The Right Kind of Medicine

"The Right Kind of Medicine" is classic Hitchcock, starring 24 year old Robert Redford as convicted robber Charlie Pugh, escaping with a suitcase full of cash stolen from a jewelry store safe, managing to gun down the cop in pursuit, who succeeds in wounding his killer in the leg. Charlie seeks out a shady physician, Dr. Emmet Vogel (Gage Clarke), who reports how the bullet passed clean through, and offers a pain killer prescription which the desperate killer must fill while trying to avoid detection in a busy pharmacy. Gage Clarke manages to steal his scenes, but Redford is quite convincing as a vicious killer, in his second year on television, going on to do 3 hour long Hitchcocks over the next two years.

Textbook Hitch dark comedy, and for the seventh season, the material is fresh as ever. That's the trick.

It all starts like something from PETER GUNN, young hood Charlie Marx (Robert Redford), steals a bundle from a safe, plugs a cop and winds up getting shot himself. His biggest mistake is mixing with an equally crooked doctor (played by Gage Clarke), suggesting he only needs pain killers.

The worse is yet to come. Charlie rushes to the pharmacy, only to pressure the over-worked pharmacist, while at the same time trying to avoid the coppers. Talk about a balancing act. Perhaps one of the few of Hitch's stories you're able to guess what happens next, still worth watching to the bitter end due to this fine cast.

I agree, Gage Clarke, a staple in tv westerns and cult films, is a scene stealer. We loved him. Likewise, Robert Redford, entering his second year as a tv actor, shows the early promise of a rising star. 60s beach movie fave Joby Baker plays Vernon and veteran Russell Collins fits the role of the poor pharmacist. His style was much like Robert Keith. Robert Karnes, featured in many classics, plays the police sergeant. Had to be one of the best cast episodes of all time for movie buffs.

Another thank you to director Alan Crosland, Jr, and writer Henry Slesar, who wrote nearly 3000 episodes of the EDGE OF NIGHT. Note, good chance the grim ending was likely pulled from real life headlines. Somehow you've heard it before, though re-vamping the characters for Hitch's convenience. You be the judge.

SEASON 7 EPISODE 11 remastered Universal dvd box set. 16 hrs total running time. The entire series is also in a single dvd box set. 35 dvds total.

Usually I am not happy when I easily predict the ending, but, in this case make sure you watch the ending, for the great acting mostly with just facial expressions. Not to put down Robert Redford, but the best acting in the episode was not his.

SPOILER: The faces of the two policeman in the ending scene were so expressive I actually laughed out loud. Without giving away everything, they did a great job when reacting to what the druggist had to tell them, very expressive facial expressions. Loved it!

One amusing interlude in this episode is the witness trying to pick out the perp from a large facebook, but there are so many faces he can't find him! But the person he's looking for had certainly the most beautiful and outstanding male face you could have found at that time: Robert Redford! The producers didn't even make any effort to make him look more like a lowlife hoodlum, those chiselled features were still crowned by that perfect golden hair, not in the least dimmed by being in black and white. A tolerably tense story is slightly marred by the unlikely twist, but despite the protagonist being Redford you don't feel any sympathy for him. *** out of *****

The plot is simple. Robert Redford's character has shot and killed a cop. He is now number one priority for the precinct. He knows a stitch em up doctor who takes care of him. He is a big baby and can't abide the pain. This leads him to a pharmacist and, well, figure it out. Very predictable but we want to see it play out.