Safe Conduct

An entry that builds suspense based on Cold War themes. Journalist Trevor is returning to the West by train from high-level trip to Soviet bloc nation. On train she meets hunky soccer star Bergerac who convinces her to smuggle costly ring past border guards so he can use it to pay for sister's operation. His charm convinces her. But then, surprise, surprise, he exposes her effort to border guards. Now she's in big trouble. So what the heck's going on since he seemed so sincere.

This is one of few series entries with a political subtext, and understandably so. After all, politics raises its own issues aside from suspense the series traded on. Fortunately, the communist officials are portrayed as recognizably human, an unusual event for the deep Cold War year 1956. That way their humanized presence contributes to the suspense instead of competing.

I love that sequence when Bergerac suddenly asks whether he can buy some of Trevor's underwear. It's dropped in so abruptly, we're as startled as Trevor. Something of a Rock Hudson look-alike, I'm surprised Bergerac didn't score more in Hollywood. Anyway, it's quite a suspenseful episode with a somewhat satisfying upshot.

John Banner and Werner Klemperer were both actors who starred in "Hogan's Heroes"....they also fled the Third Reich and in some ways it must have been satisfying parodying this awful empire in the show. But this wasn't the first time the pair starred in the same show, as both appear in "Safe Conduct", an "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episode starring Claire Trevor (from such great films as "Stagecoach" and "Key Largo").

Mary Prescott (Trevor) is an American journalist who has been behind the Iron Curtain interviewing the president of some country. However, she ends up being duped into smuggling...and a staged investigation occurs. Obviously, these officials want to create some sort of international incident. Is there any hope for the lady or is she gulag-bound?

This episode is clearly a sign of the times. Things were very tense with the Soviet-bloc nations and this came just a few years after the Red Scare of the late 40s and early 50s. As such, it really didn't fit into the style of programs on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". It also had a very long and talky finale. All in all, well made but a huge disappointment....only worth seeing in order to see Klemperer and Banner. Apart from the disappointing story, see it to see the first appearances of John Banner and Werner Klemperer in the same show.

This episode deals with that interesting feeling that one gets when traveling under the threat of a government that could arbitrarily detain or arrest someone. Will they accept your passport? Will they identify you as an undesirable? That's what happens here. As she travels in such a location, an American reporter finds herself at the mercy of some pretty scary characters. She is duped by a young soccer player and finds herself under arrest. She is strong, but she knows that she really has little power other than a lot of bluster. She also feels betrayed. This is cold war stuff with an element of spy drama. It builds suspense well and has a satisfying conclusion. Note that there is a contingent of "Hogan's Heroes" characters: John Banner (Sergeant Schultz) and a supposed researcher, Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink). This is a well done little fifties drama.

It's off-pattern Alfred Hitchcock's presents, a point outside the curve, it wasn't properly bad, actually far away from that, just doesn't fit on the early concept which the master developed the series, his usual intro somehow saves the day, when he forgot the name of the episode pointedly.

The story takes place in a night train (what was a favorite spot on Hitchcock's movies) creating a bleak atmosphere, where an renowned American newspaper correspondent Mary Prescott (Claire Trevor) is coming from a nameless nation of the iron curtain straight to West Germany, she was addressed by a notorious soccer player Jan Gubak (Jacques Bergerac) asking for your help to keep hidden a priceless wristwatch with diamond encrusted with her belongs, due Mary's luggage already had the seals of customs, such watch will be sell to afford his sister's operation at hospital on West Germany, the good heart Mary accepts for human reasons eve knowing that was in jeopardy.

Sadly reaching near of final destination the unexpected comes, Jan uncannily accuses the naïve Mary smuggles the valuable watch without reporting the authorities, she was debriefed by the train's custom's authorities, even Mary claiming that was framed by Jan, well this episode would be a great spying thriller, in my view doesn't add up in this conceptual series, although the story is highly compiled!!

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First watch: 2021 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

Alfred Hitchcock does his bit to fight off the red peril. As well as stay in Senator Mccarthy's good books.

Mary Prescott (Claire Trevor) is a the go getting American journalist who has been invited to go behind the Iron Curtain.

She has interviewed the head of state of an East European nation and is now heading back to West Germany.

On the train is well known footballer Jan Gubak. He won his nation the world cup trophy.

Jan has been critical of his country. He is on his way to see his sister in Munich, she is having an operation.

Mary offers to looks after a valuable watch, which Jan hopes to raise money for her operation. It is illegal to take out currency and items of value from the country.

In a turn of events. Jan tells the authorities that Mary is smuggling a watch over and she is arrested.

It turns out that the watch was of little value. So what was Jan's game?

Not much of a twist. All it shows that people from this communist countries cannot be trusted. Hidden spies and double agents. It's really a propaganda piece.

If Jan's sister could not afford the operation. How did she end up in hospital in Munich?