The Cheney Vase

When you have someone in a wheelchair being taken advantage of, you know that at some point the bad guys are going to pay. In this case a man finagles his way into a vulnerable woman's confidence in order to steal a valuable vase. He manipulates her every way he can, employing a confidante, and getting ready to strike. The old girl isn't dumb and evidence begins to build. As with many of these people, the man has a flaw and doesn't play things out to the end. The episode has a satisfying ending where justice is served. The acting is reasonably good and the story has some credibility. It calls for some pretty drastic action and things like this often get in the way, but it's a pretty good Hitchcock effort.

The story is not a novel one, but it did sound very interesting nonetheless and had the potential to be very suspenseful if done right. Robert Stevens directed 44 episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', all worth watching at least once and the best ones are truly fine. 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' was mostly solid in quality up to this point, with only two disappointments and with "Breakdown" being a particularly exceptional episode.

While not one of the best episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', "The Cheney Vase" is also a long way from being one of the worst. Somewhere around high middle, an episode that has a lot of truly great things but also feeling a little lacking. It is not one of Stevens' best episodes, such as "Our Cook's a Treasure" for an example, but one can tell that it was directed by him. And this is meant in a good way because when Stevens was at his best in the series his work was on Hitchcock's level.

A lot is good in "The Cheney Vase". What immediately stands out is the acting. Patricia Coolinge is benevolent but also remarkably cunning, while Darren McGavin (in his second and infinitely better appearance in the series, after "Triggers in Leash") does sleazy and deceptively charming in a way that unsettles. Loved the chemistry between them, which grew in intensity the more that is revealed. A pre-Morticia Addams Carolyn Jones is also great. Stevens directs with tautness yet control too.

Production values are high, especially the atmospheric photography. The music is not used constantly but is quite haunting when it is. Cannot get enough of the theme tune, while Hitchcock's bookending is some of his drollest in writing (the intro is quite quotable) and cleverest in staging. The script is tight enough and intrigues, while the story is concise and engaging with some nice tension. The final quarter does surprise.

Did think that some of the episode could have done with more suspense. It also felt on the rushed side in a story that would have been better at least 15 minutes longer with what goes on. That way what is left unexplained could have gone into more detail. The out of the blue and rather too random arrival of a character with no explanation is an example of this.

In regard to the ending, it does surprise but it also felt too abrupt and vague.

Overall, quite good but not great. 7/10.

This is not too bad of an episode. Ms. Chaney out foxed the fox - she is a real clever fox in the end. It took her a bit to realize that she was being used to gain access to the vase but once she did come that realization she found the only way she knew how to get out of it - we hope. It's true this episode ended abruptly and could have had a bit more to it in the end... I wanted to know if Lyle ended up in jail or if he decided to harm Ms. Chaney and run off.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents has always been great to watch, I used to watch the reruns on TV as a teen - loved it. This episode was not directed by Hitchcock nor did he write or help to write this story - he only hosted it but it's a pretty good episode and always fun to watch Alfred's commentary before and after each episode.

7/10

Lyle Endicott (Darren McGavin) is a shifty museum curator who has just been fired from his job, due to laziness. However, he sees dollar signs if he can obtain and old Cheney vase from the wealthy Martha Cheney (Patricia Collinge) who offers a lot of her old belongings to the museum. Lyle manages to take full advantage of the vulnerable Martha, but, he will learn taking the vase won't be as easy as he thinks.

This is just and all around fun episode with Darren McGavin returning to the series to play a wonderfully awesome scumbag manipulator. Everything from the cast to just the way the episode builds itself up in its 25 short minutes in great. As for the twist its defiantly pretty clever. This one also seems to be the most easily obtainable outside of the series itself because I'm pretty certain its in the public domain. Also nice to see a young pre-Addams Family Carolyn Jones as McGavin's girlfriend in this to.

The play and later film of KIND LADY was an interesting piece of writing. The imprisoning of a helpless wheelchair bound old woman in her mansion, systematically cutting off all means of communication with the outside world - for nefarious purposes - was borrowed for this half hour adaptation and although the premise is different, so is the twist at the end.

The production belongs to Patricia Collinge, who is excellent as the matron, so good that one wanted it to last an hour so she had more time to show her stuff. McGavin plays the kind of role he was always good at - a sleaze. Carolyn Jones is impressive as his disapproving girlfriend.

Worth a look!