Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alfred Hitchcock Presents was a half-hour anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured both mysteries and melodramas. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades.

Related Topics:
Anthology - Alfred Hitchcock - Mysteries - Melodrama - October 2 - 1955

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Each episode would start with Hitchcock's infamous silhouette profile filling in with black. The camera pans to Hitchcock, who drolly introduces the story. These famous satires and puns have become synonymous with the image, voice, and personality of Hitchcock. Each opening took place on a set from that evening's short film.

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At least two versions of the opening were shot for every episode. A version intended for the American audience would often spoof a recent popular commercial or poke fun at the sponsor, leading into the commercial. An alternative version for European audiences would instead include jokes at the expense of Americans in general.

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Hitchcock would close the show in much the same way as it was opened, but now to tie up loose ends rather than joke. He told TV Guide that his reassurances that the criminal had been apprehended were "a necessary gesture to morality..."

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For later seasons opening remarks were also filmed with Hitchcock speaking in French and German for the show's international presentations, reflecting his real life fluency in both languages.

Related Topics:
French - German

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The episodes were characterized by their suspense and surprise endings. A list of notable shows and actors follows this article.

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Originally running at half an hour, the show was later extended to a full hour and retitled The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Despite what the viewer may be lead to believe, Hitchcock only directed seventeen of the two hundred and sixty eight filmed episodes. Robert Altman directed a great number of episodes, giving his career a vital boost to his future credit as a director.

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The last new episode aired on June 26, 1962, but the series continued to be popular in syndication for decades.

Related Topics:
June 26 - 1962 - Syndication

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