The Long Shot

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 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.

A compulsive gambler Charlie Raymond (Peter Lawford) finds himself in serious debt. Forced to flee New York, he answers an ad from a fellow Brit Walker Hendricks (John Williams) looking for a traveling companion to San Francisco. On the way, Charlie decides to change identities with Hendricks - with horrible consequences.

As other reviews have stated this type of episode has been done a zillion times across different TV shows and movies. The down on his luck con man who then decides to get in with a rich man or woman (mostly men) kills them and takes there inheritance. As usual and knowingly here they never get away with it and much like the name of the episode this is in fact a long shot, I mean this would never work in today's high tech landscape let alone in 1955. The episode is a constant build up to Charlie's evident demise, and while it does come there's a very cool twist to the twist which I didn't see coming at all, and Charlie's final scene is great. Williams is his usual smug British self and I love to watch him act all fancy and proper. Lawford is great as Charlie and its fun to watch him literally chain smoke his way threw this episode (different time folks), All in all its a nice take on a very familiar story with a very fun twist ending.

Peter Lawford stars as a ne'er-do-well gambler who is bound to get his legs broken, or worse, if he doesn't get out of town. He owes someone a lot of money...so he accepts the job of a traveling companion....so he can go from New York to San Francisco, and out of harm's way. Along the drive, his traveling companion (John Williams) turns out to be a bore...and he seems to talk nonstop about life in London. What's next? See the show.

The acting and writing are very good here. As I mentioned in the summary, the twist at the end isn't completely surprising...but it is satisfying and enjoyable. Well worth seeing.

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.