You Got to Have Luck

Thirty episodes in and this is the first twist that i didn't see coming.. The story is so-so but the two actors provide enough to keep you interested until the ending. I had to rewatch it to realize what a nice job they did providing clues to the ending. Perhaps, someone paying more attention will guess the ending but most episodes don't demand that much thought.

Sam Cobbett has just broken out of prison and enters the house of Mary Schaffner while her husband is away. Cobbett makes Mary cook for him, dismiss her neighbors when they come by, and pretends that everything is okay over the phone when her mother calls. Cobbett believes he can take his time, but he soon learns a shocking discovery that will ultimately be his undoing.

I gotta say its always a pleasure when you get to see really good performers in these episodes and here we get John Cassevetes who I always loved from "The Dirty Dozen". While he plays the role pretty good, I have to say I'm a little confused by the ambition of the character he's playing (much like fellow reviewer hitchcoc stated). Cassevettes sorta bumbles his was threw the episode making stupid decisions, taking to long, and ultimately coming off a little to nice. Of course this isn't Cassevettes fault, but, more of that of the writers. The best thing that saves it and helps me bump up its rating is the clever twist which I'll admit I actually forgot all about since my last viewing. Marisa Pavan does a good job as our lead actress as does the the supporting cast led by veteran actor Ray Teal who makes his second appearance in the series as a law authority figure.

I like this episode as it is one of the few so far that actually nails the 25 minute cutoff. Most episodes struggle with that format. "You got to have luck" keeps it very simple. Doesn't try to tell a convoluted story but a straightforward simple one. It kinda stands or falls with how you feel about the ending. In my opinion it at least has an ending, instead of the completely open endings we've seen from other episodes that seemed to be deprived of time. This one wraps everything up neatly with it's final reveal. Though I liked it well enough I can certainly see some people who find in implausible and possibly flat. To me this one is kind of the blueprint of what I'm looking for in Alfred Hitchcock presents. Simple, easy to follow, with a simple ending that more or less gives all the closure I need.

Robert Stevens directed a boatload of episodes in this series, but in this one he's only the third most noteworthy director. There's Hitchcock, of course, and there's John Cassevetes (The Killing of a Chinese Bookie), who is one of the two lead actors. This is one of my favorite episodes of Season 1.

Cassevetes gives a very strong, modern performance as an escaped convict who invades a young woman's home. He's menacing, and there are about as many allusive sexual threats as they could show in those days.

I'm not sure if all actions here make sense (if you're going to dote on this, then don't bother with the series), it's not ridiculously unrealistic. The ending makes me want to re-watch to see why I didn't see it coming.

I was awestruck as it progressed. The moment Cassavettes entered the frame I knew I was in for a ride. It was such a treat to watch the plot unfold, and the strong performance by Pavan just kept it altogether. This bestowed Cassavettes into one of America's finest filmmakers thereafter.