Man with a Problem

Episode aired Nov 16, 1958
TV-14
30m

IMDb RATING

8.2/10

869

YOUR RATING

Gary Merrill in Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

Karen Adams' infidelity drives her husband Carl to attempt suicide by jumping from a high window ledge at a hotel. Can police officer Barrett stop him?Karen Adams' infidelity drives her husband Carl to attempt suicide by jumping from a high window ledge at a hotel. Can police officer Barrett stop him?Karen Adams' infidelity drives her husband Carl to attempt suicide by jumping from a high window ledge at a hotel. Can police officer Barrett stop him?

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.2/10

869

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos3

User reviews14

8.2869

Featured reviews

8Hitchcoc

Too Man Variables but Still Fun

This is the old "man on the ledge" story. Gary Merrill is out there, having just experienced the death of his young, beautiful wife, Elizabeth Montgomery (of Bewitched fame). It turns out that she has had an affair and has asked for a divorce. Her unhappiness is never given a foundation. Merrill seems like a nice guy, but we don't know the details of their marriage. He does what he can to try to salvage things but she is adamant. Of course, the bulk of the episode is about the current situation. The usual New Yorkers are down there yelling for him to jump, while a young police lieutenant works to talk him off the ledge. A complicating factor is the Captain who butts in and refuses to let the young man do the talking, saying he is a publicity hound and is just doing this to feather his own nest. The conclusion is incredibly far fetched but quite satisfying (as is often the case if you don't think about it for more than a minute). As with this plot, it factors in a fear of heights and the poor man's near falls.

10brbrknndy

Kids yelling "jump" ought to be charged.

This is an excellent story but that's all I'm saying. Those kids yelling"jump" ought to be put in jail.

Also physical violence against a woman is improperly condoned in this episode. The woman even states that she deserved it.

This is worth your time.

searchanddestroy-1

Exciting plot but nothing more

Good little pot about which it is impossible to say any harm. It is short, shaarp, leaving you always on the edge, as the main character, the razor's edge. The finale could have been a bit better, but it remains a twist. Gary Merrill is excellent as this desperate man, so close to commit suicide. Watch it.

8planktonrules

A very dark yet oddly satisfying episode!

When the show begins, a man is seen up on the ledge of a tall hotel in New York and it's obvious he is a jumper. But despite this, he hasn't jumped yet and a cop (Mark Richmond) manages to build rapport with him and the jumper (Gary Merrill) is talking to him so there apparently is some hope. It seems that the jumper is upset because his wife has been cheating on him and eventually it resulted in her committing suicide....and then the show springs the wonderful twist that really shocked me!

While "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" is a very good show much of the time, too often the twists at the end are pretty limp and you can't help but feel disappointed. This one in no way disappoints....as the writing and acting are just terrific. Dark...but terrific! What is NOT terrific is the epilogue by Hitchcock. It seems that some of the sponsors must have balked at the notion of crimes going unpunished and insisted that he say something along the lines of "the police later figured out he was responsible and he was sent to prison"....which is a total cop-out and this is exactly what they did here. Frustrating and unnecessary....and for this I deducted a point from an otherwise great episode.

7sethompson-82819

very similar to the 1951 film 14 Hours

Great cast, good episode but has anyone else realized how similar it is to that film from 1951 called 14 Hours? I know there's some differences but there's some dialogue that's nearly word for word. Are they both based off the same story or something? I can't find anything mentioning the extreme similarities, it's driving me nuts lol. Gary Merrill is always fantastic, huge fan of him, and I usually like Elizabeth Montgomery but she was kinda blah in this TBH. Back to the similarities with the 14 Hours film, even down to the scene of the cabbies placing bets on if he's going to jump or not , the one genuine cop who wants to help Gary, the psychiatrist, SO many scenes are almost word for word to the film, it's nuts!

Trivia
The rear projection in the hotel ledge scenes shows N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago, particularly the Allerton Hotel and a sign advertising Wanzer milk, a local Chicago dairy.

Goofs
The characters make numerous references to Manhattan landmarks, indicating the story takes place in Manhattan N.Y. But the skyline is of Chicago. The hotel manager says "Why didn't he pick on some hotel near Penn Station?" The police officer asks the manager to call Bellevue and have them send over a psychiatrist. Bellevue is a hospital in Manhattan frequently associated with the treatment of mentally ill patients. Charles Adams' suitcase contains a Manhattan phone book. When Carl Adams is on the hotel ledge the officer says "Got quite a view, huh? There's a better one from the top of the Empire State." The officer then points in the direction of Chicago's Allerton Hotel and beyond the Allerton, the Palmolive Building is visible.

Quotes
[introduction - Hitchcock is in a chair giving someone exercises]
Self - Host: One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Now raise your hands above your head. Higher. Higher. I wish to take this opportunity to welcome you latecomers to "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". Someone suggested I go to a slim & trim class and I decided to go even further and start one of my own. Here to encourage you beginners is an illustration of what hard work and determination can do.
[pull back to reveal a skeleton next to Hitchcock, which resumes exercising]
Self - Host: One, two, three, four. This is Mr. Webster, who I'm certain is the envy of all of you. When Mr. Webster first came to me, he weighed nearly 300 pounds. He was sluggish and run-down and was the object of ridicule because of his obesity. Furthermore, his wife had threatened to walk out on him. Now all that has changed for the better. He has his old energy back, he's quite popular socially and his wife has left him. He also has a pleasant job marveling in the anatomy department of one of our largest universities and, in evenings, is end man in a minstrel show. And now, ladies and gentlemen, a special low-calorie story. However, first, for those of you who aren't dieting, we have this bit of treacle.