Triggers in Leash

This one stood out to me as being more goofy than anything. I guess it can't be called unintentionally funny, as several other reviewers here seem to think that that was exactly the goal, but it still seems to me like there was supposed to be an underlying tension, a risk that something seriously awful could result from the conflict here, that was completely undercut by the way the story was executed.

It amounts to two gunfighters having a staring contest. They refuse to take their eyes off of each other and maintain a barrage of taunts that only heighten the silliness. They are seated at a little table covered by a checkered tablecloth; they stab blindly at the food before them and overturn cups of coffee. Grandma Walton keeps running in and out of frame trying to distract them with different things. It felt like an SNL skitch. There's even a comically over-sized prop that plays a crucial part in the "twist ending". This was all MEANT to be funny, right?

Hitch's epilogue, a much-needed acerbic twist upon the twist, was the part of this episode that I enjoyed the most.

A rather odd third episode for a series then in the process of establishing itself. The problem is that after about 15 minutes of macho hectoring and gunfighter's crouch, the hair-trigger face- off between Barry and McGavin goes from tense to tedious. There's still a question of how the drama will end, but the dialogue and visuals have become too familiar to sustain the initial tension. As another reviewer points out, a final twist managed to salvage what looked like a really cop-out ending. In my book, the best thing about this tepid curiosity is the featured role it gives to that fine actress Ellen Corby who spent her career playing thankless menials of one type or another. There should be a special place in Hollywood heaven for such unsung stalwarts as she. Too bad I can't say the same for this episode.

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 dont know what to say. I found this episode less interesting. It lack of purpose. Its just two man who want to kill each other. A fight that is not really interesting because we know the two men. And what they are. We just asking when they will act and stop talking and i found it pretty annoying. No other storytelling and its just non sense talk but we still want to know how it will end. But i didnt find the episode really interesting to be honest. Even if the woman was pretty smart but not a good cook.

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.