The Hitchcock Project-Thomas Grant, Part Two-Hooked [5.38]

by Jack Seabrook

Robert Turner's short story, "Hooked," was the source for the last episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents to air on CBS; the show premiered on Sunday, September 25, 1960, as the last offering of season five. Two nights later, "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat" aired as the first episode of the series to be shown on NBC, opening season six on a Tuesday after five years of being shown on Sundays.

The story begins as Ray Marchand, a handsome man of 27, drives up to a fishing camp to pick up his wife, Gladys, who is almost twice his age. Ray is immediately captivated by Nila Foster, the beautiful young daughter of the camp's owner, Floyd. Ray makes a play for Nila right away, but she resists. Soon, Gladys returns from a day of fishing with Floyd, and Ray makes no secret of his desire for Nila; Gladys is not surprised and reminds her husband of their arrangement: as long as he is discreet, she tolerates his flings.

"Hooked" was first
published here

The next afternoon, Gladys goes shopping and Ray visits Nila, who insists that her father won't let her be alone with Ray. Finally, she tells him to come back on Monday when they go to an out of the way spot where she succumbs to his lust. Afterwards, she says it can't happen again, and he spends the next week thinking about her. On the following Monday, he visits the camp and finds her alone on a beach, where they again give in to passion. Later, he admits that neither he nor Gladys knows how to swim. Ray and Nila discuss the idea of him taking his wife out in a boat and throwing her overboard; if she dies, he'll inherit her money.

Ray pretends to develop an interest in fishing, and eventually he takes Gladys out in the boat alone. He sees Nila and Floyd watching from the dock; as he throws the anchor in the water, he almost loses his balance and, to Ray's surprise, Gladys uses an oar to shove him overboard. As he drowns, he realizes that Gladys must have fallen for Floyd and that Nila must have helped them execute their plan to do away with Ray.

The art on the story's
first page gives away
the ending!

"Hooked" manages to execute a nice surprise twist at the end, even though the narrative is padded with too many pulp cliches describing Nila's beautiful body. The title has two meanings, both the literal one involving fishing and the figurative one about how Ray is hooked by the plotting and planning of Nila, Gladys, and Floyd. Ray's vanity is so great that he does not realize he is a pawn in their game; his hubris and his ego blind him to the fact that he is the fish and they hold the fishing pole.

Robert Turner (1915-1980), the story's author, was a prolific contributor to the pulps and the digests from 1939 until his death. He also wrote for comic books in the 1940s and several of his stories were adapted for TV in the 1950s, including one other for Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

The TV version of "Hooked" follows the short story closely for most of its length, with some important changes toward the end that make it work better on the small screen. Some extraneous scenes in the story are cut, such as one where Ray and Gladys are in the car and she gives him permission to pursue Nila while also warning him about Floyd. Also deleted is a scene where Ray goes home and paints a portrait of Nila, as well as background about how Ray and Gladys ended up in Florida. One thing that is preserved is the focus on Nila's beauty and Ray's ogling of her; in one early scene, he can't help looking from her face to her chest, and in another, the camera takes his point of view as he follows her along a path, looking her up and down and focusing on her swaying hips.

When Ray returns to the camp for the first time, a scene that occurs outside in the story is moved inside the bait and tackle shop, allowing for a visual joke when Ray stands next to a sign that reads, "Live Worms"--it's hard not to associate the man with the sign. A deaf and dumb Black man who works on the boats in the story is eliminated from the TV show, which includes only four characters. In the story, Ray and Nila go out on the lake in a boat, but in the TV show they are together instead on a beach in a cove. This scene is particularly well choreographed, as Ray repeatedly tries to kiss Nila and she succeeds each time in wriggling away from him.

Instead of having sex, as they do in the story, Ray and Nila just share a passionate kiss in the TV show. Director Norman Lloyd shows her resistance give way the first time they kiss by focusing the camera on her hand, which starts out tense but soon relaxes. The second time they are together on the beach, the TV show diverges from the story when Ray dives into the lake after the young woman, demonstrating his ability to swim. At this point, the viewer who has read the story must wonder how this will affect the ending; in the story, Ray drowns because he can't swim.

Much of Ray and Nila's discussion of how he can make Gladys's death look like an accident is cut, and a short scene is added between Ray and Gladys where she almost seems to believe that he is sincere about wanting to learn how to fish. She looks for a kiss on the lips but is disappointed to receive just a peck on the cheek. Ray's lust for Nila is thus contrasted with his coolness toward Gladys.

