The Perfect Murder

Alfred Hitchcock in his introduction mentions that there is no such thing as a perfect murder. Maybe you do need a good lawyer though.

Greedy, shiftless brothers Paul (Hurd Hatfield) and Henri Tallendier (Philip Coolidge) are looking forward to their late uncle's fortune. Only it has all been left to Aunt Rosalie (Mildred Natwick) and she seems to be determined to outlive them all.

Henri is desperate for money despite working long hours, he has four children. While charming Paul is too lazy for work. He manages to ingratiate into his aunt's home by pretending to be poorly.

With Paul keeping her company, Aunt Rosalie is healthier than ever. Tired of waiting Paul plans to knock off the aunt. He persuades Henri to finely ground some broken glass and Paul would put in her souffle. It will be a la glace.

Obviously there is a delicious irony to the plans. It is questionable if finely grounded glass could kill you.

Delicious tale of greed, Hitchcock style, written by Victor Wolfson, who had lots of experince, also known for SUSPENSE.

You could not ask for a better bad brother team than Hurd Hatfield (as Paul) and Philip Coolidge (as Henry). In fact, Coolidge was a familiar actor on the series, a natural at playing shady types.

He often reminded me of the popular character actor Milton Parsons, a staple in many prime murder mysteries of the 30s and 40s.

The story revolves around their aging Aunt Rosalie, played by Mildred Natwick, and having fun with the role. Rosalie smells a rat, because she darn well knows Paul and Henry are after her big bucks. They give themselves away very quickly, which makes it all the more enjoyable to watch their frustrations grow.

Of course, as Hitch would have it, keep an eye on dear, sweet anty. And watch how it all comes tumbling down.

Mildred Natwick, veteran stage actress, had just appeared in Hitchcock's dark comedy, THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY. She was nominated for an Oscar (best supporting actress) for BAREFOOT IN THE PARK in 1967. Not born in England, as many have thought, rather Baltimore. Good trivia question.

Dedicated to fans of Hurd Hatfield, and Hitch was one of them.

SEASON 2 EPISODE 24 remastered Universal box set. 2006 release. 5 dvd set. Classic green box cover for fans.

Perfect murder, what better way to title an ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episode, the perfect and typical DNA of the series, this basic element, with also blackmail and revenge. Plus here, you have Hurd Hatfield the unforgettable main character of PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, an actor whom I have always considered as some kind of George Sanders' rip-off...here, he is absolutely exquisite, as the twist ending, which will ravish you, though not that surprising. But that's the name of the game in such an anthology crime show. I recommend it, of course, a medium quality in the top batch. There has been better but also worse.

Very typical backfire episode, The rich aunt has the pursestrings and is willing to give her fortune to two knot headed nephews. But they can't wait and set up a plot to kill her. The problem for them is that each has a weakness, and their plans are bound to go awry. Like every Hitchcock TV show you've ever seen.

There were quite a few reasons for seeing "The Perfect Murder". One is the title, which really drew me in and already made me expect a lot. Two is that it is an episode from the very fascinating and worthwhile 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' (while not a consistent series it succeeded more than it failed). Three is the cast, have seen all three leads do strong work elsewhere. Lastly is that it was directed by series regular Robert Stevens, the most frequent director in fact.

While not one of my favourite episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' or of Season 1, "The Perfect Murder" does live up to its promising title on the whole. Not a perfect episode, but a very good one and a good representation of Stevens and why his reputation as the most frequent director of the series was generally deserved (although his output was inconsistent). It's not one of his strongest faring episodes, but "The Perfect Murder" has a lot of good things and doesn't really do anything massively wrong.

Did feel though that the narration was not necessary and too over-explanatory.

Also that the murder method didn't strike me as particularly realistic.

Stevens directs very assuredly however, and the production values are simple but atmospheric though. The cast also do a great job all round, Mildred Natwick and Phillip Coolidge particularly excel in roles perfect for their talents. The characters are written very intriguingly and the psychology of them is done very well.

Hitchcock's bookending is typically dry humoured if slightly rambling and the main theme is one of the most distinctive and haunting ones in television history, have said more than once about it being one of the finest and easily recognisable uses of pre-existing classical music in the visual medium and still stick by it. It is actually because of this series as to why it is as well known as it is. The script is generally taut and thought-provoking and there is some nice suspense in the storytelling. While not exceptional, the ending is well executed.

In summary, very good. 8/10.