Triggers in Leash

Watching this episode, I got a strong feeling that Sergio Leone must have seen it sometime and it made an impression on him. Almost the entire episode is guys waiting to draw on each other while tension builds, just like the ending of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. There are some similar shots -- a low shot from behind a hand over a holster, and close-ups of the men's eyes (something very rarely done in film before Sergio started doing it).

Also, since the men were supposed to draw when a cuckoo clock chimed, I was reminded of For A Few Dollars More, when a gunfight was supposed to start when a musical watch stopped its song.

Anyway, I can't know for sure, but I feel almost certain that the maestro must have caught this episode and liked it, and found things he wanted to use. Watch the climactic duel from The Good The Bad and the Ugly, and then watch this episode. I think you'll see what I mean.

While the Western genre is not one of my favourite film/television genres, there is still high appreciation for it and there are a lot of classics in it. Have often liked the actors here in other things, with Gene Barry (introduced to me via his memorable turn in a 'Columbo' episode) being the most familiar name to me. 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' is a very interesting and often well done if not consistent series. So there was potential for "Triggers in Leash" to be good and the premise was not bad.

"Triggers in Leash" unfortunately struck me as disappointing. There are many fine episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', but this is not one of them. If anything, it's one of the misfires and one of the lesser episodes of the first season. Also a big letdown after two great previous episodes. It does have its moments definitely, but "Triggers in Leash" could have been a lot better and there is just something about it that makes it feel like it doesn't belong in the series.

Am going to get the good out of the way. It is slickly photographed. The theme tune is masterly use of pre-existing classical music, one of the best. Ellen Corby gives a very strong and dignified performance, one that deserved a better episode and a better rest of the cast.

Best of all is the wonderfully acerbic epilogue, Hitchcock's bookending sequences varied throughout the series' run but the one in "Triggers in Leash" is one of the best and sticks in the memory. The twist is quite good.

Something that the rest of the episode does not sadly. Barry and Darren McGavin are not on Corby's level and both try too hard and could have done with a lot more grit in their interpretations. The character psychology is interesting but could have delved into a lot deeper, not meaty enough.

What really lets "Triggers in Leash" down in particular is that the story didn't grab me. It felt like 15 minutes over-stretched to 30, which made it drag quite a bit because of it being too thin and too often near-uneventful. There is far too little tension and a lot of it feels contrived and unintentionally silly. Something that is apparent in a lot of the dialogue too. Maggie's actions at the end also don't make sense and it is not really explained.

In conclusion, disappointing. 4/10.

Normally, I'm not cheering on a shootout, but when Hitch says, "That was disappointing, wasn't it?" I had to agree. Both gunmen bored and annoyed me at the same time, which seems unlikely, but jeezely Pete, by the third time (of MANY) one taunts the other to draw, I'm hoping for an end to the characters' (and my) misery.

The basic plot: a men enters Maggie's establishment, which looks like a little cabin but apparently feeds random stragglers. The man refuses to remove his gun belt. Why becomes clear when a second man enters. It seems there was a poker game the night before and it devolved into an argument. The first man let the second live, and now the second is looking for revenge. Their showdown over ham and eggs lasts 20 minutes. 20. Minutes. "You draw first." "You draw first." "Even if you draw first, I'll outdraw ya." "Even if you draw first, I'll outdraw ya." Lather, rinse, repeat. For 20 minutes.

In between, Maggie implores both men to think before they shoot. The twist ending I hoped for involved Maggie and a pistol hidden in her apron, but alas, it was not to be. Not one of the show's better offerings, in my opinion.

This well-crafted drama is one of the best of the early episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", and it is a fine example of the anthology show format. It has a compact but interesting story, with interesting characters who are well-defined, and a strong cast to portray them. The writing is tight and resourceful, getting much more out of a simple situation than you would have expected.

Ellen Corby, Gene Barry, and Darren McGavin are the stars, with Casey McGregor playing the only other on-screen character. Corby's character runs an out-of-the-way lunch counter, in which the characters played by Barry and McGavin confront each other with deadly intentions. Corby's character tries everything she can think of to cool off the two hotheads, even getting them to eat something while keeping one hand ready to draw at all times.

Although Hitchcock neither wrote nor directed the episode personally, it's well worthy of him, with a memorable situation, some very good dramatic touches, plus some psychology added in. Director Don Medford did a fine job of building up the tension, and the cast members are all in very good form. It's all resolved in a clever way that also would be worthy of Hitchcock's dry sense of humor.

Practically all of the episodes in the series were at least interesting, and many of them were memorable in one way or another. This one, though, is a particularly good example of an ideal usage of the half-hour format, and among the early episodes, it is very possibly the most efficient and effective.

I enjoyed seeing such great actors. Gene Barry is one of my all-time favorites. Bat Masterson and Burke's Law were awesome shows. I'm a big fan of The War of the Worlds. Darrin McGavin and Ellen Corby are wonderful too.

The plot is a little thin here, but I still enjoyed it. Maybe not the best of the shows, but I still had fun watching it.

Lots of Alfred Hitchcock episodes are on YouTube. Peacock has all episodes from Season One, Episode One of Alfred Hitchcock Presents to the last episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. I've decided to start and the beginning and watch them all. I hope you enjoy the shows as much as I do.