Mail Order Prophet

...in every school in America.

This is one of my favorite episodes. We get to see a couple of disgruntled office workers, one of whom (E.G. Marshall) begins receiving "psychic" letters encouraging him to bet on events (election, title bout). Jack Klugman is a rationalist co-worker who tries to convince him it's a racket.

Could the mail order prophet be legit? It's hard not to wonder where this is going to lead. They even throw in office theft to up the ante. Not to give anything away, but I found the ending very satisfying. Plus, Klugman and Marshall are great to watch.

The best part of this episode is before the episode starts. Alfred Hitchcock stands at a desk behind a pile of ticker tape, looking out an open window. He announces that he had just teased his business partner that they had just lost most of the money they had invested. He also points out that the elevator man would be upset because he became confused when the people he brought up didn't ride the elevator down.

The story now focuses on two men, played by Jack Klugman and E. G. Marshall. They have worked for years in the same investment firm, sitting among a line of desks and bemoaning the fact that they may be trapped there for life. Marshall's character talks about finding a way out. Klugman is the classic naysayer who throws a wet blanket on everything. The "evil" boss brings a personal letter to Marshall and with a harumph drops it on his desk. It is from a mysterious man who says he can predict the future, but who cannot benefit from his predictions. While Klugman is warning his friend of the dangers of getting involved in this "scheme," Marshall begins to try out the tips, much to his great satisfaction. Finally, however, he reaches a fork in the road and that's what we are waiting for. I won't ruin the fun. It's a fun story and does a good job of carrying us on.

Yes, just a curious story in AH PRESENTS show, without any murder or suspense of any kind. Just a light comedy drama, where you wonder all the time where lt ieads you to...In the end, you just have a solution, an explanation, that's all. Nothing more. Certainly not the famous twist ending. It may interest many folks, though, because you can imagine yourself one of the characters presented here. Not bad, but, for me, it has nothing to do there.

This "AHP" episode from 1957 called "Mail Order Prophet" is a neat and interesting one as the plot and ideas of the episode are clever. It stars classic and the now late character actor E.G. Marshall(1982's "Creepshow") as a man named Ronald Grimes who works in an office and all of a sudden one day he receives a letter from a mysterious writer named Mr. Christianai and it predicts the outcome of an upcoming election. And what do you know the underdog political candidate wins! Soon one by one more mailed letters arrive with predictions on all things from sports to you guess what money investments like the stock market! However it turns that things and people are not what they seem, however Ronald turns to out to be lucky and benefit at the right time! Overall well done episode of timing, luck, and hope as it's an episode of choices and a good guess to fortune!

This episode of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS is a great example of how to make absorbing, compelling drama with minimal means. E. G. Marshall and Jack Klugman are two fine character actors who, earlier in the year this episode was broadcast (1957), appeared together in the classic jury room film 12 ANGRY MEN. In fact, in that film they sat side by side at the jury room table. I'd wager a bet that they were cast together in this episode based on their performace together in the movie. Marshall and Klugman couldn't be more different, yet they share a wonderful chemistry here as two cogs in a corporate machine who long to break out and find freedom. Klugman is wordly-wise, hard-nosed, cynical, yet has an almost tender regard for the welfare of his friend. Marshall is a mild-mannered milquetoast, just the type who would be taken in by the machinations of a con artist. The episode consists almost entirely of the interactions of these two friends as they discuss Marshall's increasing obsession with the money he can win from betting on he clairvoyant predictions of one "J. Christiani," a mysterious "mail-order prophet."

The names strike me as symbolic. Klugman plays "George Benedict" - Benedict meaning blessed, because he is the one who is wise enought to see through "Christiani's" ruse. Marshall is "Ronald Grimes" - he gets his hands dirty in the process of looking for an easy fortune. As for "J. Christiani," he is obviously a false Christ, a phoney prophet who will lead one astray.

If you are not familiar with the stock market and financial parlance (I'm not), then some of the dialog and plot twists toward the end might be confusing. But this is a small matter, since the upshot of the story still comes across. The twist ending is not what I expected, but still satisfying.

A classic of 1950s TV, typical of the thought-provoking entertainment that filled that era.