Specialty of the House

'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' "Specialty of the House" (1959)

Opening thoughts: Am going to be honest, this reviewer was not expecting to like "Specialty of the House" let alone love it. Dark, black humour has been well many times, but there have also been many other times where it can be too cruel and too distasteful. Still saw it as someone who has liked Robert Morley and the most prolific 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' director Robert Stevens has done a number of great episodes ("The Glass Eye" for example).

"Specialty of the House" is so much more appealing than it sounded. What was expected to be a near-disaster to me turned out to be another one of the best episodes of Season 5. As well as one of Stevens' best episodes (maybe the best since "The Glass Eye"), a huge improvement over his disastrous (a contender for his worst) previous episode "Appointment at Eleven". It is true that the ending is obvious very early on, being given away almost straight away, but this turned out to not be a problem with everything else being so good and entertaining.

Bad things: Nothing.

Good things: Everything. Morley throws himself into the lead role and does so with gusto and slyness, a really wonderful performance and well supported by the rest of the cast. His character is not a likeable one, the opposite in fact, but he is interesting and fun. The character interaction is masterly and full of wit and tension.

Also can't fault the direction of Stevens, he really does maintain the tension, present mostly in the character interaction, and doesn't allow it to slip and could tell he was having fun with the material. The production values are atmospheric, the locations contrasting well with each other (the alley having a real eeriness). The theme music is as haunting as ever.

Writing is as delicious as the food itself, it is very twisted and very dark but manages to surprisingly do it without being too cruel or tasteless. There is a lot of talk, which too often is not a good thing in 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', but it didn't come over as rambling or extraneous. The story is very slight, which potentially leads to pacing issues, but is intriguing and suspenseful too and doesn't drag, amazing for a talky episode. The ending is known immediately but is still clever and neatly staged, the fun not letting up. Hitchcock's bookending is as sardonic as ever.

Closing thoughts: In summary, wonderful special episode that was the complete opposite to what was expected.

10/10.

Mr. Laffler (Robert Morley) has invited his employee, Mr. Costain, to accompany him for dinner at an obscure supper club where he's a member. But it's a very odd place...located in a warehouse district and in which only 40 members are allowed. It's further unusual because there is no choice as to what you served...you eat it and you like it...period. But what really makes it odd is that there is a dish, Lamb Armistrand, that makes the members practically rabid in anticipation of it! But they never know when it's going to be made...and when it is, the reaction is positively orgasmic. So where's the odd twist? Well, watch it and see for yourself.

This is a very dark and funny episode and Robert Morley is wonderful in the lead. Overall, a great episode...one you'll never forget. Why? Just see the show....you'll figure it out!

The portly Robert Morley, the ultimate symbol of pomposity, is a gourmand, who frequents a secret restaurant where he takes his business associate. The place serves only forty members. The food is phenomenal, but there is a lamb dish that everyone is nuts about. It is only served on rare occasions and no one knows in advance (well within a day or two). It is supposedly from lambs raised in Uganda that eat a unique kind of grass. It is fun watching Morley do his thing as he tells his tales to his young associate. Of course, being Hitchcock, we suspect there is something about the food, especially the Specialty of the House, that we will eventually be let in on. Unfortunately for me, I figured it all out long before the ending. But one then must savor the actors, the atmosphere, and the pacing.

Everyone knows the ending... but yet they still don't get it!!! This episode is NOT about food at all! It's about secret societies, the elite, the wealthy, the sophisticated and the SACRIFICE an initiate must make in order to get in to the "club!" Have you ever wondered how secret societies get new members that they can trust? How do they keep the secrets of the "order" safe year after year? Why doesn't anyone squeal? What happens to those that want to "rank up"... or get to the higher levels of the society... and "see how that sausage is made"??? A wall of life members... is sold to the underlings as a status symbol to be attained... but in reality... uh-oh.

I am 75. When I was 10 my father took me to the children's section of the Burbank, CA library and introduced fantasy and sci/fi to me with this short story. This was about the same time this story was shown on Alfred Hitchcock Presents though it was several years before I actually saw it in reruns. Robert Morely is excellent and I was not unhappy to see his character become a "lifetime member" with all the available benefits. : ). I am not sure if parents nowadays would be inclined to make their children aware of this genre at the age of 10, but I highly recommend it. I wound up reading fantasy and sci/fi exclusively for the next 15 years.