woman
Season 1 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/12/1963
Luis Aguilar is a rich wine merchant who disowns his son when he refuses to marry beautiful vineyard owner Kitty Norris. At a party, however, Luis agrees to give his destitute son $5000 if boy can drink him under the table. Drinking his own wine called "Joyful Woman" Luis humiliates his son by outdrinking him. After the contest, Luis hits on Kitty who resists and pushes him down the stairs. When Luis's secretary Ruth witnesses the event she jealously kills Luis in the hope that Kitty will be blamed. Ruth wanted Luis all for herself. Unfortunately for Ruth, a waiter discovers the body and figures out that Luis did not die in a fall. Ruth knocks him unconscious and puts his body into a wine vat. She begins to fill the vat slowly with water. Later the police find Luis's body and begin the search for the waiter who was also the son of George Felse, an investigating police officer. The police can't locate the waiter but discoverd a now guilt-ridden Ruth who has tried to commit suicide with
#9 - The Long Silence
Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/22/1963
In an elaborate con, Ralph Mason marries a rich woman named Nora Cory for her money. Unfortunately his schemes goes awry when he murders one of her sons from a former marriage. As he attempts to make the death look like a suicide, he is caught by Nora as he is writing a fake suicide note. Nora collapses and falls into a paralyzed, yet conscious, state. She is bedridden and worried that her husband will try to kill her. She is also unable to speak and cannot tell anyone about her dangerous husband. When her nurse Jean Dekker allows her husband to adminster her medicine, she grows fearful that he will try to poison her. Fortunately, the nurse figures out a way to communicate with Nora. Nora squeezes her hand in response to yes or no questions. Jean discovers the truth about Ralph, but when Ralph finds out he tries to kill both Nora and Jean . Fortunately, Nora comes out of her paralysis in time to scream. She alerts her second son who manages to subdue Ralph before he can kill again.
#10 - The Lonely Hours
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/8/1963
Louise Henderson rents a room to woman named Vera Brandon who begins to show an unreasonable amount of interest in Louise's newborn son. Louise begines investigating and discovers that she and Vera shared the same maternity ward when her son was born. She also discovers that Vera's baby died during childbirth and this death has left her mentally disturbed. She comes home only to both Vera and her son missing. She finds an address and calls the police. The police go to the address and discover Vera rocking the baby back and forth and claiming that the child is hers. The police return the child to Louise and send Vera to a mental hospital for treatment.
#11 - Diagnosis: Danger
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/1/1963
An outbreak of anthrax in Los Angeles threatens to panic the city until the health department's Dr. Dan Dana arrives to track down the source of the disease. With this assistance of his boss Dr. Oliver and Deputy Sheriff Judd, he discovers that the disease comes from a pair of bongos purchased in Mexico by a now dead drummer.
#12 - I'll Be Judge - I'll Be Jury
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/15/1963
Laura Needham is murdered while vacationing in Mexico. Her husband Mark discovers that the police are holding as a suspect an American named Theodore Bond. Mark wants something to be done, but the police are helpless because they cannot prove their case. Mark decides to get the proof, but he is murdered by Bond instead. Mark's in-laws, Alex and Louise Trevor take it open themselves to bring Bond to justice. They set up a trap with Louise as bait and catch Bond attempting to committed murder.
#13 - The Dividing Wall
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/6/1963
Fred Kruger, Al Norman, and Terry are three ex-convicts who are now gainfully employed as garage mechanics. One day, they decide to break into a payroll office. They are unable to open the safe, so the take it with them to the garage. Unfortunately, the safe contains, not only money, but also a lethal radioactive isotope which, if released, could poison the city.
#14 - To Catch a Butterfly
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/2/1963
Bill and Janet Nelson move into a new home next door to a family named Stander. Unfortunately, the Stander's son Eddie is a homicidal monster. Eddie kills the Nelson's dog and then runs a trip wire across the cellar stairs that almost causes Janet to break her neck. Bill knows that Eddie is responsible, but Eddie's father Jack Stander won't do anything. Jack controls the boy's life with an iron hand. It is later revealed that Eddie is not the source of the problems. Eddie, himself, is a victim of parental misunderstanding.
#15 - A Tangled Web
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/25/1963
David Chesterman is a thief whose girlfriend Maria is cheating on him with his partner Carl Gault. Carl has fallen in love with Maria and plans to get rid of David. He tells David about the body of rich man who is loaded with jewelry. David goes to rob the corpse, but is discovered by a guard. Later, the guard is found dead by the police. David tells Maria that he is innovent, but he decides to hide out for a while and leaves Maria with Carl. Carl informs the police of David's location and he is arrested for murder. As David is about to be sentence Maria gets away from Carl by stabbing him. She heads to the court building convinced that David is innocent. In the court building she climbs out on a ledge and threatens to jump unless David is brought to her and is allowed to tell the truth about the entire robbery. David is brought to her, but he reveals that he did kill the guard. Knowing that he will go to prison, David begs her for forgiveness.
#16 - Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/18/1963
Dan O'Herlihy (as Simon Carter) Inger Stevens (as Karen Wilson) Christopher Dark (as Manuel Sanchez) Chris Robinson (as Ricky) Richard Jaeckel (as Tom) One night when her husband is away, Karen Wilson is frightened when a man named Manuel Sanchez comes pounding on her door. He claims to be out of gas. Karen refuses to let him in and he must walk to a gas station. Later Karen hears a scream. She is told by the police that Sanchez's girlfriend who was waiting in the car was murdered while he was walking to the gas station. Karen suspects a neighboring writer named Simon Carter. The next evening Simon comes to Karen's home. She is rescued by her three surfing friends. Karen, however, is shocked to discover that her three friends are in fact the murderer's of Sanchez's girlfriend. They have her trapped, but she is rescued by Sanchez. He was returning to get even with her for contributing to the death of his girlfriend, but he manages to save her life instead.
