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Alfred Hitchcock Presents
S1.E25
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
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IMDbPro

There Was an Old Woman

  • Episode aired Mar 18, 1956
  • TV-14
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1K
YOUR RATING
Charles Bronson and Estelle Winwood in Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)
Dark ComedyCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

Dishonest Frank and Lorna Bramwell visit the home of wealthy, eccentric Monica Laughton, with the intention of robbing her.Dishonest Frank and Lorna Bramwell visit the home of wealthy, eccentric Monica Laughton, with the intention of robbing her.Dishonest Frank and Lorna Bramwell visit the home of wealthy, eccentric Monica Laughton, with the intention of robbing her.

  • Director
    • Robert Stevenson
  • Writers
    • Marian B. Cockrell
    • Jerry Hackady
    • Hal Hackady
  • Stars
    • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Estelle Winwood
    • Charles Bronson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Stevenson
    • Writers
      • Marian B. Cockrell
      • Jerry Hackady
      • Hal Hackady
    • Stars
      • Alfred Hitchcock
      • Estelle Winwood
      • Charles Bronson
    • 16User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos5

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    Top cast6

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    Alfred Hitchcock
    Alfred Hitchcock
    • Self - Host
    Estelle Winwood
    Estelle Winwood
    • Monica Laughton
    Charles Bronson
    Charles Bronson
    • Frank Bramwell
    Norma Crane
    Norma Crane
    • Lorna Bramwell
    Dabbs Greer
    Dabbs Greer
    • Theodore the Milkman
    Emerson Treacy
    Emerson Treacy
    • Deli Manager
    • Director
      • Robert Stevenson
    • Writers
      • Marian B. Cockrell
      • Jerry Hackady
      • Hal Hackady
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    7.21K
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    Featured reviews

    dougdoepke

    Delicious Hitch

    A delicious episode. I never thought I would see a frazzled Charles Bronson, but then he is up against an 80-year old loopy Estelle Winwood. Seems small-time crook Frank (Bronson) and rather dim wife (Crane) think aristocratic old lady Laughton (Winwood) will be easy pickings. After all, she lives alone in a big house full of invisible family, guests, and food. But somewhere inside that mausoleum, Frank figures, is a load of cash, at least that's what he heard. So now he and wife push their way in, while the agreeable old lady introduces them to the invisible guests. But where's she got that darned money hidden.

    Winwood's perfect, her bulging eyes and ditzy manner, a perfect foil for the aggressively greedy Bronson. This was still early in the tough guy's career before his acting style was reduced to a single hard-eyed stare. Happily, he shows here that he does have an acting range. Then too Crane makes the rather slow-thinking wife into a reluctant counterpart to hubby Bronson. In my book, the episode is pitch-perfect Hitch fare, the character elements coming together beautifully, with an ironic closing line that fits perfectly, raising also a boggling subtext about how those now invisible family members became invisible. Anyway, hats off to all involved, and to a Bronson that's seldom seen.
    searchanddestroy-1

    Nothing exceptional but quite good

    I am sure that everyone will agree with the fact that this story brings nothing special to the series. If you remove the twist ending, there is nearly nothing left. Just an agreeable time waster and that's all. The lead characters is a couple of greedy crooks, robbers seeking to take advantage of an old lady. There are many old ladies in this series, I don't know if you had noticed. This is not an unforgettable story, I repeat, but it remains quite enjoyable. Not boring tale for a rather predictable plot. But there are many of them in this series. Compared to the other episodes, Iwill place this one in the medium scale of quality and interest.
    Snow Leopard

    Very Good Macabre Humor

    "There Was An Old Woman" devotes its entire screen time to the kind of macabre humor that was such an enjoyable part of so many episodes of this television series. The deceptively light feel of the episode conceals some grim truths that lie underneath, and it succeeds very well in carrying off some markedly offbeat story ideas. The writing, production, and acting are all of very good quality.

    Estelle Winwood is wonderful as a very pleasant but decidedly delusional woman, with the habit of planning imaginary funerals. Charles Bronson and Norma Crane work well together as an unscrupulous couple who hear about her wealth and invade her home, only to find it necessary to respond to a weird and unexpected situation. Bronson is particularly effective in sometimes showing scorn and incredulity towards the elderly woman's delusions, and at other times trying to think along with her, to turn the situation to his advantage.

    The story is written and told with careful pacing, and it includes a simple but plausible explanation for everything. The ending is gruesomely ironic, and the main story is framed very neatly by the two visits from the stoic milkman (played by Dabbs Greer), which contain some clever parallels. It's a very offbeat episode, and it would be understandable if it is not to everyone's taste. But for those with a morbid sense of humor, it could prove quite enjoyable.
    8b_kite

    In this show rich old women can get the upper hand.

    Estelle Winwood is Monica Laughton a rich old woman living out by herself. One day while over hearing the milkman talk of her, Frank played by Charles Bronson schemes with his girlfriend Lorna to get in the old woman's good graces enough at least to rob her blind at the right moment. The problem is however she's got a couple of screws loss, as she's built her house full of imaginary family members living with her, even the food is imaginary. Eventually, the two begin to starve and Bronson losses patients, prompting the old woman to change her mind on letting the couple stay in her house, but, they won't be leaving so easy either. A classic among the series and rather disturbing once you think about it, I'm starting to like these episodes where rich old women hold there ground against greedy siblings or invaders, usually doing themselves in by there own stupidity as is the case here. The episode keeps you guessing weather there's any money at all or if its imaginary to. We learn however there is, and in the shows usual ironic affair its in the most obvious of locations.
    7coltras35

    Laced with macabre humour

    Dishonest Frank (Charles Bronson) and Lorna Bramwell (Norma Crane) visit the home of wealthy, eccentric Monica Laughton, with the intention of robbing her.

    Tough guy Bronson gets deservedly annoyed by an eccentric lady, wonderfully played by Miss Winwood. This is an amusing foray into macabre humour with the imaginary guests and funeral.

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    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The title is the first line of the nursery rhyme about the woman who lived in the shoe.
    • Goofs
      In the kitchen scene where "Frank" and "Lorna" are eating out of the pan, there are moving shadows on the wall to the left of the screen that are not from the actors.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Alfred Hitchcock: Good evening. I have a request for those of you who are not watching television... Please turn on your set. I'm sure I look much worse in the flamboyant Technicolor of your imagination than I do in the austere black and white of television. Thank you. I'm sure that's much better. Although it may still be one color too many. Black and white are very fitting this evening. As a matter of fact, we considered edging the entire picture in black, but we gave that up. It would have been decidedly unfair to those of you with very small picture tubes, or narrow imaginations. Tonight's fable is about Monday Laughton. A nice little old lady with a penchant for funerals. You shall learn more about Miss Laughton after our sponsor gives this brief but heartfelt eulogy in behalf of his product.

    • Soundtracks
      Funeral March of a Marionette
      Written by Charles Gounod

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 18, 1956 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Shamley Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 30m
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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