ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS

Show Type: Suspense Anthology

First Telecast: October 2, 1955

Last Telecast: July 20, 1986

Theme Music: Based on Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette"

Broadcast History:

October 1955-September 1960, Sunday 9:30-10:00 on CBS

September 1960-September 1962, Tuesday 8:30-9:00 on NBC

September 1962-December 1962, Thursday 10:00-11:00 on CBS

January 1963-Septebmer 1963, Friday 9:30-10:30 on CBS

September 1963-September 1965, Monday 10:00-11:00 on NBC

September 1985-July 1986, Sunday 8:30-9:00 on NBC

(First run on USA Cable Network in 1987-1988)

Host

Alfred Hitchcock

SYNOPSIS

The benign countenance of pudgy film director Alfred Hitchcock welcomed viewers to stories of terror, horror, suspense and twisted endings for an entire decade. His clipped British accent and catlike theme music became television standbys as the series appeared on two different networks and was later seen for years in syndication.

The stories would often appear to end with evil triumphant, in strict violation of the television code of ethics. This situation was always resolved following the last commercial, when Hitchcock would return to explain, in his deadpan sardonic way, what silly mistake or chance occurrence had finally done the villain in. When the show was expanded to an hour in the fall of 1962, the title was changed to The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

Twenty years after the original series left the air, and five years after Hitchcock's death, the famous director achieved a unique distinction; he became the first person in history to return from the dead to host a new series. Films of his original black-and-white introductions were computer processed into color and used to introduce new episodes.

Some of the color films made for the 1985 revival series were new stories, while others were remakes of original scripts. Hitchcock's black humor took on an eerie quality coming from the grave. It was the sort of macabre touch the master would have enjoyed.

Following a one-year network run, additional episodes were filmed for the USA Cable Network beginning in 1987. The last of the additional episodes had its cable premier in early 1988.

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