The Belfry

I'm not sure why this episode has stayed with me for, lo, near 60-years. But it has. I think it's because the loopy Clint (Mullaney) does something I'd never seen an adult do—suck his thumb! To me that was scarier than one of those dripping ax murderers. Poor Clint. He looks twenty but his mind is a delusional three. Then too, he looks enough like Tony Perkins to be Norman Bates' country cousin. Plus, it's a toss-up which is wackier. So what does loopy Clint do after axing his supposed girlfriend's fiancé. He hides in a belfry, of course-- talk about getting your bell rung! Clearly, He should have given that hideout a serious second thought. Some fine production touches. Check out those dirty coveralls the guys wear, like they just came in from the fields; and was sweet-faced Pat Hitchcock ever more aptly cast than as a country school marm. Good to see familiar utility actor Dabbs Greer pick up a payday as the sheriff. All in all, the entry's a real curiosity, with enough novelty to keep you glued. As it did me, even sixty years later.

This whole episode is great except the last 20 seconds or so. Great acting and story but trust me you'll hate the ending.

Patricia Hitchcock was a very popular actress on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"....appearing ten times over the course of the series. While being the famous director's daughter sure must have helped, she was generally quite good in her various mostly supporting roles. Here in "The Belfry", however, she does play the female lead, the local school teacher.

When the sociopathic Clint (Jack Mullaney) learns that Miss Ellie (Hitchcock) is going to marry another man, he becomes unhinged and viciously kills her suitor right before her eyes...with a hatchet!! He then runs away to try to avoid being captured...eventually settling into the belfry above the school. Can he remain there indefinitely? No...but can he at least manage to stay there long enough for the heat to die down so he can make his escape? Perhaps. And, crazily enough, he plans on kidnapping and taking Ellie with him!

This was a well made episode BUT there just wasn't any sort of strange or ironic twist at the end....none. I thought the acting was very good but story simply fizzled at the end for me....and could have been better with a much better ending.



By the way, Miss Hitchcock is in her 90s and living in California last I heard...and I only wish her the best.

Alfred Hitchcock's daughter Patricia Hitchcock had many roles during the run of this series. This is one of her best performances, so enjoy her acting as you try to figure out what's going on along with her character. An especially satisfying ending.

This episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" is an excellent short thriller filled with suspense. The direction by Herschel Daugherty, who went on to direct a good number of episodes in the series, is worthy of Hitchcock himself, and Allan Vaughan Elston's story is adapted very nicely to the half-hour television format by one of the show's regular scriptwriters.

Pat Hitchcock is well-cast as a country schoolteacher, but Jack Mullaney is the star of the episode, as her violently disappointed suitor. The story follows Mullaney's character as he flees from justice by hiding in a bell tower, and Mullaney really makes the character come alive, giving him a childlike personality combined with a vengeful anger and a certain animal cunning. His mannerisms and facial expressions help to create an unusual and unsettling character.

There are a lot of nice touches that build up the tension, and it works very well in combining anxiety for the schoolteacher with an interest in whether or not the fugitive will be discovered. There are a lot of small details with props or minor actions that are used resourcefully to add to the suspense. The sets, particularly Mullaney's tiny hideout, are straightforward, but they are nicely designed and quite effective. The whole episode is of high quality.