And So Died Riabouchinska

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.

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.

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

Besides the exquisite pleasure to have Claude Rains and Charles Bronson in the same time, the Claude Rains' character reminded me his in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, 1942 version, though not the same plot. But Rains was perfect in this character, and the dummy element also reminds me some TWILIGHT ZONE episodes speaking of dummies. Here, the plot is pretty sophisticated and smart, and the ending is not that twisted. Precisely because the story is so riveting, like a rollercoaster. If the story had been flat, of course the ending would have been more "shocking". It could have been made for the big screen.