Product Details

• Format: Box set, Dolby, Full Screen, Black & White, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005
• Run Time: 566 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AL733G
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,568 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When it premiered on CBS on October 2, 1955, Alfred Hitchcock Presents was an instant hit destined for long-term popularity. The series' original half-hour anthology format provided a perfect showcase for stories of mystery, suspense, and the macabre that reflected Hitchcock's established persona. Every Sunday at 9:30 p.m., the series began with the familiar theme of Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" (which would thereafter be inextricably linked with Hitchcock), and as Hitchcock's trademark profile sketch was overshadowed by the familiar silhouette of Hitchcock himself, the weekly "play" opened and closed with the series' most popular feature: As a good-natured host whose inimitable presence made him a global celebrity, Hitchcock delivered droll, dryly sardonic introductions and epilogues to each week's episode, flawlessly written by James Allardyce and frequently taking polite pot-shots at CBS sponsors, or skirting around broadcast standards (which demanded that no crime could go unpunished) by humorously explaining how the show's killers and criminals were always brought to justice... though always with a nod and a wink to the viewer.

This knowing complicity was Hitchcock's pact with his audience, and the secret to his (and the series') long-term success. It's also what attracted a stable of talented writers whose teleplays, both original and adapted, maintained a high standard of excellence. Hitchcock directed four of the first season's 39 episodes, including the premiere episode "Revenge" (a fan favorite, with future Psycho costar Vera Miles) and the season highlight "Breakdown," with Joseph Cotten as a car-accident victim, paralyzed and motionless, who's nearly left for dead; it's a perfect example of visual and narrative economy, executed with a master's touch. (The fourth episode, "Don't Come Back Alive," is also a popular favorite, with the kind of sinister twist that became a series trademark.) Robert Stevenson directed the majority of the remaining episodes with similar skill, serving tightly plotted tales (selected by associate producers Joan Harrison and Norman Lloyd) by such literary greats as Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Cornell Woolrich, Dorothy L. Sayers, and John Collier. Adding to the series' prestige was a weekly roster of new and seasoned stars, with first-season appearances by Cloris Leachman, Darren McGavin, Everett Sloane, Peter Lawford, Charles Bronson, Barry Fitzgerald, John Cassavetes, Joanne Woodward, Thelma Ritter, and a host of Hollywood's best-known character players. With such stellar talent on weekly display, Alfred Hitchcock Presents paved the way for Thriller, The Twilight Zone, and other series that maximized the anthology format's storytelling potential.

Packed onto three double-sided DVDs, these 39 episodes hold up remarkably well, and while some prints show the wear and tear of syndication, they look and sound surprisingly good (although audio compression will cause many viewers to turn up the volume). The 15-minute bonus featurette, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: A Look Back" is perfunctory at best, but it's nice to see new anecdotal interviews with Norman Lloyd, assistant director Hilton Green, and Hitchcock's daughter Pat (a frequent performer on these episodes), who survived to see their popular series benefit from the archival convenience of DVD. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

The inimitable Alfred Hitchcock hosted this evening series featuring some of his most delightfully suspenseful stories. Features guest-stars John Forsythe, Cloris Leachman, Aaron Spelling, Peter Lawford, John Cassavetes, Charles Bronson, Joanne Woodward and many more in 39 episodes on 3 DVDs. 1955-56/color/16 hrs., 40 min/NR/fullscreen.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

365 of 376 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars At last! July 30, 2005

By Raj

Format:DVD

After releasing only selected episodes in volumes (4 episodes in 1 DVD), it is good to see that Universal Home Entertainment is finally releasing this show in season box sets (and hope that they continue to release the remaining seasons in the future).

