The Better Bargain

What a good surprise to have here Henry Silva as a hired killer, in a character that reminded me Vince Edwards in MURDER BY CONTRACT. Because of the way he speaks of women as targets...Nothing exceptional however, you wait for the twist ending. And for this kind of plot - husband trying to get rid of his cheating wife and (or) her lover - is not new and there are plenty of those schemes. Not a bad episode, of course, I would put it just in the middle batch; not the top, not the bottom, just the middle. Robert Middleton already played in an AH PRESENTS series episode, with a poker game. Do you remember?

Herschel Daugherty was one of the most prolific directors on 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. While not being a fan of all of his episodes, his best ones are outstanding. One of the prime examples being "The Creeper", which to me is among the best and creepiest 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes, and his first episode "The Belfry" is one of the better debut outings of the series' most frequent directors. His previous four outings for the series are all worth a look, with only "Kill with Kindness" disappointing a bit.

"The Better Bargain" is not one of his best episodes, comparing this to Daugherty's previous four episodes this gets my vote as the weakest by quite some way. It is a long way from bad, far from being one of the worst episodes of Season 2 or of the whole of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and definitely worth the look, but it is a case of one great performance being quite a lot better than the episode itself. As far as Season 2 goes, "The Better Bargain" is neither one of the best or worst.

What raises "The Better Bargain" from being a potentially mediocre episode to a slightly above average one is the performance of Henry Silva, who is wonderfully serpentine. His character is on the obvious side, but Silva really unnerves and has strong chemistry with a solid (if not quite inducing the same amount of fireworks) Robert Middleton. Daugherty does direct more than competently, not exceptional but it is a long way from a hack job.

It is a slick looking episode, with some atmospheric shots and lighting. The audio has enough atmosphere too and the main theme never fails to haunt and fits the tone of the series perfectly. Hitchcock's bookending is entertainingly ironic. Enough of the script is thought provoking and it starts off well.

Did feel though that "The Better Bargain" could have done from a lot of tautness and suspense and the second half felt too routine for my tastes.

Moreover, the final quarter did ramble a bit (again personal opinion) from the story starting to feel over-stretched, all the way to the too predictable conclusion.

Overall, slightly above average but only just. 6/10 (was debating whether to give 5 or 6 but Silva is so good that part of me couldn't be too hard on it)

The ultimate dark comedy. How can you miss with burly Robert Middleton playing a man of means who is saddled with a young and beautiful wife who cheats? Hitch seemed to love this theme.

Yes, it's an old story, but the master of suspense gives it the full treatment. I do agree with the last reviewer, it's one of those head scratchers. Does this goof really think money is going to keep his wife from fooling around?

The catch here is Middleton is a crime boss, with lots of connections. So the plan is to hire a hit man to make everyone happy?

Henry Silva is the perfect choice to play the smooth talking killer... and the best thing about this story is the dialogue between the boss and his new employee. Thanks to Bernard Schoenfeld, who wrote 16 episodes for Hitch. Bernard wrote one of the greatest prison films, CAGED.

Middleton, about a year earlier, played one of Humphrey Bogart's gang in THE DESPERATE HOURS, a role that insured his place in movie history as a real bad guy. The movie was shot at Universal, where Hitch did his tv show. The biggest surprise about that movie is Bogey's character was shot dead on the front lawn of the LEAVE IT TO BEAVER house. Amazing. Super trivia question.

A classic for late night tv, and for fans of Robert Middleton. From SEASON 2 remastered Universal/CBS dvd series. 16 hrs total running time. All seven seasons are on now dvd in a single box set. Released 2022.

Vintage Hitchcock. Gangster Koster's fetching young wife is playing around even as the aging husband indulges her every wish, but as everyone knows, you just don't fool with aging tough guys. She's going to pay.

Many of these early episodes were cheaply done. Note the use here of only one set. Nonetheless, the budget compensated by shrewdly hiring some excellent performers who sharply engrave their characters, especially Henry Silva as the smooth-talking assassin. He's an actor clearly on his way up. Also, Don Hanmer is excellent as the mousy detective in an easily overlooked part, along with the reliable Ray Middleton as the wary old gangster. Without these colorful characters, the one-note plot and single set might become tedious, as someone in production probably knew. Then too, note the colorful touch with the familiar Jack Lambert as Koster's henchman. Instead of just having him sit around waiting for office visitors, he's building a model ship, of all things. These are the kind of minor touches that can distinguish an episode.

Maybe you can figure out the ending. I couldn't on first viewing, lo, so many years ago. Anyway, take a close look at the very last frame—the series was clearly pushing the bounds of 1950's TV with that shot, something Hitchcock did throughout its run. Also, please tell me what that is on top of wife Kathleen Hughes's head when she visits the office. Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't take over the world. In my view, at least, this remains a solid series entry.

This is a very predictable little vignette about a rich crook who has a young gold digging wife. The gangster is very jealous and wants to control the young woman, but he knows that his hold is limited. He brings in a cold blooded hit man to kill both the wife and her lover, but his emotion gets the best of him. This is what sets up the eventual resolution. Lost in all of this is the poetry of the person with whom the wife is having an affair. The pompous gangster is not very bright and doesn't see some things that would have clued him in. The most interesting part of the episode is the byplay between the two men as they discuss what is going to happen, the bargaining, and the deal they consummate. I have this one figured out way ahead of time, but the Alfred Hitchcock episodes make on suspicious of the apparent truths. This is a pretty minor effort for the series.