Robert Horton as Ray Marchand

The end is set up beautifully and is more effective than the conclusion of the short story. When Ray and Gladys fish together, Nila looks on as if jealous, and Ray and Nila pretend that they barely know each other. When Ray and Gladys return for a repeat fishing trip, Floyd apologizes and says that he can't go with them. Ominous music plays on the soundtrack as Nila is shown watching the couple, looking as if she knows that Ray plans to stage a fatal accident. Gladys reluctantly agrees to go and Floyd tells Nila to give Gladys a basket with lunch that she packed for another couple; none of this is in the short story.

In the story, Gladys drives the boat, but Ray mans the motor in the TV show. They stop and the boat rocks gently on the lake as Gladys takes the basket and asks Ray if he wants a sandwich or a bottle of beer. There is a tight closeup of Ray's eyes as he watches Gladys climb over a bench to get to the anchor; his gaze at her hips is much different than his corresponding gaze at Nila's hips earlier in the show. More ominous music plays on the soundtrack, and suddenly, Ray seems to lunge and the screen goes black. What happened? In the short story, there is no question and no suspense, but in the TV show, this dark screen leaves the viewer guessing.

Anne Francis as Nila Foster

The next shot fades in on Floyd and Nila inside the shop as they hear the boat returning. Nila smiles and looks satisfied, as if expecting Ray to return alone. Outside the shop, she and her father watch the boat return, but since it is filmed in a long shot, the viewer cannot tell who is driving, other than that the person is alone. The boat reaches the dock and the driver is revealed to be Gladys. She climbs up on the dock and tells Floyd, "'I did just what you told me to,'" removing a Billy club from the picnic hamper. The trio agree that it was a tragic accident and walk back to the bait shop smiling, arm in arm.

In the end, Gladys and Floyd get the partners they want, Nila ensures that her father will have money, love, and happiness, and they all get rid of Ray, the "live worm." In the story, Ray realizes that he's been duped as he drowns, while in the TV show, the viewer learns what happened after Gladys returns to the dock. The revelation that Nila was setting Ray up for disaster is a complete surprise, and the realization that she was working in concert with her father and Ray's wife makes the denouement quite satisfying.

Norman Lloyd (1914-2021), the director, was one of the people most responsible for the success and quality of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Born Norman Perlmutter and active in the theater in the 1930s, he had a long career as a film and television actor, from 1939 to 2015, and appeared in Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942) and Spellbound (1945). He also directed for television from 1951 to 1984. He acted in five episodes of the Hitchcock series and directed 22, including "Man from the South."

Vivienne Segal as Gladys

Starring as Ray is Robert Horton (1924-2016), who had been active in film since 1945. From 1952 to 1989, he was a busy TV actor, co-starring in Wagon Train (1957-1962), and then starring on the short-lived series, A Man Called Shenandoah (1965-1966). A website devoted to his career is here. This was one of seven episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in which he was featured, including "Crack of Doom," and after his television career ended he spent many years on stage.

Anne Francis (1930-2011), who plays Nila, was born Ann Marvak in upstate New York. She began modeling at age five and was on Broadway by age eleven. Her first movie came out in 1947 and she was on the scene at the dawn of television in 1949. She worked both in movies and TV until 1969; after that, most of her roles were on episodic TV. She is best known for Forbidden Planet (1956), as the star of the Honey West series (1965-1966), and for a couple of roles on The Twilight Zone. She appeared on the Hitchcock show five times, including "What Really Happened."

Gladys is played by Vivienne Segal (1897-1992), who began singing opera at age 15 and performed in the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1920s. She was often featured in Broadway shows from 1915 to 1953 and appeared in seven films from 1930 to 1934. She made four TV appearances between 1951 and 1966, two of which were on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She was married to Hubbell Robinson, who was an executive at CBS from 1947 to 1959 before leaving to produce TV shows, including Thriller.

John Holland as Floyd

Finally, John Holland, who plays Floyd, was born Harold Boggess. He was on screen from 1937 to 1986, but this was his only role on the Hitchcock show. He also appeared on The Twilight Zone.

Watch "Hooked" online here or buy the DVD here. Read the GenreSnaps review here.

