Road Hog

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!

Robert Emhardt made a great villain. He emanates slime in this one. He is a traveling salesman who sells trashy stuff to bars (I remember these guys from when my family ran bars when I was a kid). I always felt a little sorry for them, but they were generally honest and hard working. This guy is awful. It's one thing to not pull over, but when the kid yells at him that they have an emergency, that fixes it. It was interesting to see Richard Chamberlain as one of the sons. Around the time that Dr. Kildare gave him a boost into TV immortality and beyond. This is one of those episodes where they play with the guy's mind. It's like the Harry Morgan one where he never really was bitten by the snake.

Robert Emhardt, the master of mean and arrogance, pulls it off again in one unforgettable tale. Another Hitchcock "you get what you deserve" story we all grew up on.

ROAD HOG was written by Bill Ballinger, who did seven episodes for the series, best known for the chiller, THE STRANGLER (1964), based on the Boston Strangler murders. I'll bet, in all probability, he encountered one or two "artistic" drivers himself and thus came this story.

Emhart plays a man named Fratus who is a dang roadhog, defined. Nothing too surprising about that, except when he blocks desperate farmer Mr. Pine (played by Raymond Massey), who is trying to get his dying son to a hospital ASAP.

Mr. Pine eventaully plots a sweet revenge for this creep. Could be one of Massey's greatest tv performances. The perfect match for Emhardt, the guy you love to hate.

Not to be missed, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, who had a distinguished career, behind film classics like, COOL HAND LUKE and WUSA.

Look for silent screen comedy star Snub Pollard, who invented the long moustache, as a bar patron.

The ultimate for Hitch fans. SEASON 5 EPISODE 11 remastered Universal dvd box set. Thanks much to METV for this running this gem late nights.

A believable and chilling story about a selfish, arrogant and very mean country salesman named Ed Fratus. Right off the bat, he spoils a little girl's day. She is playing with a butterfly and minding her own business. Fratus seems like an okay salesman, but a good one knows his customers and treats them fairly. Not Ed Fratus. He's just out for himself and to make a quick buck selling trinkets that people haven't seen before. He keeps saying that he won't come back unless they buy more from him. Later, we witness an accident to a local farmer's son with their bull. The father and two sons are driving the third son to a doctor, but they come upon Ed driving leisurely to another location. There was no need for Fratus to do what he did, but he ends up being true to his character just caring about no one but himself. It was no skin off his nose as he says. Thus, what happens to Fratus towards the climax is just desserts. Robert Emhardt does a great job playing Fratus so that we end up hating him. We end feeling relieved and justified to see what happened to mean Ed. The audience wants to see justice done and they are rewarded.

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.