And So Died Riabouchinska

This is a Ray Bradbury story. As I was watching the video, I realized I had read this story long ago. It involves a murder being investigated by a detective played by Charles Bronson. Claude Raines, a heavyweight actor, plays a cracked ventriloquist who is having an affair with his own dummy. She is the reincarnation of woman he loved, but who became abusive and left him. Most of the episode is about Bronson, trying to get the ventriloquist to open up. Of course, at some point we have his hidden personality inside his wooden creature. The suspense builds and the lies build and eventually it all comes tumbling down. Raines is is excellent in this little performance, showing what a fine actor he was. Bronson is also very photogenic. His career was just starting and we can see that there was something there. It works out very well and it's a really gut wrenching story.

Anything with Claude Rains is highly recommended. Case in point, this strange little tale about a police detective (played by Charles Bronson), probing a murder in a theatre. Who else to get into the mix but a ventriloquist and his dummy? Simply amazing.

Definitely a Ray Bradbury story, who contributed to the series. I agree with the last reviewer, there's similarities to the classic British thriller, DEAD OF NIGHT (1945). Bradbury may have also been thinking THE UNHOLY THREE, starring Lon Chaney, minus a midget and an ape!

Rains plays Fabian, who has grown attached to his female dummy, called Riabouchinska. Had to be the longest character name in the entire series. Rains is a marvel to watch (and that voice!), only he's not doing any other voices but his own. Rains was good friends with Hitch, co-starring in NOTORIOUS (1946).

By the way the dummy is effectively creepy. Well worth noting here.

The only episode written by Mel Dinelli, the author of one of the great thrillers, THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1946). The film was so popular, the 60s music group took the same name. Good trivia question.

FYI; the voice of Riabouchinska is Virginia Gregg, veteran radio and tv actress, master of characters, known for DRAGNET.

Best of SEASON 1 EPISODE 20 remastered Universal dvd box set. 3 dvds. 2005 release.

This episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" features an interesting Ray Bradbury story of murder and psychology, plus a fine performance by Claude Rains. The theater setting and the troubled main character make it a very good fit for the series, and the story is adapted efficiently into the show's format.

The story starts with a murder at a theater, with the investigation centering around Fabian, a ventriloquist played by Rains. Fabian displays an excessive attachment to his female dummy ('Riabouchinska'), and it quickly becomes obvious that he has something verging on a split personality, speaking truthfully only through the dummy. It's a weird and intriguing situation, and it is also interesting to see a young Charles Bronson as the detective who has to make sense of it all.

Bradbury's imaginative and thought-provoking stories do not necessarily lend themselves easily to screen adaptations, but this one overcomes the challenges pretty well. Rains has just the right approach and screen persona to make the challenging character work convincingly, and in particular it is worth watching him closely during the scenes when the dummy 'talks'. The somber story and the disturbed central character fit together well.

Detective Krovitch investigates the murder of juggler Luke Ockham in a theatre. His suspicions fall on John Fabian, a ventriloquist with a fixation on his female dummy, Riabouchinska. Riabouchinska, seemingly acting independent of Fabian's control, insists on telling Krovitch the truth, but, can Fabian handle it.

Just two episodes later we get another more well known Ray Bradberry story. This one holds more weight then the last and is really executed quite well. The story starts out with our murder then slowly progresses to a slow burn conclusion, made great by the interactions of a very young Charles Bronson who was hardly known at the time, but, holds very good weight with his performance, and the veteran Claude Rains, who puts in what maybe one of the finest acting performances from this series yet, The final is really moving and is were Rains puts forth some really powerful acting, which leads to my only real complaint with the episode. the last scene could have been really strong if they hadn't thrown in some extremely stupid zingy goody carnival style music which almost kills the mood of the whole episode. Other then that the whole multiple personalities thing is a nice change of pace for the series, and the overall episode a really great one.

A.H. intro talking about a ectoplasm and phenomenon psychic to explain this haunting episode that brings the legendary Claude Rains to main role as John Fabian as an old ventriloquist in another Ray Bradbury story, due a murder that took place at theatre and dully scrutinized by the tireless Det. Krovitch (Charles Bronson), all clues lead to believe in crime of passion, on account of Fabian's wife Alice has a hidden affair with his manager Mel Douglas, after exhaustive research Krovitch keeps focused on Fabian when enters in the scene the female dummy Riabouchinska who seemingly spoke by herself, for the distress and the unflagging Krovitch who warns Fabian to stop misleading him over the dummy speaking, however the bewildered Detective starts realizing that Riabouchinska has her own personality and also has an inconceivable love affair with Fabian, as mooted by Hitchcock in early submission, this unusual case of reincarnation gets shape in the course of time and allowing us an unprecedented ending, I've already watched many Ray Bradbury's novel took the screen on several movie's adaptation, nonetheless baffled me such higher number of them, indeed a true prolific writer, don't you???

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2021 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5