After researching the two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents where the teleplay is credited to Thomas Grant, I think that the name is a pseudonym for Henry Slesar. After seeing nine of his short stories adapted for the show by other writers in seasons three, four, and five, Slesar began adapting his own stories for TV with "Forty Detectives Later" and "Insomnia," episodes 28 and 30 of season five. He used the pseudonym "Eli Jerome" to adapt his own stories, "One Grave Too Many" and "Party Line," as episodes 32 and 33 of season five. Episodes 31 and 38 of this season, "I Can Take Care of Myself" and "Hooked," were not based on stories by Slesar, but since Thomas Grant has no other credits anywhere, I think that the producers of Alfred Hitchcock Presents decided to have Slesar use fake names so it did not look like one writer was writing too many episodes in too short a time. Though Slesar's other four episodes in this season were all adapted from his own stories, he did go on to adapt works by other writers in subsequent seasons of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. To date, my queries to the agency for his estate, a family member, and someone who edited a collection of his stories have garnered no response, but perhaps the truth will one day come to light about the identity of Thomas Grant.

Sources:

The FICTIONMAGS Index, www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm.

Galactic Central, www.philsp.com/.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. OTR Pub., 2001.

"Hooked."  Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 5, episode 38, CBS, 25 September 1960.

IBDB, www.ibdb.com.

IMDb, www.imdb.com.

Turner, Robert. "Hooked." Manhunt, Feb. 1958. pp. 33-42.

Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org.

Listen to Al Sjoerdsma discuss "The End of Indian Summer" here!

In two weeks: Our series on Richard Fielder begins with a look at "Night of the Owl," starring Brian Keith and Patricia Breslin!

The Hitchcock Project-Thomas Grant, Part One-I Can Take Care of Myself [5.31]

by Jack Seabrook

As the short story, "I Can Take Care of Myself," opens, Bert Haber, a jazz pianist in Joey Palermo's bar, sits down at the piano one evening and begins to play. His singer, Georgia, doesn't show up for their ten o'clock set, so Bert tells Joey to call Andy and Alice to rush to the bar to fill in and perform for the impatient crowd. At Joey's request, Bert speaks to Detective Jack Burton from Manhattan East, who is sitting at a table.

Burton shows Bert a shocking photo of Georgia, who is dead, and questions the musician about his movements in the last 24 hours. Bert explains that he took Georgia home at 4:01 a.m. and then went home himself and slept till 6 p.m., when he called her but got no answer. Bert insists that his relationship with Georgia was all business, despite her beauty and talent. Burton suggests that Georgia was murdered by a criminal known as Little Sammy, based on how she was killed. Bert explains that Sammy started coming to watch her sing a couple of weeks ago and was smitten, sending her drinks and flowers. She "'couldn't stand the crumb'" and, last night, when he grabbed her arm as she walked past his table, she "'took his drink and poured it down his shirt.'"

"I Can Take Care of Myself"
was first published here

Bert compounded Little Sammy's embarrassment by playing a song called "By a Waterfall"; Sammy, a man proud of his clothes, stormed out with his "'apes.'" Bert went to the bar and, while he had a drink, a man who looked "'like an insurance man'" began chatting with him. The man knew Bert's name and home address and suggested that it would be a good idea to buy some insurance. The man got up and left the bar, and Bert realized that his message was a warning from one of Sammy's associates.

Bert later took Georgia home and suggested that he stay with her, or that she stay with him, or that she call the cops, but she sent him on his way, telling him, "'Don't you worry, baby, Mamma's a big girl.'" Burton offers Bert protection and says that he'll be a material witness. The detective suggests that Bert come with him and Bert follows him to a car. Burton tells Burt, "'get in back with my partner'" and Burt does; once the car is moving, Bert sees that the man next to him is the insurance man from the bar.

This illustration accompanies the story.

"I Can Take Care of Myself" is a short, hardboiled story that takes place in a bar and ends in a car. There is no violence, just its aftermath and the suggestion of more to come. The ending is subtle and depends on the reader to realize that Bert has been deceived into getting into a car with a criminal who will surely kill him. Is Detective Burton a real policeman in league with Sammy, or is he a criminal masquerading as an officer of the law? It really doesn't matter since he succeeds in convincing Bert that it's safe to leave the bar with him.

