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.

Against typecasting, Jack Mullaney plays a country bumpkin turned psychotic named Clint Ringle who impulsively murders the rival for his girlfriend's affections. Hitchcock's daughter (Patricia) plays Mullaney's erstwhile love interest (Ellie Marsh) and she also happens to be the local schoolmarm. Mullaney is able to escape justice by conveniently hiding in the belfry of Ms. Hitchcock's school, but he's far from satisfied with one death. His intent now is to kill his poor unsuspecting former girlfriend for her supposed duplicity. Safely ensconced in the belfry, Mullaney imagination takes hold and his evil and demented thoughts are conveyed to the audience (similar to Anthony Perkins in "Psycho"). His original "act of passion" merely disguised his twisted and mentally deranged mind.

Hitchcock had an affinity for locating many episodes of his series out in the boondocks and inhabited them with simple but devious characters. It was his way of telling the viewing audience that escaping to the countryside wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. He also used his daughter Patricia on occasion and she gives an exceptional performance in this suspenseful entry. Mullaney, usually fitted for "nice guy" roles, plays the killer (Ringle) for all it's worth. Needless to say, justice "rings" its tune for poor Jack.

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.

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

I just couldn't get into this one. It is really over the top with the Southern hick mentality. The guy murders a man right in front of his fiancée. He then takes off, telling her that they will be together in his little love nest. The guy, of course, is a psychotic moron. He ends up hiding in the belfry of the one room school where she is a schoolmarm. He has a tough time when someone rings the bell, but, otherwise, seems perfectly comfortable. Can you say "bathroom"? Of course, people didn't think of this much. There is a place where a softball ends up in the belfry and he is about to ax a young boy. Anyway, we know that at some point he is going to screw. I guess the voice over of his deranged mind got on my nerves. Quasimodo makes a fatal mistake which is what we knew he would do.