And the Desert Shall Blossom

When this episode begins, you see that two old prospectors are living together and have shunned civilization. Instead, they live in the middle of no where and live in a crappy old shack together and are quite happy there. But somehow some local government wants the two old men in a nursing home...which really makes no sense. What makes even less sense is when the sheriff delivering the ultimatum agrees that if the men can actually make something grow, like their withered rose bush, that they can stay there unmolested. Huh?! Oddly, the way out of this mess arrives in the form of a wanted criminal. His car is undrivable and he demands the pair escort him through the desert to Reno. How does this help them in their efforts to get a rose to grow??!!

The acting by William Demarest and Roscoe Ates is by far the best thing about the show. As for the plot, it's silly and trivial and a rather poor episode apart from the acting.

All five of Arthur Hiller's previous episodes are watchable, though only "Post Mortem" really was great. Likewise with all the other eleven episodes that followed "And the Desert Shall Blossom". His output (seventeen episodes altogether) was inconsistent, not unexpected as none of the regular directors for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' were consistent, but none of his episodes misfired massively or season or series low points. The premise was one of those could go either way ones, but the episode was still seen for the cast and as someone who likes the series a lot.

Seeing it, "And the Desert Shall Blossom" left me a little mixed. It's a fun episode that knows exactly what it's doing in tone, but there are episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' that have much stronger and far more plausible stories. Anybody who likes light hearted are likely to love it, personally am one of those people and the series has plenty of good light-hearted entries. There are also episodes that don't sound appealing, but manage to be a lot more entertaining and suspenseful than they sound and was hoping "And the Desert Shall Blossom" would be one of those. Something it doesn't quite do.

The best aspect is the acting, which is absolutely great. Especially William Demarest, who was clearly having a lot of fun. The chemistry between the actors also entertains. As said, "And the Desert Shall Blossom" takes a light hearted approach and it's executed very amusingly and playfully. Loved the droll irony of Hitchcock's bookending and Hitchcock's wry delivery of it.

Furthermore, the production values are slick and atmospheric, neither overblown or cheap. The theme music is still a classic. The dialogue is entertaining and thought provoking, while not being too reliant on too much talk. It also doesn't come over as dull.

Did, as said, find the story patchy. It sounds quite silly on paper, and in execution not only does it go overboard on the silliness the whole premise is one big stretch stretched to the limit. A lot of it doesn't make much sense and requires some serious suspension of disbelief.

Was disappointed by the ending, which for my tastes was very prematurely predictable and indifferently staged. The music has too much of a recycled quality and despite the light hearted-ness of the episode's tone, there is an offbeat-ness that doesn't always gel.

Overall, decent if unexceptional. 6/10.

Hitch put to work two of his resourceful team members, director Arthur Hiller and writer Bernard Schoefeld, who came up with a sentimental story -- with that proverbial twist. No surprise Hiller directed many episodes for GUNSMOKE.

A desert setting, right in the middle of nowhere, which Hitch seemed to favor. Prime character actors William Demarest and veteran Roscoe Ates play Tom and Ben, two desert rats, living in a shack, dearly holding onto what little they have. They get a warning from sheriff Ben Johnson that they must do something useful with the property -- like grow plants? -- or out they go. What they receive is a visit from a desperate killer, appropriately played by Mike Kellen.

Kellen needs their help to make a getaway and these two guys ain't got jack! But Hitchcock miracles do happen in the most awkward ways... May remind you (slightly) of a poignant episode starring Claude Rains, playing the elderly priest with very little money.

Demarest and Ates shine in these roles. Ates was a long-time western fixture who turned a stutter into a career. They make a splendid team. An unforgettable episode thanks to Hiller (who directed 17 episodes) and Schoenfeld.

SEASON 4 remastered Universal dvd box set. This is the classic green box with Hitch's lovable stone face. A great gift for fans.

Somewhere in Nevada two old codgers eke out a living, but they face their greatest challenge when a stranger from the East shows up in a broken-down car. The local sheriff advises them to abandon their digs in favor of what we would called "assisted living." But, one of the old men dismisses the notion of being among a bunch of old folks, "just sitting around waiting to die." The other man is none other than "Uncle Charley" (actor William Demarest) seven years prior to his My Three Sons run.

The stranger is played by actor Mike Kellin, who was featured on the New York stage in Rodgers' & Hammerstein's often-overlooked Pipe Dream.

The usual Hitchcock ingredients are here, especially humor, colorful dialog, and serviceable scene music which has been recycled from other similarly light-hearted episodes. And, as per usual, someone meets death.

This episode is only fun because of the two old character actors that steal every scene. These two guys have lived on their property in the desert for their whole lives. Now the sheriff comes out and tells them that the Town Council is going to force them into a retirement community. They love where they are, and even if they have little money and eat rabbit stew every day, they would rather keep on keeping on. The sheriff tells them that if they can show the ability to grow something on their land they would be seen as farmers and he would stick up for them. Of course, how dumb is this premise? They have a spindly rose bush and the sheriff says if they can get it to produce roses, he will speak up for them at the next council meeting. Meanwhile a gun toting gangster shows up. He wants to get to Reno and needs help crossing the desert. His car is disabled and he threatens the guys who really have nothing to offer him, other than some directions. He is having none of that. I must have seen this when I was younger, because I remembered what happened. I felt it was a satisfactory conclusion.