Fred McMorrow (1925-2000), the story's author, served in WWI and was a writer, editor, humorist, poet, jazz pianist, columnist, and desk chief at several daily newspapers in New York City. He was friends with the writer Jimmy Breslin, who once said that McMorrow could write as well as anyone he ever met. The FictionMags Index lists 12 short stories published between 1958 and 1972, and the author also wrote two books of humor. This was the only time that one of his stories was adapted for film or TV.

Myron McCormick as Bert

"I Can Take Care of Myself" was broadcast on CBS on Sunday, May 15, 1960, near the end of season five. The teleplay is credited to Thomas Grant, who has no other credits than this and one other episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and who seems to be a mystery man. The name may be a pseudonym for Henry Slesar, who wrote the teleplays for the next two episodes under the pseudonym Eli Jerome; I sent queries to the agent for the Slesar estate and to Francis M. Nevins and I will update this post if I find out more.

The TV version does away with the story's method of presenting the events of the night before by way of Bert's relating them to Detective Burton. Instead, events are presented more or less chronologically, with the first scene featuring Georgia singing a number with Bert accompanying her. At the end, Little Dandy, as Little Sammy has been renamed, claps loudly, and has a drink sent to the performer, who pointedly ignores him as she walks to her dressing room. The insurance man, who appears midway through the story and again at the end, is visible at the bar right from the start of the show and is always in the background in the initial scenes.

Linda Lawson as Georgia

Bert visits Georgia in her dressing room and their relationship is more father and daughter than  potential romantic partners; Myron McCormick, as Bert, was eighteen years older than Linda Lawson, as Georgia. A big lug brings a bouquet of flowers from "'Mr. Dorf'" and Bert and Georgia are rude to him; she ends up giving the flowers to the cook and suggesting that he serve them to Little Dandy in a salad.

Back in the bar, Dandy grabs Georgia's hand as she passes his table and propositions her as Bert plays piano and looks on. Georgia pours a drink over Dandy's head and turns to go back to her dressing room. There is a brief melee as Bert rushes over and Dandy falls to the floor before he and his goons exit the bar. In the story, Bert does not physically intervene, but rather plays a humorous song to underline what happened; the result is the same. After they leave, Bert sits at the bar and talks to Joey, realizing that he is now on Dandy's list of enemies, before the insurance man joins him and they speak. The TV version leaves no doubt about the man's role; after suggesting that Bert should buy insurance, the man adds: "'Little Dandy recommends it'"

Will Kuluva as Joey

The second half of the show picks up where the short story begins, as Bert arrives at the bar and begins to play with no sign of Georgia. Director Alan Crosland, Jr., uses deep focus in this sequence, where Bert is in the front of the shot, closer to the camera, playing the piano, while the viewer's eye is drawn to events in the distance, in the right of the frame, as the detective enters the bar and sits at a table. Bert soon joins the detective, who has been renamed Jack Simpson. The dialogue follows that of the short story almost word for word.

In an effort to make the show more interesting, Bert takes Simpson to Georgia's dressing room to continue their conversation in a more private setting. When Bert discusses his relationship with Georgia, her voice floats onto the soundtrack, singing, as if this is what he is hearing while he speaks. There are more interesting camera setups in this scene, with Bert sitting in front of a trio of mirrors and the mirrors displaying dual images of the detective, who is reflected across the room. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of the replacement piano player and singer, causing Bert and Simpson to vacate the dressing room and return to the bar, where they continue their conversation.

Edmon Ryan as Simpson

There is a bit of rehashing of what was depicted in earlier scenes, as the writer attempts to stretch a thin narrative to fill the time slot. The new pianist and Bert exchange looks as Bert follows Simpson out of the bar; the subtle message is that Bert and Georgia have already been replaced and will not be missed. Outside, Bert gets in back of the detective's car and the car starts to move. The man next to Bert in the back seat holds a newspaper in front of his face, so neither the piano player nor the viewer can see who it is at first. He is soon revealed to be the insurance man. The story ends subtly, with the man simply saying hello, but the TV show leaves no question in the viewer's mind about what is happening. Bert looks shocked when he sees who is riding next to him. The man pulls out a gun, points it at Bert and, instead of "'Hello,'" utters the show's final line: "'Little Dandy says hello.'" The screen  fades to black and Bert's fate is sealed.

Frankie Darro as Little Dandy

"I Can Take Care of Myself" is a straightforward adaptation of the short story that puts the events in chronological order and adds a couple of lines in the scenes with the insurance man to make his role clear. The director tries to create some interest in the rather thin plot with his shot choices, but in the end, there is not much suspense and the surprise ending is not very much of a surprise.

