"Safety for the Witness" is set in the gangster era of the roaring 20s. A gunsmith (Art Carney) witnesses a gangland murder...and the killers also shoot him repeatedly. However, he awakens in the hospital and did survive...and the police try, in vain, to get him to tell them who did it. But considering the man the hitmen killed was a guy who had agreed to testify against the mob, Carney's character isn't about to tell them anything....he's going to take care of the problem himself.
So why do I only score this one a 5? Well, there are two big problems with the show. First, the twist isn't particularly interesting nor ironic...it's a bit limp. Second, during the epilogue, Alfred Hitchcock did something that OFTEN spoiled excellent crime episodes...he tells the audience that the man with the perfect crime was caught and punished!! Huh?! I can only assume he was doing this to please the sponsors.......but really frustrates the viewer and essentially says "everything you just witnessed about the perfect crime...well, ignore it...crime doesn't pay!". How ridiculous.
So why do I only score this one a 5? Well, there are two big problems with the show. First, the twist isn't particularly interesting nor ironic...it's a bit limp. Second, during the epilogue, Alfred Hitchcock did something that OFTEN spoiled excellent crime episodes...he tells the audience that the man with the perfect crime was caught and punished!! Huh?! I can only assume he was doing this to please the sponsors.......but really frustrates the viewer and essentially says "everything you just witnessed about the perfect crime...well, ignore it...crime doesn't pay!". How ridiculous.