Disappearing Trick

This is a clash between two people of the most questionable character. They come together when a bookmaker sends Robert Horton to find what happened to one of his customers. It turns out the man has drowned in a boating accident. Now it's the sly byplay between the widow and Horton. There are secrets in play here and that's what they do, "play" each other. While there is a good deal of sexual tension and the acting is good, I need to have some investment in the people involved. We can see the twist a mile away. When the show concluded, I was left with a big "Is that all there is?" I can't imagine any insurance company being so incompetent as to allow this sort of thing to play out.

During the 1960s to the early 70s, character actor Raymond Bailey became a household name due to his playing the banker Milburn Drysdale on "The Beverly Hillbillies". If you've seen him in films or shows before this, you might not quickly recognize him because Bailey was very bald but sometimes wore an amazingly good toupee in "The Beverly Hillbillies" and most subsequent appearances. So, if you've seen him with and without his hairpiece, like I have, there is zero suspense in this particular episode...mostly because Baily plays the same man...with and without a toupee in order to avoid folks realizing they are the same person. I INSTANTLY knew they were the same guy and the show really offered little in the way of suspense.

"Disappearing Trick" is the second of Arthur Hiller's 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes. Was underwhelmed personally by his first "Flight to the East", but he was responsible for some good episodes (more so than not so good). Robert Horton was a series regular and it is not hard to see why. This was another great premise that would have been worthy of the Master of Suspense himself, and while Season 3 was not a consistent season it was a solid one generally and had some great episodes.

One of those great episodes "Disappearing Trick" may not quite be, but it is an impressive one with much to admire and with flaws actually being not many at all. As well as much better than Hiller's previous 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' outing "Flight to the East". Season 3 did see much better episodes ("The Glass Eye", "Return to Finder", "The Right Kind of House"), when talking about the previous episodes, but also certainly far worse ("The Percentage", "Sylvia").

Did find the ending, while amusingly ironic, rather easily foreseeable and obvious too early. Raymond Bailey does well, but his casting is also on the obvious side and could have done with more variety to work.

The story is also quite slight, not really quite as eventful as it sounds, and the momentum goes a little towards the end.

A lot is good. Horton is very charming in the lead role and Betsy von Furstenberg is alluring and teasing. Loved their chemistry together, which is very cat and mouse like to increasingly unsettling effect. Something that is apparent right from their initial scene that gets stronger and stronger. Hitchcock's bookending is amusingly ironic and Hiller directs with more confidence and edge.

It's solidly made with some atmospheric photography. The series theme music is one of the best and most inspired examples of pre-existing classical music being used as a main theme, fitting perfectly with the series' overall tone. The writing is thought provoking, fun and unsettling, with no over-talkiness and there is some dark suspense.

Concluding, not great but did like it quite a lot. 7/10.

A little moral to the age-old story about disappearing with money by Hitch. There's a right way, and a wrong way.

Written by Kathleen Hite, who wrote many years for GUNSMOKE. Robert Horton returns to the series, and I agree with the last reviewer, he was a favorite as was Raymond Bailey.

Horton plays Walter, a gigolo, now working as a tennis pro(?) who latches onto the mystery of a gambler (Bailey) who supposedly died in a boating accident. The insurance money goes to his beautiful wife, marvelously played by Betsy von Ferstenberg. So Walter pays a visit to Laura and tries to get something going... Is there a happy ending, you ask? Depends on WHO you're rooting for, then again would you want to be rooting for any of these folks? Kind of what Hitch always has in mind.

Horton, tall, rugged and handsome, is appropriately cast, known for WAGON TRAIN. Bailey makes an interesting character as well, and I always thought he looked far better with his hairpiece, being a fan of the Beverly Hillbillies. Two veteran actors appear, Frank Albertson (ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE, ROOM SERVICE) and jittery Percy Helton.

10 Stars for Horton and von Ferstenberg, who had a long career on tv herself.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 27 remastered Universal dvd box set. 5 dvds. Released 2007. 16 hrs running time, the famous "red herring" dvds. All seven seasons are on dvd in a single box. Released 2022.

Good and interesting plot this one whish scheme sounds familiar to me though. But the actors symphony is quite good and you wonder how it will end. Now, I agree that this very ending is a bit lousy, too light, compared to the rest of the story. Another twist ending, far better than this one, could have been proposed instead. I will put it in the medium batch.