"Good Eee-vening"

Author: Jeff Little

It's Funeral March of the Marionettes. It's by Charles Gounod (1818-1893). It's the tune that stuck inside your head for a week every time you heard it. And it's what you heard every week when you tuned in to Alfred Hitchcock Presents…just before Mr. Hitchcock's trademark "Good eee-vening."

Alfred Hitchcock was a legend long before his television show's premiere in 1955. By the first episode's airing, the then 56-year-old Hitchcock (known to his friends as "Hitch") had been directing feature films (many which were already considered classics) for over 30 years. Lifeboat, Rope, Dial M for Murder, and Rear Window were already listed in the Hitchcock filmography, and by the end of the series' run in 1962 Hitch had directed Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and many others.

Where did he find the time? Well, contrary to popular belief, Hitchcock directed only 17 of the 268 episodes, but he contributed the critical creative input that helped turn the show into a television classic.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents was a weekly, 30-minute mystery/suspense anthology that originally aired on CBS for its first five seasons. Moving to NBC in its sixth season, it later became a 60-minute offering that was re-titled The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in an attempt to capitalize on Hitchcock's notoriety and charisma.

Many had come to love Hitchcock for his sardonic humor, off-hand remarks concerning show sponsors, and dry British-American wit. Hitch had not only garnered acclaim as a director…he had become a TV star. And he was not alone.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents became a showcase for actors and actresses that were already world famous, and many others that would later become household names. Just some of the players in the cast (which was different each week) were Joanne Woodward, Edmund Gwenn, William Shatner, Claude Rains, Charles Bronson, Martin Balsam, Walter Matthau, Elizabeth Montgomery, Bette Davis, Steve McQueen, Peter Lorre, Dick Van Dyke, Burt Reynolds, Peter Falk, Robert Redford, Robert Duvall…and the list goes on and on and on.

There was also a lengthy list of talents behind the camera. A top-notch production team and an incredible group of writers delivered nail-biting original stories and adaptations from the likes of Ray Bradbury, H.H. Munro, Roald Dahl, and Robert Bloch, just to name a few.

Shouldering the directing duties was, of course, a talented group of professionals. Among them was, of course, "The Master of Suspense", Alfred Hitchcock. But another who would go on to acquire his own share of fame was Robert Altman. He would go on to direct feature film treasures such as M*A*S*H, Nashville, The Player, and Gosford Park. Altman still makes films today and his considered one of the world's greatest living directors.

Aside from serving as a launching pad for new talent and a haven for existing artists searching for quality product to add their names to, Alfred Hitchcock Presents was and is (in syndication) a treat for anyone who appreciates fine entertainment.

A great team of producers, brilliant writers, gifted performers, and an overall production that anyone would be proud to put their name on. That must be why Hitch let them call it Alfred Hitchcock Presents.