The Best Episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   Click to reveal

   REVEAL THE WINNER
   

   8.7/10(3 votes)

   #1 - How to Get Rid of Your Wife

   S2:E1112/20/1963

   Gerald Swiney, a henpecked husband, decides to get rid of his nagging wife, Edith, when she won't agree to a divorce. He intends to drive her away by making her think he's planning to kill her, but things don't go exactly as planned.

   Director:Alf Kjellin

   Writer:Robert Gould

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Alf Kjellin

   Writer:Robert Gould
2. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #2 - A Tangled Web

   S1:E181/25/1963

   David Chesterman is a thief whose girlfriend Maria is cheating on him with his partner Carl Gault. Carl has fallen in love with Maria and plans to get rid of David. He tells David about the body of rich man who is loaded with jewelry. David goes to rob the corpse, but is discovered by a guard. Later, the guard is found dead by the police. David tells Maria that he is innovent, but he decides to hide out for a while and leaves Maria with Carl. Carl informs the police of David's location and he is arrested for murder. As David is about to be sentence Maria gets away from Carl by stabbing him. She heads to the court building convinced that David is innocent. In the court building she climbs out on a ledge and threatens to jump unless David is brought to her and is allowed to tell the truth about the entire robbery. David is brought to her, but he reveals that he did kill the guard. Knowing that he will go to prison, David begs her for forgiveness.

   Director:Alf Kjellin

   Writer:James Bridges

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Alf Kjellin

   Writer:James Bridges
3. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #3 - To Catch a Butterfly

   S1:E192/2/1963

   Bill and Janet Nelson move into a new home next door to a family named Stander. Unfortunately, the Stander's son Eddie is a homicidal monster. Eddie kills the Nelson's dog and then runs a trip wire across the cellar stairs that almost causes Janet to break her neck. Bill knows that Eddie is responsible, but Eddie's father Jack Stander won't do anything. Jack controls the boy's life with an iron hand. It is later revealed that Eddie is not the source of the problems. Eddie, himself, is a victim of parental misunderstanding.

   Director:David Lowell Rich

   Writer:Richard Fielder

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:David Lowell Rich

   Writer:Richard Fielder
4. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #4 - I'll Be Judge, I'll Be Jury

   S1:E212/15/1963

   Laura Needham is murdered while vacationing in Mexico. Her husband Mark discovers that the police are holding as a suspect an American named Theodore Bond. Mark wants something to be done, but the police are helpless because they cannot prove their case. Mark decides to get the proof, but he is murdered by Bond instead. Mark's in-laws, Alex and Louise Trevor take it open themselves to bring Bond to justice. They set up a trap with Louise as bait and catch Bond attempting to committed murder.

   Director:James Sheldon

   Writer:Lukas Heller

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:James Sheldon

   Writer:Lukas Heller
5. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #5 - An Out for Oscar

   S1:E264/5/1963

   Oscar Blenny is a timid bank clerk who discovers that his wife Eva is cheating on him. He demands a divorce and Eva agrees, but insists on a $50,000 settlement. She tells him to steal it from the bank, but Oscar is reluctant. Oscar is approached by Eva's tough hitman boyfriend Bill Grant. Bill suggests a double-cross. He will kill Eva for $250,000, but will get the money by robbing Oscar's bank with Oscar's help. He will then leave the country and leave Oscar free of Eva and apparantly innocent of any crime. Oscar agrees to Bill's plan, but sets up a triple-cross. Bill kills Eva, but when he comes to rob the bank Oscar pulls a gun and shoots him dead. Impressed by Oscar's courage, his boss promotes him to credit manager.

   Director:Bernard Girard

   Writer:David Goodis

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Bernard Girard

   Writer:David Goodis
6. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #6 - Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans

   S1:E284/19/1963

   Visiting from Englad, David Saunders is making a cross-country tour of America by car with his wife Roberta and their daughter Loren. They stop at a cafe in Arizona late one evening. Since Loren cannot stay awake she heads to the car and goes to sleep in the backseat. Unfortunately she get into the wrong car. She gets into a stolen car that is headed for Mexico. The cafe owner runs a stolen car ring. Thing get worse for Loren when the car deal goes awry and she witnesses a murder. She is spotted before she can get away and the criminal begin to search for her as do her parents. Eventually the criminals find her, but she manages to get away with the help of a friendly rancher named Pete Tanner. Later Loren reunites his her family at the cafe. The cafe owner, however, is arrested.

   Directors:Alan Crosland, Jr.

   Writer:Lou Rambeau

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Directors:Alan Crosland, Jr.

