The Man Who Found the Money

First of all, being a Hitch story you know there's absolutely, positively NO happy endings.

Here's my way of looking at it, and the same opinion I've held for over 50 years. The "Man Who Found the Mazuma," played by Arthur Hill (later to star as OWEN MARSHALL in the 70s), is a good guy. The two folks he meets, the cop (RG Armstrong) and the casino manager (Rod Cameron) are a couple of shakedown men. It all fits, because it's VEGAS. The name of the game is money.

Question; Whoooooo just casually drops $92,000 in a parking lot and walks? Has to be some sort of a trap. Also, could the money have been counterfeit? If someone did walk away with it, the crooks wouldn't have lost either. Bottom line; these bums are extortionists. Seems to play out that way, and yes, I agree with the last reviewer. The cop is a work of art. He looks like he's got something up his sleeve, right off the bat. Remember, Hitch loves a cut-throat story with cut-throats.

Production wise, the actors shine in their roles, particularly western star Rod Cameron, who should have been cast in the GODFATHER. Also director Alan Crosland, Jr, just like his famous dad, ties it all together.

You definitely want to see this one through. The 92 grand would equal about 900,000 bananas today.

Often wonder if it was debated Hill's character turned out to be a Treasury agent in disguise? That would be sweet. And watching mighty Cameron beg for mercy. All us kids tossed that one about!

A one of a kinder that has staying power.

SEASON 6 EPISODE 13 remastered Universal dvd box set. All seven half hour episodes are now on dvd in a single box. 2022.

Interesting, but rather tame, one-note entry. While vacationing in Las Vegas, Arthur Hill stumbles across large wad of money in a parking lot. After counting the amount, $92,000, he secures it in a bank lock-box and reports the find to authorities. Eventually the money's owner shows up.

Since there's no action nor much plot development, the actors carry the burden. Hill is thoroughly convincing as the honest well-intentioned professor, winning audience sympathy from the outset, while the two other principals, RG Armstrong and Rod Cameron, are also excellent.

Note how the script draws out certain sequences, such as the waiting in the sheriff's office, no doubt to help fill the show's running time. However, we're never bored since we wonder what's happened to the $10,000 that seems to be missing from the original amount. The climax is chilling, especially when you ask yourself what you would do in Hill's place.

(In passing-- Hitchcock Presents was an unusual series for its era. Unlike other dramatic shows, it did not present a series of predictable morality plays in which virtue is rewarded and evil punished. That may not have pleased moralists, but it did make for more fascinating and realistic viewing because audiences could never be sure how a particular entry would end. The Man Who Found the Money is a good example.)

Not sure why this episode is highly rated vs others from the same season. The title of the episode tells you what happened and very little else happens over the course of the story. It's slow moving and the ending leaves the viewer wIth more questions than answers. Skip this one.