User Reviews

What I thought was going on here was an interesting psychological game that Jan Vander Klaue (Oskar Homolka) was perpetrating on his former business partner, Richard Musgrave (Eric Portman). Even though the story tries to keep Vander Klaue's identity somewhat ambiguous, the giveaway was the newspaper clipping slipped under Musgrave's stateroom door, as who else on the entire ship would have any knowledge of the past the two men shared? Vander Klaue's story to Musgrave about the seventy five pounds stolen from an 'anonymous' individual was most definitely intended to cause a measure of guilt over Musgrave's past in dealing with his former partner. The unintended consequence of the story had Musgrave getting inebriated and throwing himself off the cruise ship, since there's no way Vander Klaue could have known he would do something like that. Vander Klaue actually did a pretty foolish thing by jumping into the ocean after him; the guy didn't look fit or healthy enough to survive a dip in the ocean himself. But it was necessary for the series' expected ironic ending to this story, in which a murderer is honored as a hero.

The Hero is a nicely written and very well acted Hitch episode, written by Bill Ballinger, and adapted from a story by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, author of The Blue Lagoon, and directed by John Brahm, expert at handling darkly themed tales in films, and later on television, it's more slowly paced than one might wish but it delivers in the end. The ambiance is more cosmopolitan that usual for a Hitchcock show, which is nicely realized on a small budget.

International businessman and multi-millionaire Sir John Musgrove waves good bye to his wife and young daughter as he boards a ship for a long cruise from England to South Africa on business. Early on he notices a man whose face and presence disturbs him. It's strongly suggested that he knows this man, and he even comes out and says so. The stranger, who claims to be someone different from whom Sir John mentioned suggests to the viewer that these two share some dark secret from the past.

Sir John's suspicions are in time confirmed by the man, as the stranger acknowledges obliquely, tells a story about a man in South Africa who was beaten and left for dead (an old newspaper clipping had been slipped under Sir John's cabin door confirms this). The Englishman is not, as things turn out, what he appears, while the stranger, as masterfully portrayed by Oscar Homolka plays his hand very close to the vest. A perceptive viewer can guess that there's an ironic ending early on,--the irony, I mean, not the ending itself--as the tale proves satisfying if rather far fetched.

Oscar kicks off his shoes to jump into the water, but the foot that pushes the other man down is wearing shoes.

Sir Richard Musgrave is departing on a ship for South Africa, a place he was once a prospector for diamonds, but hasn't been to in many years. After saying good-bye to his wife and adult daughter, he spots someone on board whom he believes he knows.

He spends a good part of the voyage trying to get a good look at this man, and then is disturbed when he says his name is Keyser and not Jan Vander Klaue as Musgrave thinks. But Musgrave keeps approaching Keyser, inviting him to his cabin, talking to him whenever he can despite the man's insistence that he doesn't know Musgrave and isn't the man he thinks he is.

***ENDING SPOILER ALERT*** Finally, Keyser visits Musgrave's cabin and tells him a story about a prospector who had 75 pounds taken from him years ago and how he was left for dead. While he recovered and was still able to wind up rich, the money he "lost" was going to pay for his wife's operation, but since he lost it, she didn't have it and died. Keyser never directly admits to being that man and says nothing to Musgrave other than that he didn't want anything from him.

Distraught over hearing about the tragic consequences of his youthful actions, Musgrave gets so drunk in his stateroom that he dashes out and jumps overboard. Keyser jumps in, purportedly to save him but an nice underwater shot shows him pushing Musgrave down in the water, drowning him. Keyser is hailed as a hero for trying to save the man's life.

What I didn't like was that we spent far too long getting to where Keyser gave any indication that he was the man Musgrave thought. Since he was the wronged party, it is hard to believe Musgrave sought him out so persistently. Musgrave tried to make up for his actions by offering Keyser all sorts of money and more.

Keyser was not seeking Musgrave, and several times attempted to avoid him once he saw him on board. He refused money and appeared to have no desire to hurt him in any way-up until he saw Musgrave leap into the water, then he decided to take action.

The likelihood of Musgrave spotting his old companion on the large ship was almost none. But once he did, you'd think Musgrave would be ducking his old partner, not desperately seeking to talk with him. The actions of Keyser defy logic-he saw Musgrave and kept ducking away from him, trying not to talk to him at all.

He told Musgrave he wanted nothing, and had nothing to do with Musgrave's suicide attempt. But when the man was on the verge of ending it all, then Keyser jumped in to make sure the deed was done. Why, when he had no interest in the man before?

Even the suicide idea was illogical-aside from the obvious, I mean. All he really did was take 75 English pounds and leave the man behind. He never intended to harm his wife in this two-decade old incident. The man he harmed appeared to show no animosity, and clearly wanted nothing from Musgrave.

Musgrave's cowardly way out, and Keyser's surprise change of heart from not wanting anything to the opposite-"I want your life"-was most illogical. This ep was not very interesting and only gets a 5 from me.

Last scene was poorly done, the scene in the ocean when one was kicking the other one into the water... didn't look like the men at all .. not recognizable , like younger taller men with dark hair so consequently couldn't tell who was killing who , VERY confusing.

A very rich man on board a cruise ship, notices a man at a party. He realizes this is a man he thought he had killed many years previously. The man who seems to pose a threat is actually the innocent one. There are many efforts to draw the men together, but part of the pain inflicted is from the inability to accomplish this. The acting is very good here, but the writing is obtuse and confusing, so we have to guess what is going on. Some have mentioned the final scene being lacking in realism. The stunt doubles are grossly inappropriate for their roles. Usually these Hitchcock things are accessible but this one, not so much.