The Right Price

"The Right Price" is a bit surreal or absurdist compared to other episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". This is because the way folks act in this one is just plain weird and real people just wouldn't act like this...but it's still fun to watch.

In the middle of the night, a man hears someone prowling about the house. He goes to investigate and then something strange happens...he finds a burglar (Eddie Foy Jr.) and the two sit down and chat a while....very amiably. The burglar is friendly and they talk about all sorts of things...until ultimately the man asks the burglar how much he'd charge to murder his wife while he's at it! Surprisingly they haggle about this...which, in hindsight, is a BIG mistake!

This one strictly is for laughs...which isn't a bad thing. Don't expect great depth but it is clever and fun.

This is one of the better episodes of the season. Sure, it's comedy rather than suspense, but it's funny. Eddie Foy Jr. plays a thief but isn't entirely convincing. He comes across as an old vaudevillian, which is what the actor really was. His performance carries the episode.

It turns out the man whose home he is robbing (a) has nothing of value and (b) hates his wife, so they cut a deal. I love the casual cynicism the show exhibits about marriage. 1950s style grumbling about wives, but I don't think it is , ultimately, sexist. This is AH dark humor at its best.

I'm not sure if the plotting would hold up, but it's all in good fun, and there is a nice twist ending.

Two people run a business together. They are also husband and wife. They make each other crazy. One night after going to bed, the husband is awakened by a burglar. It turns out he is a talkative businessman. He proposes a partnership with the husband. Unfortunately, there is nothing of value, so they can't share potential insurance money. After enjoying roast beef sandwiches and beer, they get down to a possible crime. The husband wants his wife killed. The burglar agrees and he heads for the bedroom. This is one of those episodes where it is played pretty much for laughs. It was really hard for me to become engaged in this.

Another simple and sharp as a knife episode. Exciting and above average ending too, very cynical, just the kind of ending that anyone could enjoy. Useless to invent, create complicated plots with many twists and characters. I can only advise you to watch it. It is definitely black humor. Every member of the family will like it.

This was an exceptionally cast dark comedy, and with Allyn Joslyn in the lead. For years, Joslyn was a standout at playing brooding, complaining, snobby types (and in some classic films), not to let all his fans down here. And don't forget that pencil moustache.

This time, he's complaining about his wife (marvelously played by Jane Dulo). I say marvelously, because Jane was best at playing similar type characters, quite popular on tv sitcoms.

Joslyn is looking for a way out, even though he appears to be a successful businessman. Oddly, his wife (also his business partner) seems to be cramping his style. There's also an insurance policy hanging around someplace.

Eddie Foy, Jr., whose father was a famous vaudevillian, plays a guy named "the Cat", as in cat burglar, who sneaks into the house and has some financial suggestions for Joslyn while trying to rob him at the same time? Their middle of the night talk together is fascinating. Foy reminded me, slightly, of Phil Silvers.

Does not get any better than this. Allyn Joslyn is the whole show, the epitome of the unhappy man who wants a change in his life, albeit economically. After all, he is a businessman.

Outstanding, and as always, wait for that sly Hitchcock ending. You will not be disappointed.

Not too long after this episode, Eddie Foy appeared in BELLS ARE RINGING, starring Judy Holliday.

From SEASON 4 EPISODE 22 remastered dvd box set. 2008 Universal.