Lonely Place

A couple of weeks ago caught an episode on a classic rerun station of this classic series "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" from the 1960's. This episode called "Lonely Place" from 1964 from season 3 starred the great and good character actor Bern Dern. The tale is good with suspense even with a creep like feel of mystery and in the end it shocks a little with a surprise twist ending! Dern is Jesse a drifter a man who's lonely as he just lives from pillow to post one day he arrives in a valley on a farm of a couple named Stella(Teresa Wright)and Emery(Pat Buttram)and oh Jesse is looking for work he needs it even if it's only the 5 or 6 dollars a day that he's paid! Soon little by little it's seen at the dinner table that the manners of Jesse is strange and different it's clear that evil lies beneath as on the side Jesse starts to kill pets on the farm! And Jesse has an eye out for Stella the farmer wife it's like the attraction is like in a sexual psycho way! And beat it all Emery the husband is fooled and to weak and really a coward of a husband to say anything to protect his wife! Only in the end a woman scorned and she will take matters into her own hands as this farm lady deals with both guys her own way as it's a goodbye to both the husband and evil drifter! Overall good episode with suspense and it has a surprise twist ending!

Harvey Hart, who went on to direct PEYTON PLACE, headed this intriguing episode, which is basically a three actor play. And what a story.

Tight-fisted farmer Pat Buttram and has wife (played by Teresa Wright) need a hired hand -- fast and cheap. In walks the atypical Hitchcock "man with a problem," memorably played by young Bruce Dern. He accepts the $3 dollars a day job. Both get what they deserve. Only Dern, even at an early age, could have handled this role. He had the talent right off the bat, if not "the look." Dern would next play the "victim" in the cult Bette Davis film HUSH, HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE.

As much an exercise in suspense as it is a character study, particularly Buttram ( Emery), who is strictly business, and as long as Dern gets the job done and his frightened wife keeps quiet, its all in a days work. Right? After all, there are real people like this who somehow make it through the day... HOWEVER.. this is Hitch's show all the way.

Wright (fondly remembered for Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT), a bit older here, still exceptional, playing a woman scared out of her wits. There's more to this outstanding story, so let's leave it at that. Let's just say the conclusion is well worth the price of admission.

Wright at the time was doing work on Broadway, but tackled some tv roles and chose wisely with this story. She would return to the wide screen in the late 60s.

Pat Buttram, long a western side-kick, of course would go onto tv fame as the hilariously crooked Mr. Haney on GREEN ACRES, and to tell you the truth, this part may have been instrumental in his winning the role the following year. It makes sense!

One thing though, some reviewers seem to be insulted by Hitch's comments between scenes and at the close. Remember, it's just a tv show. Always an honor to laugh with Hitch, and he loved the attention. PS: Should you ever have a chance to take the Universal City tour, Alfred Hitchcock is fondly remembered, the ultimate PR man. There's a fun short film narrated by him announcing the tour, still in circulation.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 6 remastered. According to Amazon, all three seasons were remastered in Europe and may not play on American made dvd players. Always check with the seller.

Once again Hitchcock cottoned to the network censors and threw in his crime doesn't pay crap. If you want to enjoy all these Hitchcock tales, don't bother watching him; get right to the play itself. This one is really good. It involves a long suffering woman and her fat, insensitive husband. She does everything for him and all he can do is blame and complain. Enter Bruce Dern, about as nutty as anything he has ever done. He is psychotic. I know we throw that term around a lot, but this is really a fact. He taunts and threatens the poor woman. He kills a pet of hers without provocation. He makes sexual advances and has a hunting knife he shows around. Pat Buttram, the old Western sidekick is the husband. Both men do a great job portraying the scum of the earth.

The story is both terrifying and heart wrenching. After her pet is pointlessly killed, you can't help but empathize with Stella and seeing what her cowardly husband and psycho farm had put her through is agonizing. If this were shown in a theater, I suspect there would be spontaneous applause at the ending twist.

Lonely Place is an extremely well acted and directed late episode in the Hitchcock hour. The story is simple: a peach farmer hires a strange, moody itinerant to help him pick his crop and his wife is immediately suspicious of the man, who behaves weirdly toward her (but not her husband, with whom he bonds rather well), going so far as to kill her pet squirrel. The husband is only interested in the work his hired hand can do, refuses to acknowledge the man's bizarre behavior. Indeed, he doesn't appear too concerned for his wife's well being, physically or mentally. Is the husband is cahoots with the odd hobo? Or maybe the wife is making a mountain out of a molehill. This episode, which features only three characters, is expertly directed by Harvey Hart, with fine performances from Teresa Wright, as the nervous wife, Pat Buttram, as her callous husband and Bruce Dern as the tramp who appears to have a few screws loose. Life on this farm is far from idyllic. I don't know why this is but some of the best Hitchcock hours are set in country places. This is one of them. Strong stuff.