Alan Crosland, Jr. (1918-2001), the director, started out as a film editor, working on features from 1944 to 1954 and on TV from 1955 to 1957, then began directing episodic television in 1956. He directed 16 half-hours and three hours of the Hitchcock series, including "The Woman Who Wanted to Live," as well as episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Crosland directed a handful of movies, but his main focus was on TV, and he directed his last show in 1986. "I Can Take Care of Myself" was the first episode he directed for the Hitchcock show.

Pat Harrington, Jr., as
the insurance man

Receiving top billing as Bert is Myron McCormick (1908-1962). He was on Broadway from 1932 to 1957 and had a supporting role in South Pacific from 1949 to 1954, winning a Tony Award in 1950. He was also on radio and he began appearing on film in 1936 and on TV in 1948. He returned to Broadway for a two-year run of No Time for Sergeants (1955-1957) and had a role in The Hustler (1961). He was in one other episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "Museum Piece."

Linda Lawson (1936-2022) is suitably sexy as Georgia; born Linda Gloria Spaziani, she was on screen from 1958 to 2005, mainly in television roles. She was in the film Night Tide (1961) and she was seen on the Hitchcock show three times, including "Three Wives Too Many."

Leonard Weinrib
as Amos

Will Kuluva (1917-1990) plays Joey Palermo. He was on screen from 1949 to 1988. He appeared in one other episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Money," and he was also on The Twilight Zone twice.

Edmon Ryan (1905-1984) portrays Detective Simpson; he was born Edmon Ryan Mossbarger in Kentucky. His screen career spanned the years from 1936 to 1970 and he also had some roles on Broadway during that time. He was on the Hitchcock show four times, including a part in "Isabel," and he was seen in Hitchcock's spy thriller, Topaz (1969).

Frankie Darro (1917-1976), who plays Little Dandy, was born Frank Johnson Jr. and was the son of circus aerialists. He started out as a child actor on film but only grew to 5'3" as an adult. He was on screen from 1924 to 1975 and had a voice role in Pinocchio (1940). He was also one of the actors to play Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet (1956). This was one of his two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents; the other was "Ten O'Clock Tiger." He also appeared on Batman. A website devoted to him is here.

William Sharon

Leonard Weinrib (1935-2006) as Amos, the replacement piano player; he started on TV in 1959 and was seen on Alfred Hitchcock Presents three times, including "The Last Remains." He also had a long career as a voiceover artist, writing and starring as H.R. Pufnstuf in the Krofft TV series, as Scrappy Doo in Scooby Doo, and many others.

The big lug who delivers unwanted flowers to Georgia's dressing room is played  by William Sharon, who died in 1968. He played bit parts on TV from 1947 to 1963 and was also in two episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, including "The Black Curtain."

Finally, Pat Harrington, Jr. (1929-2016) is effective as the insurance man in his only appearance on the Hitchcock TV show. He was on screen from 1948 to 2012 and had a recurring role on The Danny Thomas Show in 1959 and 1960. He appeared on The Night Stalker, did standup comedy and recorded comedy albums, and was a voice actor, but his most memorable role was as Schneider, the handyman, on the TV series One Day at a Time, from 1975 to 1984.

Read "I Can Take Care of Myself" online here, watch it online here, or order the DVD here. Read the GenreSnaps review here.

Sources:

The FICTIONMAGS Index, www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm.

Finkelstein, Katherine E. "Fred McMorrow, 74, an Editor." The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2000, www.nytimes.com/2000/04/21/nyregion/fred-mcmorrow-74-an-editor.html.

Galactic Central, www.philsp.com/.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. OTR Pub., 2001.

Hammill, Pete. "Jimmy Breslin." New York, 25 April 1988, p. 74.

IBDB, www.ibdb.com.

"I Can Take Care of Myself."  Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 5, episode 31, CBS, 15 May 1960.

IMDb, www.imdb.com.

McMorrow, Fred. "I Can Take Care of Myself." The Saturday Evening Post, 8 Nov. 1958. pp. 30, 98, 102.

Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org.

Listen to Al Sjoerdsma discuss "Number Twenty-Two" here!

In two weeks: Our series on Thomas Grant concludes with a look at "Hooked," starring Robert Horton and Anne Francis!