   Writer:Lou Rambeau
TRENDING NOW
The 20 WORST Episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
READ
7. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #7 - A Home Away from Home

   S2:E19/27/1963

   The mentally ill Dr. Fenwick is a supporter of the therapeutic value of role-playing in psychiatry. He kills the head of the sanatarium where he is a patient and assumes the man's identity. He locks doctors and nurses in the attic and gives their responsibilities to other patients. Things run rather smoothly until Natalie Rivers, the neice of the now dead head of the sanatarium, arrives for a visit. Since she has never seen her uncle before Fenwick is able to trick her into thinking that he is her uncle. Natalie discovers her real uncle's body and, not knowing who he is, asks Fenwick to call the police. He pretends to call the police and a patient pretending to be a detective shows up to look things over. Eventually Natalie discovers the staff locked in the attic. Fenwick tries to prevent her from telling anyone, but he is stopped by the police.

   Director:Herschel Daugherty

   Writer:Robert Bloch

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Herschel Daugherty

   Writer:Robert Bloch
8. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #8 - Starring the Defense

   S2:E711/15/1963

   Miles Crawford is a former actor turned lawyer. He gets an oppotunity to practice both professions when his son Tod is arrested an put on trial for murder. Tod is guilty but Miles makes an impassioned summation that manages to sway both the judge and the jury. Unfortunately, the prosecutor is a movie fan and he points out that Miles's summation was lifted word for word from a old movie in which Crawford played a defense attorney in charge of a case very similar to the one he is in charge of now.

   Director:Joseph Pevney

   Writer:Henry Slesar

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Joseph Pevney

   Writer:Henry Slesar
9. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #9 - Good-Bye George

   S2:E1012/13/1963

   Academy Award hopeful Lana Layne's past comes back to haunt her when her husband George, an ex-convict who she thought was dead, wants her back. She's not interested, but if she does divorce him, he would get half of everything. Then there's Haila French, a gossip columnist who wants an exclusive story, so she surprises Lana and her boyfriend with surprising results.

   Director:Robert Stevens

   Writer:William Fay

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Robert Stevens

   Writer:William Fay
10. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #10 - Beyond the Sea of Death

    S2:E141/24/1964

    Grace Renford is a wealthy and attractive woman who is interested in meeting a man who will love her, not for her money, but for what she is. So she pretends to be a middle class woman after corresponding with a young engineer named Keith Holloway, who she met through an ad in a spiritualism magazine.

    Director:Alf Kjellin

    Writers:Alfred Hayes, William D. Gordon

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Alf Kjellin

    Writers:Alfred Hayes, William D. Gordon
11. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #11 - The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow

    S2:E254/14/1964

    A elderly woman is locked in an air tight safe, with one of her cats, by her niece's fiancé when she discovers he is a forger.

    Director:Robert Stevens

    Writers:Alvin Sargent, Hugh Wheeler

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Robert Stevens

    Writers:Alvin Sargent, Hugh Wheeler
12. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #12 - Ten Minutes from Now

    S2:E265/1/1964

    Donnelly Rhodes (as James Bellington) Lonny Chapman (as Lt. Wymar) Lou Jacobi (as Dr. Glover) Neile Adams (as Sgt. Louise Marklen) Jess Kirkpatrick (as Thomas Grindley) Sandra Gould (as Secretary) Betty Harford (as Woman in Museum) Harold Ayer (as Salesman) Police become suspicious of an unsuccessful artist named James Bellington after a city commissioner of parks and recreation recieves a series of bomb threats. Bellington tries to met the official. Since he is carrying a box that might be a bomb, the police stop him. They discover that the box only contains art supplies. Later, at an art museum Bellington is again stopped for carry a suspicious package whcih turns out to be harmless. The police force Bellington to see a psychiatrist and Bellington tells the psychiatrist that his next bomb threat will be real. The police stop a bomb carrying Bellington at the museum. He gives everyone in the museum ten minutes to get out and they do.

    Director:Alf Kjellin

    Writers:Arthur A. Ross, Jack Richie

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Alf Kjellin

    Writers:Arthur A. Ross, Jack Richie
13. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #13 - Who Needs an Enemy?

    S2:E285/15/1964

    Charlie Osgood has been robbing his partner Eddie Turtin for years. When Eddie finds out, he threatens to go to the police unless Charlie can give him back what he stole. Determined not to ply, Charlie and his girlfriend Danielle decide to fake Charlie's suicide and then leave the country. Charlie gives Eddie hints of suicide and then throws an explosives laden dummy over a bridge. After blowing up the dummy in the water, Eddie becomes convinced that Charlie is dead. Eddie gives the eulogy at Charlie's memorial service as Charlie heads to the office to pick up his stolen cash. He grabs the money and, afterwards, he and Danielle celebrate with drink. Charlie passes out after the drink and awakens to find Eddie and Danielle. Charlie realizes that he has been set up. Eddie planned to take the money and blame the theft on his dead partner. Eddie and Danielle get rid of Charlie for good by pushing him off a pier and blowing him up in the water.