#17 - What Really Happened
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/11/1963
Over the protests of his wife Eve, Howard Raydon fires Addie the family maid when her son breaks a valuable antique. Unwilling to leave, she poisons Howard's milk and kills him. An autopsy reveals the poison, but Eve is the chief suspect after she is fingered by Howard's mother. Believing that Eve's innocence will come out in trial, Addie remains silent about any wrong doing. Unfortunately, the prosecution reveals that Addie's 'son' is really Eve's son from a previous marriage. They claim that Eve killed her husband to prevent being seperated from the boy. As things begin to look worse for Eve, Addie confesses her guilt in a note and attempts suicide. Her suicide attempt is stopped in time and she is forced to stand trial.
#18 - The Tender Poisoner
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/20/1962
Peter Harding is a corporate executive who tries to help save the sagging career of an associate named Philip Bartel. He hopes to get Bartel into one of the corporation's very popular training courses. Later, however, Harding discovers that Bartel is interested in leaving his wife Beatrice. He wants to run off with his mistress. Harding becomes intent on helping Bartel in his home life. He decides to do this by taking Bartel's mistress of his hands.
#19 - Bonfire
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/13/1962
Robert Evans is a revivalist preacher who is desperate for money to build his own church. He romances a rich woman named Naomi Freshwater and kills her. Some time later, Robert meets Naomi's neice Laura. He tries to romance her as well, but she is not interested. When Laura discovers that Robert killed her aunt, the preacher kills her and stuffs her body in a trunk. He drags the trunk to a pit and sets it on fire. Later, as Robert is delivering a sermon, it begins to rain. The rain puts out the fire and the contents of the burned trunk are revealed. Robert is promptly arrested and charged with murder.
#20 - Ride the Nightmare
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/29/1962
When three of his childhood pals break out of prison, Christopher Martin is in trouble. When he was younger, he and his pals committed a crime. All except Christopher were caught and sent to jail. Each of them vowed revenge. Christopher confesses his crime to his wife Helen though he fears she will leave him. Helen is shocked at first, but she agrees to help him proving that his fears were groundless. Together they foil the three prison escapees when they show up looking for revenge.
#21 - The Black Curtain
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/11/1962
Phil Townsend suffers amnesia after he is mugged outside his drug store. All he remembers is that he is about to get married. A taxi driver takes him to his fiancée's house, but he discovers that she is already married and has been married for three years. Later, Townsend discovers that he has been living under the name David Webber for three years. He discovers that Webber was once the bodyguard of a rich criminal attorney and is suspected of murdering the attorney's wife. Townsend eventually manages to clear his name. Later, he checks into a hospital for treatment.
#22 - House Guest
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/8/1962
John and Sally Mitchell offer a stranger named Ray Roscoe a place to stay after Roscoe saves the life of their son Tony. When Roscoe turns out to be a womanizing freeloader, they begin to believe that they made a terrible mistake. One night Roscoe wrecks their car and hits on a camper's wife. Angry, John punches him and knocks him to the ground. John is shocked, however, when the camper examines Roscoe's body and declares that Roscoe is dead. The camper suggests that they bury the body in the woods and forget the whole thing. John agrees and lets the camper deal with the body. Later, John is disturbed to discover that the woods are going to be excavated as a part of a new highway construction. Since he doesn't know exactly where the body is, he calls the camper and tells him that they must move the corpse. The camper agrees, but demands $20,000. He tells John that he will go to the police if he does not pay the money. John writes a check, but before he can give it to the camper his wif
#23 - Annabel
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/1/1962
David Kelsey, a research chemist, is in love with Annabel. He assumes another identity so that they can share their moments together in complete privacy. He even builds a beautiful dream home for the two of them. David is hopelessly infatuated with her. Unfortunately, Annabel wants no part of him. She's married and both she and her husband wonder when David will get the hint. He does not and eventually murders the couple. He installs her corpse in the bedroom of their dreamhouse so that she can be by his side for the rest of his life.
#24 - Night of the Owl
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/4/1962
Jim Mallory is a forest ranger who along with his wife Linda, have adopted a girl named Anne. The couple have never told Anne that her parents died in a bizarre murder-suicide for fear that the news might disturb her. A blackmailer contacts Jim and demands money. He says that he will tell Anne the secret of her past if Jim doesn't pay up. Jim agrees to pay, but informs the police. The blackmailers figure out that something is up and change the site of the money drop. Later the blackmailers get into an argument and one of them is killed. When the police find the body, they suspect Jim Mallory. Jim manages to catch the blackmailer to clear his name, but he doesn't get to him in time to stop her from telling Anne the secret about her parents. Anne is troubled by the news, but manages to take it in stride. She tells the Mallorys that she loves them and has always considered them her real parents.
#25 - Return of Verge Likens
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/5/1964
Verge Likens is a farmer whose father was killed by a crooked politician named Riley McGrath. Verge returns home to avenge his father's death. He manages to get close to Riley by getting hired as an assistant at a barbershop. After asking the barber to run an errand, Verge is alone with Riley and proceeds to lather up the murdering politician for a shave. Verge vividly describes how he is planning to cut Riley's throat. When the barber returns to the barbershop he finds the door locked. He gets the police who break down the door. Inside they find Verge standing over Riley's dead body. Berge has avenged his father's death and he is not guilty of a crime. Riley died of a heart attack.