Crack of Doom

Absolutely loved the title and the premise sounded intriguing, actually one of the more interesting ones of Season 2 up to this point. Adding further to the intrigue is that "Crack of Doom" is the fourth 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' epidode directed by regular James Neilson (a relative regular for good reason). All his three previous outings ("Help Wanted", "The Orderly World of Mr Appleby" and "The Legacy") are worth watching, while neither being season or show high points.

So is "Crack of Doom". As far as Season 2 goes, it's somewhere firmly in the middle. Not one of the best or one of the worst, and doesn't fare too badly compared to the relatively mixed bag of episodes before it (where only "Conversation With a Corpse" was above very good). It doesn't quite live up to its great title but as far as the premise goes, it is more or less what was expected or maybe just a little bit less. Not a waste of potential by all means.

"Crack of Doom" has a lot of good. It is a slick looking episode and Neilson directs more than competently, with a mostly assured pace and a sense that he knew what he was doing. Hitchcock's bookending is as enjoyable and drolly ironic as ever, not coming as out of place. The main theme for the series has lost none of its memorability.

The script is thought provoking while not taking itself too seriously or coming over as verbose, it's also fun. The story does grip generally, it is straightforward but it isn't too simple while with nothing that is too challenging. Ray Collins carries the episode with confidence.

It's not a perfect episode by any stretch. There are no real surprises, with the ending being very predictable this time.

Wouldn't have said no to more suspense, this was a premise that was crying out for it and there wasn't enough of it in the final quarter. Also thought that it slackened towards the end in energy when the story struggles to reach the duration limit.

Overall, not great but pretty good. 7/10.

This is an excellent tale of suspense. It is told in flashback by Robert Horton to a fellow traveler. It has to do with his gambling addiction. Horton has the gambling disease and finds himself in a game he cannot afford to be in. Unfortunately, he has access to money that doesn't belong to him. It's one of those winner-take-all situations. The beauty of the episode is that the camera and the director do a masterful job of pacing the thing and leading us to the inevitable conclusion. Horton, who I think was a cowboy star at one time, does a nice job as the tired, driven, frightened man, who has to throw it out there. There is also a subplot concerning his wife, who has been gambling with oil stocks, hoping to get rich. He finds himself in an untenable situation. This is one of the best of the "Presents" episodes.

A group of men get together a nickel and dime poker game on a train. One man refuses to play, and the bulk of the story tells the reason why in flashback. Flashbacks are quite useful in 26 minute episodes, but they also let us know that the protagonist will be OK (although we've seen in the series where that isn't the case).

Actor Robert Horton pretty much has to carry the episode (BTW, I like that he has a mustache in the present that he didn't have in the past; This shows a little effort). The poker part is pretty tense and its not obvious where it is going. We get two surprises near the end.

Season 2 has been weak so far, but this episode may turn it around.

A no-limit game of poker brings a real estate man to the brink of ruin. That man is played by Wagon Train's Robert Horton and he captures his character's desperation quite well. The poker playing scenes are suspenseful, however the ending lacked a twist.

"Crack of Doom" is a story that really is unusual for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". There is no murder and the story is very straight forward and has a strong anti-gambling message.

When the story begins, a group of businessmen are on the train. One suggests they play some poker to pass the time...no high stakes, just a friendly poker game. But Mason (Robert Horton) refuses to play no matter how much the guys badger him. Later, he explains at length to one of the men about why...and it involves a long flashback to a poker game long ago where he got in over his head...and nearly lost everything.

The story is interesting but there never is the sense of doom or mayhem in the story like most from the series. In other words, it's a very different sort of suspense...and is good but not a great episode. Worth seeing...but no must-see.