The Long Shot

Peter Lawford is very good as a shifty gambler . Can gamblers be ever trusted? Never in Alfred Hitchcock presents!! John Williams was a underrated actor. His most high profile role probably opposite Grace Kelly in Dial M for Murder!)

I gave it a 10 !!

The twist is everything in this series!! If we haven't got a twist in this series it isn't a proper Hitchcock episode!! In this episode we know certain things ie the main character will not succeed!! Most reviewers haven't mentioned the twist!! I think they are wise! The twist is ALL in this series!! If the audience gets it at the start then the program is in trouble!!

I've seen so many plots where a man finds out about an inheritance that is being held for someone. Many B movies use this plot. If they can get rid of this person, they can swoop in and grab the money. One need only think for a moment how incredibly hard this would be. All it takes is one eye witness. What about a photograph? We are talking big money here. Peter Lawford is a small time gambler, in trouble with his bookie. He becomes the unwitting accomplice to his rival, a man who will talk about nothing but London. Given the opportunity, he will off this guy and move in. The guy is an utter bore. Being a Hitchcock episode, there are some surprises along the way. It's just that the plot is so far fetched we just know something is going to screw it up.

The first of 10 episodes veteran actor John Williams would appear in for his friend, Hitch. No secret he and Williams were old buds, having guested in three of his films, notably DIAL M FOR MURDER. A standout performance. If you needed a dapper British gentleman, John Williams was your choice.

He plays just that here, a chap called Walker Hendricks who is joined in a cross country trip from New York to San Francisco by out of luck gambler Charlie, slickly played by Peter Lawford. These two super actors make a memorable team in more ways than one, and you know there's trouble brewing. For one thing, Walker talks too much and there's inheritence money waiting to be collected?

I agree with the last reviewer, money waiting for "someone" to claim was the theme for many B films, particularly noir movies, however writer Harold Swanton gives it a good shot. He wrote many other top stories for Hitch's tv show. Charlie proves to be a desperate character, that much we can tell you, however the ending is totally unexpected and you may even chuckle when all is said and done. I'm sure Hitch did.

Director Robert Stevenson (known for MARY POPPINS) does a fine job with this two man show of shows. Another Hitch alum, Gertrude Hoffman plays Margaret, who appeared in FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT and SUSPICION. Frank Gerstle plays the police sergeant, a role he mastered on tv for years.

Definitely owes up to its title, a Long Shot if ever there was. SEASON 1 EPISODE 9 remastered CBS dvd box set. Released 2005. Artsy green box cover with deadpan Hitch.

Except for the talky middle, the entry holds interest throughout. Englishman, gambler Charlie Raymond (Lawford) is flat broke and fleeing New York from a bookie he owes money to. So he pretends to be respectable by hiring on with English gentleman (Williams) who needs companionship while driving to San Francisco. On the way, Charlie discovers his companion is set to inherit a fortune by simply turning up at an attorney's office in Frisco and verifying his identity. So the wheels start turning on more than just the car.

It's really a Lawford showcase as he manages the shifty-eyed schemer in fine fashion. Catch how subtly he reacts to his companion's endless ruminations on life in London. We know there's more going on than meets the eye since this is Hitchcock. But what. Stay tuned. And, oh yes, don't look for any shapely girls in his male exclusive 30-minutes.

The main problem with compulsive gamblers certainly is about to be blinded by the greedy and easy money which they suppose comes along, it was the case of the English Charlie Raymond (Peter Lawford) who reply a newspaper advertisement about a job, a fellow countryman Walker Hendricks (Williams) needs as companion to long journey between New York to San Francisco, he fills all requires, the payment is enough good, they starts a tiresome trip, somehow in the middle of the way he figure out that his new friend is actually a heir of 200.000 dollars from an already died uncle who never meet before, he willing to rid of Hendricks and replaced him as the real one, his knowledge over London and has all papers in your hands he thinks this bet could work, he kill Hendricks on the desert and drives foward to Frisco to receive the money, a really high stake to a compulsive gambler!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8