The Hands of Mr. Ottermole

After getting past the overripe 'cock-er-nee' accents and the 'what the... ?' moment when the police sergeant first opens his mouth and sounds just like Gregor Fisher in full Utter Hebrides Broadcasting Co mode (Scot/Brit ref), this episode delivers not a bad measure of suspense. Scots, and anyone else with an ear for regional accents, will probably spend a bit of time wondering how likely it was for someone from the Western Isles (or perhaps the Highlands) to be working as a police sergeant in London, in 1919? Possible, or maybe a literal joke as he was working for Scotland Yard? Actually, the accent was convincing and remained consistent (the actor in question Theodore Bikel, master of numerous languages, accents and dialects) so we can let that one go.

Another slightly jarring aspect is some of the weird non sequitur dialogue: 'Maybe the reason for there being no reason is that there is no reason' or 'How did the ham get into the sandwich? Because someone had to put it there' (that particular piece of philosophy bizarrely leading to the mystery being solved). Dostoevsky it ain't!

It appears to have the hands of Mr Hitchcock (as well as Mr Ottermole) all over it, so it was quite a surprise to see Robert Stevens directed. I was getting homage to the big man's early Blighty based catalogue which isn't a bad thing. Overall though, pretty much style over substance with a reveal that's been a staple of many a Hammer Horror/Ripper movie since. Way better than some of the other 'wackier' episodes in series 2 of AHP though.

**Lookalike corner* Anyone else think the murdered couple's nephew looked like a young Roger Daltrey?

What BETTER team could there be than director Robert Stevens and writer Francis Cockrell to handle this spooky story. Favorites of Hitchcock.

The eerie scene is fog shrouded London, late at night -- where a Jack the Ripper-type maniac is on the loose. LOCK YOUR DOORS. Dogged police inspector Theodore Bikel is perplexed as to who can be behind these horrible crimes.... However, it gets even more interesting when dedicated reporter Rhys Williams outlasts his welcome.

Genuine Hitchcock material, very atmospheric, the acting tops. Bikel's performance may have lead to him being cast in the cult thriller I BURY THE LIVING (1958), the following year. He uses the same accent. Watch this film. A favorite of Stephen King.

Listen for "Greensleeves," whistled in the eerie background, a sentimental song reportedly written by Henry VIII, with a reference to ladies of the evening. The Jack the Ripper connection once again.

An ending you will NOT want to miss, and if only Sherlock Holmes was on the case. Wouldn't that be fun. SEASON 2 EPISODE 32 remastered Universal dvd box set. 2006. All seven seasons are on dvd in a single box set. Released 2022.

Like all the regular directors for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', the most prolific of them all Robert Stevens' output was inconsistent. In his case most of his 44 episodes were above average, and the best of them were great (while not quite show high points), but there were misfires like for example "Shopping for Death". "The Hands of Mr Ottermole" had one of the most appealing premises of the season, while not innovative it is the sort of story that has always fascinated me and very Hitchcockian.

"The Hands of Mr Ottermole" is a very, very good episode and nearly great, because the good things are so good. To me, it is one of the better, most gripping and most suspenseful episodes of Season 2 and one of Stevens' best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes (his best too since "The Manacled"). It does a very Hitchcockian premise justice and at its best the execution is worthy of Hitchcock too, which is a big compliment to give and not a compliment given a lot to other non-Hitchcock directed episodes.

Getting the not so good things out of the way first, "The Hands of Mr Ottermole" did for my tastes go a little too far on making the reporter as annoying as possible, have not seen over-zealousness so overdone in a while.

Some of the more philosophical dialogue rambles a little, particularly towards the end.

However, the good things are many and most are great in execution. It is a very well acted episode for one, with Theodore Bikel captivating in a performance that lives long in the memory for its unsettlement. His character is also interesting. Stevens directs with confidence and a great feel for creepiness and suspense that was missing from him for a while. It is well made, with some suitably moody noir-ish visuals.

Also thought the music was well used, enhancing the atmosphere while not over-bearing it. Have always gone on about how inspired a choice it was to have Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" as the theme music, and one may not be able to hear "Greensleeves" in the same way again. The script provokes a lot of thought and is mostly tight, Hitchcock's bookending is wonderfully droll. The story is diverting throughout, is full of twists (all surprising and plausible, thanks to clever use of misdirection) and is rich in dark creepiness and suspense, with a clever ending that took me by surprise.

Overall, very, very good and nearly great. 8/10.

Fairly suspenseful episode. We wonder who's behind the hands of a strangler throttling the latest victim, hands and head being all we see from the camera set-up. That way the anguished grimaces of the victim fill the screen in riveting fashion. Meanwhile, London bobbies have no clues to the strangler, even as public panic mounts. The crimes seem unrelated and motiveless. And darned if this isn't about the foggiest studio set on record. No wonder the cops are having a hard time.

It doesn't help the stoical precinct sergeant (Bikel) that annoying reporter Summers keeps riding him and his men about their lack of progress. Then too, why does the nosy newspaperman keep turning up at the murder sites before the cops. Clearly, there's more to the case than meets the eye. Of course, there's the London fog on- screen. But now, there's a mental fog kicked up by the story since we can't be sure where it's going. I like the solution. It's a little on the philosophical side. Sill it's an interesting idea that raises, in its own way, the conundrum of mind versus matter. All in all, a thought-provoking Hitch entry.

The episode is set in London in 1919. A spate of stranglings have occurred and no one seems to be able to get to the bottom of it. This is likely because there seems to be no rhyme nor reason for them....no apparent motive. A reporter (Rhys Williams) is an odd one as again and again, he seems to come to the scene of the crime before the police...and naturally you can't help but wonder if he's the murderous psychopath.

This is an excellent episode for many reasons. The atmosphere is very good, the acting very good and the story has the twists you would hope an episode of the series would have...though too often they didn't. Well worth seeing.