Road Hog

'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' "Road Hog" (1959)

Opening thoughts: Stuart Rosenberg made a very good and very promising first impression with "Deadweight", also from Season 5. A first episode that was better than most of those from 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' prolific directors. Really liked the story idea, which is very Hitchcockian. Robert Emhardt is no stranger to the series and all his previous performances are all good and more. Season 5 was very uneven at this still quite early point, though the only bad episode really was a series nadir "Appointment at Eleven".

Rosenberg's second episode "Road Hog" is even better than "Deadweight" and for me proof that Rosenberg should have directed more episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. It is one of the best, darkest and most suspenseful outings of Season 5, very much worthy of Hitchcock and one of the best of the series' latter seasons. After seeing some wastes of good concepts as of late it was great to see something that lived up to its one with every bit of the impact expected.

Good things: Everything. "Road Hog" is a well made episode, with some very stylish and haunting close ups standing out. It is suitably eerie audibly too and "Funeral March of a Marionette" continues to be an inspired choice for theme music. Rosenberg directs with even more confidence and edge than in "Deadweight", as good as when the series prolific directors were on good, if not at their very best, form.

Moreover, the writing is taut and thought provoking. The story is very darkly suspenseful, never dull and has a truly chilling sense of dread. Especially towards the end, complete with a cleverly executed ending that was not expected. Hitchcock's typically humorously ironic humour never jars, remarkably so considering the darkness of the story.

Acting is very good, Emhardt being unsettling in a role that plays to his strengths. Raymond Massey matches him and it was interesting seeing a young Richard Chamberlain. The character chemistry is spot on.

Closing thoughts: Overall, outstanding.

10/10.

This episode belongs to the five best of the whole entire five seasons AH PRESENTS series, no problem. It is a pure masterpiece, tense, gritty, riveting, the kind of tale and rythm which no one could despise or find boring. Not a real twist but a terrific ending. If there was one episode that you have absolutely to watch or show to one of your friends, a newcomer in anthology TV shows, this episode would be perfect. Just perfect. Just sit and enjoy, it is as delightful as a coconut juice.

I remember seeing this episode about 15 years ago, but not too much specific information about it.What I remembered, was a car going really slowly down a road, & some people in a truck wanting to pass because they were in a hurry for some reason.And I remembered being completely blown away by the ending.I knew that someday I would see it again.A few years ago, TV Land ran an Alfred Hitchcock Presents marathon, & I recorded the whole thing, over that whole weekend. I love everything Hitchcock has ever done, so I knew I'd see so many episodes that I would be so exciting to see for the first time, or the tenth time.While watching the tapes, "Road Hog" began, & as I sat there watching, I thought, "Oh my god! I think this is it!" I thought I was going to die from happiness! I was freaking out!Robert Emhardt is one of those actors who always gives an incredibly intense, chilling performance.You just can't take your eyes off him.Now I have the first two seasons on DVD (Road Hog is from a later season), & can't wait to get all the rest. Naturally,when I watch a Hitchcock episode that I haven't seen before, seeing certain actors names,whether it's Barbara Baxley, Russell Collins, Robert Emhardt, or so many others, I get happy & I know that I'm in for another special treat!If there is someone reading this who has not seen "Road Hog", I promise you, if you see it, you won't ever forget it.I certainly didn't!

Davey gored.

Salesman refuses to get over or speed up guy is driving 10! Then forces him off road. No dumb epilogue.

Early in the episode, a young man is badly gored by a bull and his father and brothers rush him to get medical treatment...or at least they try to. But on the way down the long dirt road to town, they get behind a horrible man...a traveling salesman with contempt for everyone. While they are in a huge hurry, the salesman (Robert Emhardt) takes his time and actually slows down to 10 miles per hour when they begin honking. Eventually, they are able to pull even with the guy...and yell to them that they are on the way to get a doctor and it's an emergency. Shockingly, the salesman uses that opportunity to run the truck off the road...and the young man dies because they couldn't get medical treatment in time. The father (Raymond Massey) vows revenge.

This is a very good episode for two main reasons. First, it's not a case of revenge where the father does anything to actually hurt the salesman. Second, at the epilogue, Alfred Hitchcock doesn't moralize or paste on a ridiculous comment about how folks responsible were caught and punished. Nope...it's just a nice case of the crime fitting the punishment! Well written and well worth your time.

This is my second favorite episode in the series, this story plays out like a E.C. Comics suspense story.

Like in any of those tales we get the bad guy whom is a salesman that is unfeeling and greedy, this scum sucker thinks and acts like he owns everything and everyone as if the world revolves around him. From the beginning he squashes a harmless beautiful butterfly with his dirty shoe, ruining a nice girls day whom was admiring it and he just laughs about it, you just feel instant disgust but that little detail not just shows his social regard for other people but also on the lives of others, destruction of life on both counts means nothing to him.

We even see him at that bar how he is trying to sell mainly erotic items (if anyone is into that), but even when he makes a sale or two, he is completely impolite to customers, as he expected customers to buy more. I guess the old saying, the customer is always right meaning nothing to him.

I really like the protagonists the Pine family, on a side note Richard Chamberlain plays one of the sons this was his debut so good start for him. Another side note the other son looks like actor James Brolin when he was that age, I honestly thought that was him, but it isn't. This family of farmers are sympatric characters that were hard working people that maintain a good business and don't look for trouble. We see the youngest son had an accident with a bull and like any good family they are just driving him to a hospital.

It then comes down to the drive where we see the Pine family is racing to save the youngest son's life. It's suspenseful cause your hoping the family will be able to pass the guy and save their son on time, but the damn salesman once again acts like he owns everything and everyone. He knows what is happening is an emergency, but he doesn't give a toss, as he just deliberately just blocks them and drives below the speed limit, even though he knows it's a road that can be for two cars and you can go faster, so it shows the law is meaningless to him. I remember thinking, "c'mon just give them some damn space" and then of course we see the salesman just crosses the line and it just made my guts boil to magma hot.

It's then a revenge story from here on out, I really like how it's handled just seeing the change in mannerism the son's and the farmer you know it's no more mister nice guy. I really love how crafty they are it their revenge scheme it shows that they're not stereotypical country folk but are people that are smart and should not be underestimated.

This is suspenseful because as we see this revenge scheme conducted, we already know the result, but we don't know how. But I'll just say the salesman is about to be lead on the road to hell.

Rating: 4 stars