1960 - INCIDENT AT A CORNER, 1957 - FOUR O'CLOCK, two TV films from Hitchcock

Two television films from Alfred Hitchcock of extremely variable quality. 

Incident at a Corner is Hitchcock's spin on Kurosawa's Rashomon.  The story of a school crossing guard accused of molesting children is told from three different points of view, with each viewpoint a different version of the incident.  George Peppard and Vera Miles are the couple trying to learn the truth.  Peppard overacts throughout the film like some sort of hysterical nut.

Vera Miles was another actress Hitchcock tried to mold into his ideal blond.  Made up to look like Madeline Elster from Vertigo, she's a little more restrained next to Peppard but then again almost everyone else in the cast looks restrained next to Peppard.

Hard to believe that Hitchcock even directed this film.  It's filmed on a back lot with TV acting and TV storytelling loaded with plot coincidences, poor dialog and that garish look old TV shows had when they first started shooting in color. 

Four O'clock is the real deal from Alfred Hitchcock.  A clever suspense story about a watchmaker who plans to blow up his wife by planting a bomb with a timer in their house during the day.  Trapped and tied up by a couple of burglars in the basement, the watchmaker has to watch the clock with the bomb connected to it tick down.

Hitchcock has a better situation here and a better actor in E.G. Marshall.  He's also able to build suspense very effectively with the large closeups of the timer on the bomb ticking down.  Four O'clock demonstrates what a talented director Hitchcock was even working within the restraints of the early TV series format.

60 minutes (approx) both films.