    Director:Harry Morgan

    Writers:Henry Slesar, Arthur A. Ross

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Harry Morgan

    Writers:Henry Slesar, Arthur A. Ross
14. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #14 - Lonely Place

    S3:E611/16/1964

    Stella is married to a cowardly peach-farmer named Emory and takes in a passing hobo named Jesse. She hires him to help her husband harvest the peach crop. Unfortunately, Jesse's strange behavior and fascination with a knife he carries begins to frightens her. Emory, however, refuses to believe her. Stella tries to run away, but is caught by Jesse. He threatens to stab her, but she fights him off. She escapes in her husbands truck and heads home. There she awaken Emory and tells him about Jesse. Emory, however, confesses that he heard her screams, but was too afraid to do anything. Stella angrily stabs her husband and kills him. She then calls the police and blames the murder on the fleeing Jesse.

    Director:Harvey Hart

    Writers:Francis Gwaltney, C.B. Gilford

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Harvey Hart

    Writers:Francis Gwaltney, C.B. Gilford
15. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #15 - The Final Performance

    S3:E141/18/1965

    Cliff Allen is a television writer who is on way to Hollywood. On the way, he picks up a pretty hitchhiker named Rosie. As he is driving, Cliff is stopped by the police and Rosie accuses him of kidnapping her. Cliff denies everything, but the police make him go into town. On the way to town, Cliff's car breaks down and he is forced to stay over night in a run down hotel run by a washed-up vaudeville actor named Rudolph Bitzner who dreams of a comeback. At the motel, Cliff runs into Rosie who, not only works at the motel, but also is part of Rudolph's act. He apologizes for what she did and tells him that she only did it to get away from Rudolph who is planning to marry her. She tells Cliff that she still wants to leave and asks him to take her. He agrees and when his car is fixed he heads over to Rosie's. There he finds Rudolph who tells him that Rosie changed her mind. After cliff insists on hearing this from Rosie herself, Rudolph takes him to his rehearsal hall where Rosie sits wait

    Director:John Brahm

    Writers:Robert Bloch, Clyde Ware

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:John Brahm

    Writers:Robert Bloch, Clyde Ware
16. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #16 - One of the Family

    S3:E162/8/1965

    Dexter Dailey and his wife Joyce hire a German nursemaid named Frieda to take care of their newborn infant. Dexter treats Frieda like one of the family, because long ago she was his nursemaid when he was a child. Joyce, however, doesn't feel the same way. She becomes worried when she hears about a nurse who is wanted for a child killing in San Francisco. When she calls the murdered baby's aunt she discovers that Frieda may be the baby killer and that her child may be the next victim.

    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writers:James Yaffe, Oscar Millard

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writers:James Yaffe, Oscar Millard
17. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #17 - The Trap

    S3:E182/22/1965

    Peg is bored with her marriage to Ted Beal, a wealthy toy manufacturer. She decides to have an affair with his young assistant John. She tells her lover to kill her husband. When John drags his feet on the murders, she decides to take matter into her own hands. She commits her crime and discovers that she was only being toyed with.

    Director:John Brahm

    Writers:Stanley Abbott, Lee Kalcheim

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:John Brahm

    Writers:Stanley Abbott, Lee Kalcheim
18. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #18 - The Photographer and the Undertaker

    S3:E213/15/1965

    Arthur Mannix is a photographer and Hiram Price is an undertaker. Both hide behind their respective professors to conceal another profession: hired killer. Each man has the same boss who gives each an order to eliminate the other.

    Director:Alex March

    Writers:Alfred Hayes, James Holding

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Alex March

    Writers:Alfred Hayes, James Holding
19. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #19 - Power of Attorney

    S3:E244/5/1965

    James Jarvis is a con man that is posing as a expert in the stock market. Things begin to look good for James when he gets in good with the wealthy Mary Crawford and her friend Agatha. He begins to control all of Mary's money and claims that he lost it all in bad investments. When she hears the news, Mary is shocked and commits suicide. Agatha, however, wants revenge. She conceals any evidence of suicide and invites James over. She gets James's figerprints on the suicide weapon and locks him in the room with Mary's body. She, then, calls the police and tells them that James killed Mary. When James's is killed in a shootout with police, Agatha gets her revenge.

    Director:Harvey Hart

    Writers:James Bridges, Selwyn Jepson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Harvey Hart

    Writers:James Bridges, Selwyn Jepson
20. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #20 - The World's Oldest Motive

    S3:E254/12/1965

    Alex Marrow wishes to get rid of his wife Angela so that he can marry a beautiful young model Fiona McNiece. Alex, however, does not want a divorce because he does not want his wife to get her hands on his valuable stamp collection. He hires a hitman named Richard Schustak to kill his wife. Richard sets up Angela to die in an accident in her home. Alex, however, has second thoughts. He tells Richard to call the whole thing off. Richard will only do so for more money. Alex hands over the cash and Richard skips town with Fiona who is actually his girlfriend. It was all a con and Alex was the patsy.