Premiered on October 1st, 1955, this wonderful series ran for seven seasons, and afterwards for another 3 seasons as "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour". This set contains the first 39 episodes of Season 1, told by the `Master of Suspense', Alfred Hitchcock. The episodes include:

01. Revenge

02. Premonition

03. Triggers in Leash

04. Don't Come Back Alive

05. Into Thin Air (aka The Vanishing Lady)

06. Salvage

07. Breakdown

08. Our Cook's a Treasure

09. The Long Shot

10. The Case of Mr. Pelham

11. Guilty Witness

12. Santa Claus and the 10th Avenue Kid

13. The Cheney Vase

14. A Bullet for Baldwin

15. The Big Switch

16. You Got to Have Luck

17. The Older Sister

18. Shopping for Death

19. The Derelicts

20. And So Died Riabouchinska

21. Safe Conduct

22. Place of Shadows

23. Back for Christmas

24. The Perfect Murder

25. There Was an Old Woman

26. Whodunit?

27. Help Wanted

28. Portrait of Jocelyn

29. The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby

30. Never Again

31. The Gentleman from America

32. The Babysitter

33. The Belfry

34. The Hidden Thing

35. The Legacy

36. Mink

37. The Decoy

38. The Creeper

39. Momentum

Along with the above episodes, this DVD also contains a featurette called "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: A Look Back" on the show. Compared to the Season Sets of "The Twilight Zone" (which ranges from $75-100), I feel the price for this DVD is very decent and is worth buying.

All in all, this is a great release and I hope Universal will continue releasing more seasons of this show in the future.

193 of 204 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Evening, Mr. Hitchcock! July 31, 2005

By pestcomics

Format:DVD

I haven't seen "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" since it was last shown on TV Land quite a few years back. This show is one of the best anthology series ever and deserves to be shown and enjoyed. Thankfully Universal has seen fit to release season one on DVD. All 39 episodes (yes, 39!) of this incredible show.

The one constant element throughout the series is the presence of Alfred Hitchcock with his dry, macabre sense of humor. This show made the well-respected film director a huge TV personality of the 50s and 60s. It was part of his deal with CBS that he would direct many of the episodes but as it turned out he directed only 17 segments during the series entire run.

Many well-known actors from film and television made appearances on the show during it's run. In this season one set you can expect to see Aunt Bea (Frances Bavier), John Forsythe, Cloris Leachman, Joseph Cotten, Peter Lawford, Barry Fitzgerald, Carolyn Jones, John Cassavetes, Charles Bronson, Claude Rains and many others. There was also a bit of nepotism afoot as Pat Hichcock made numerous appearances on her dad's show. Fortunately, she was a pretty good actress.

The episodes are based on great short stories by writers such as Alexander Woollcott, Ambrose Bierce, Cornell Woolrich, Frederic Brown, Henry Slesar, H.H. Munro (aka Saki), John Cheever, John Collier, John Wyndham, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch and Roald Dahl. Yes, that's the same Roald Dahl who wrote those entertaining children's stories (you've heard of Willy Wonka, I presume). He wrote one of the series most famous episodes "Lamb to the Slaughter."

I have read that Hitchcock actually filmed two openings and closings for each episode. The ones Americans are familiar with feature Hitch sarcastically commenting on the show's sponsors and TV in general. The other openings and closings were created for the European market and featured Hitch poking fun at Americans. I don't know if any of these alternate scenes are included but they would be fun to watch.

A price tag of under $30 for 39 episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" is a great bargain compared to the ridiculously overpriced "The Twilight Zone" seasons. As much as I like "The Twilight Zone" I refuse to pay those prices. As for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," I'll be the first in line to drop my $30 for these great shows.

142 of 152 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Beware! Some episodes are edited October 9, 2005

By Larry J. Commons VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

It's very hard for me to type this, because I thought this was going to be a stellar set -- but alas some episodes are indeed edited.

Example: "Salvage" ends with Gene Barry shooting Nancy Gates. After he pulls the trigger, the next scene on the DVD is Hitchcock saying (after the usual comedy), "We'll be back next week." Then the end credits roll. I knew something was missing, so I went back to my 10-year-old VHS recording (syndicated TV version) of this episode and played it. There, Hitch does indeed come back BETWEEN the end of the show and the farewell till next week outro. It's about 30 seconds of footage with Hitch explaining, "He would have gotten away with murder, but ..." This is CRUCIAL footage! And since it's included in the syndicated TV version, Universal can't say it isn't included on the DVD because the footage is "lost."

Sigh. Why can't Universal get it right? Double-sided discs are one thing; releasing edited shows is another. What, exactly, is the problem?