User Reviews

Leon (John Fiedler) is a traveling salesman passing through some small town. When he accidentally jaywalks, a highway patrolman pulls over to give him a ticket as well as a lecture. Leon then makes another mistake...he tries to bribe the cop and is soon arrested and taken to jail. While this is a crime, it's not a huge crime...but a huge one also occurs about the same time and a man accused of a brutal killing (Richard Jaeckel) is caught and placed in the cell next to Leon! And, soon a lynch mob forms and they want the prisoner! Tune in to see what happens next.

While I guessed the twist in this one, it still is a very good and creepy episode...tense, exciting and with some nice acting. Well worth seeing...especially if you are a fan of the original "Star Trek" series.

By the way, when arrested Leon says his address is 1070 North Street in Philadelphia. Interestingly, I looked it up and such an address DOES exist!

Superior Hitchcock, with one of the most chilling final frames of the entire series. Nerdy traveling salesman Gorwald (Fiedler) fudges a pedestrian crossing. But instead of just reprimanding him, big overbearing cop (Healy) ends up jailing the inoffensive little guy who's just trying to get to the next town. When a young girl is brutally murdered and the suspect (Jaeckel) put in an adjoining cell, events begin to spiral out of control, becoming every person's nightmare.

The expertly cast Fiedler turns in an ace performance as the hapless victim of the fates-- we can't help but identify with him. Ditto, the rest of the performers in this unusually well acted episode. Also, director Lloyd keeps things moving and the suspense on high in ways that get the most out of Henry Slesar's tight, ironical script. (Note how Gorwald tries to bribe the cops— a significant development.) In fact, Slesar, along with Fredric Brown, is responsible for many of the best story ideas of the series. Fortunately, this is one of them. It's an episode I don't think you'll forget—after 4 decades, I haven't.

Anyone who is introduced to "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," would do well to see the above episode. It is a tense, exciting story with a chilling twist at the end.

Solid character actor John Feidler is given the leading role and he doesn't disappoint.

It's the final 10 minutes where the suspense is cranked up a notch, what with the ugly mob gathering outside the jail... Don't miss this one!

Most of these half hour episodes are very good but this one is exceptional. Maybe I wasn't paying attention closely enough but I NEVER SAW THIS ENDING COMING!!!

An excellent episode with a dramatically reasonable ending and then a second ending. No spoilers here. It must be seen to experience the full horror. An outstanding Hitchcock offering.

When Mr. Fiedler gets picked up for jaywalking a nightmare begins for him. He is the little milquetoast guy who appeared in numerous TV shows of the time. He is treated brutally for a nonsense crime due to an overzealous cop. This is one of the most famous AHP episodes with some really cool twists. Don't miss it.

Let's be honest, many episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" are predictable, kind of dull and offer little true suspense. This episode however, is definitely a cut above, right down to the ending.

A timid guy gets a ticket in a nit-picky little town for jaywalking, and then arrested for trying to bribe his way out of it. Another prisoner is suspected of murdering a nice girl, and a mob is coming. Through odd circumstance, the suspect manages to switch clothes with the jaywalker, who fears he will be the one the mob will lynch and he goes into a panic.

However, lo and behold, it doesn't exactly end the way you think it would from there, and actually offers a few more surprises. Now I'm not saying this is a classic bit of old timey television necessarily, but it is worth a viewing.

Hats off to one of the best, Henry Slesar. He was a master at mystery and suspense as you will see. He wrote dozens of fine scripts for Alfred Hitchcock's tv show, even a few for BATMAN in the 60s. He may hold a record, as he penned close to 3000 episodes for the daytime soap opera the EDGE OF NIGHT.

Hold on! John Fiedler, who specialized in playing meek, harrassed guys, gets ticketed and thrown into the jug for jaywalking in a small town. Of course, he did try to bribe the cop! That said.... his stupid luck and bad timing grows far worse when he ends up in a cell next to a guy suspected of killing a girl --and being a serial killer.

In fact, this episode was one of the first to deal with serial killers, which was a rare in the 50s. As Hitchcock would have it, the townsfolk grow restless, storm the jail and go after Fiedler, believing he's the real killer. Does not get any better than this.

Yes, it's fairly obvious Fiedler's character would have been killed in about two seconds, but he miraculously lives to relay his ordeal to the sheriff. This has to be John Fiedler's very best role.

In short, why Henry Slesar was so good at spinning tales of the weird. He was much in the same category as Robert Bloch, who wrote PSYCHO for Hitch and STRAIT JACKET for Joan Crawford

Watch this one through. It's jawdropping.

Remastered from SEASON 6 Universal dvd box set.

With this excellent series being shown daily on Sky Arts here in the U. K. it can get a bit boring and samey. Then, along comes an episode which restores your faith in the directors and actors involved. This is such an episode. Director Norman Lloyd employs some of The Master's teasing tricks, particularly in the casting. John Fiedler is recognisable as the ineffectual juror with the cough drops from Twelve Angry Men. Richard Jaeckel looks unpredictable and psychotic like his character in 3.10 To Yuma. Here the actors fit into that type of role. Fiedler the mild-mannered salesman languishing indignantly in a police cell for jaywalking and an unwise bribery attempt. Jaeckel looking mad enough to have committed the murder for which he has been arrested. A switch in fortunes in which the murder suspect escapes leaves Fiedler facing a hick lynch mob; and that is where the episode could have ended. However, he is saved by the timely intervention of the cop who arrested him and in compensation, his charges are cancelled. Again this could have closed the episode but, we see Fiedler departing in his car the following morning. You know this epilogue will result in something. I thought the murderer would be hiding in his car. I was wrong! (cue evil laughter). Hee, hee, hee....