    Director:Harry Morgan

    Writers:Lewis Davidson, Larry M. Harris

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Harry Morgan

    Writers:Lewis Davidson, Larry M. Harris
21. 

    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #21 - Final Vow

    S1:E610/25/1962

    Sister Pamela suffers a crisis of conscience just as she is about to take her final vows. Is her belief real or is she just hiding from the rest of the world? The sisters in the convent give her time to think everything over by letting her pick up a valuable statue from a reformed gangster. As she is returning, however, the statue is stolen by a young criminal named Jimmy Bresson. In order to get the statue back she leaves the convent and hunts Jimmy down. She arranges to have a date with him to get into his apartment. Unfortunately, she discovers that he has pawned the statue. She takes the pawn ticket and heads for the pawn shop. As she is about to get it back, Jimmy catches her. Jimmy and the dishonest pawn shop owner want to kill Pamela, but they want to have the statue appraised first. They call an appraiser, but it turns out to be the man who originally offered the statue to the convent. He tells them that the statue is worthless and convinces them to let Pamela go. Having confr

    Director:Norman Lloyd

    Writer:Henry Slesar

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Norman Lloyd

    Writer:Henry Slesar
22. 

    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #22 - The Tender Poisoner

    S1:E1412/20/1962

    Peter Harding is a corporate executive who tries to help save the sagging career of an associate named Philip Bartel. He hopes to get Bartel into one of the corporation's very popular training courses. Later, however, Harding discovers that Bartel is interested in leaving his wife Beatrice. He wants to run off with his mistress. Harding becomes intent on helping Bartel in his home life. He decides to do this by taking Bartel's mistress of his hands.

    Director:Leonard Horn

    Writer:Lukas Heller

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Leonard Horn

    Writer:Lukas Heller
23. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #23 - What Really Happened

    S1:E161/11/1963

    Over the protests of his wife Eve, Howard Raydon fires Addie the family maid when her son breaks a valuable antique. Unwilling to leave, she poisons Howard's milk and kills him. An autopsy reveals the poison, but Eve is the chief suspect after she is fingered by Howard's mother. Believing that Eve's innocence will come out in trial, Addie remains silent about any wrong doing. Unfortunately, the prosecution reveals that Addie's 'son' is really Eve's son from a previous marriage. They claim that Eve killed her husband to prevent being seperated from the boy. As things begin to look worse for Eve, Addie confesses her guilt in a note and attempts suicide. Her suicide attempt is stopped in time and she is forced to stand trial.

    Director:Jack Smight

    Writer:Henry Slesar

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Jack Smight

    Writer:Henry Slesar
24. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #24 - The Dark Pool

    S1:E295/3/1963

    Dianne Castillejo is a recovering alcoholic who gets into trouble when her adopted son drowns in the family swimming pool. Dianne is visted by a mysterious woman named Consuela Sandine who threatens to tell everyone that Dianne was negligent and drunk at the time of the drowning. Consuela says she is the boy's mother and wants blackmail money. Consuela also demands to be allowed to stay as their houseguest where she hopes to drive Dianne back to alcohol while simultaneously seducing her wealthy husband Victor. The plan works at first, but when Dianne finds out that her adopted son's real mother died in childbirth she fights back by telling Victor the whole thing. Victor believes her and promptly kicks Consuela out of the house.

    Director:Jack Smight

    Writers:William D. Gordon, Alec Coppel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Jack Smight

    Writers:William D. Gordon, Alec Coppel
25. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #25 - Blood Bargain

    S2:E510/25/1963

    Jim Derry is a hit man who is hired to kill a bookie named Eddie Breech. He begins to have second thoughts when he finds out that Eddie's wife Connie is confined to a wheelchair and is being cheated on by her husband. He talks to the Breechs and agrees to help the two fake Eddie's death so that Derry can get paid for the hit and the two can start over in Mexico. Derry goes to the morgue and aquires a body. He puts Eddies wallet and wedding ring on the corpse and starts it on fire after putting it in a car. Derry gets paid, but is arrested by the police. The police found the car and believe Eddie is dead. Derry tells the police that Eddie is in Mexico. The police then bring Connie into the room. She accuses Derry of shooting Eddie the night before. Derry has been set up. Connie killed her husband and set up Derry to take the fall.

    Director:Bernard Girard

    Writer:Henry Slesar

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Bernard Girard

    Writer:Henry Slesar