User Reviews

Dry Run: a way above average Hitchcock entry, nicely written by Bill Ballinger and directed by John Brahm, it begins in a modern urban setting, with a bigshot who appears to be a criminal overlord, admiring the behavior of the vicious piranhas he keeps in a fish tank in his office. This is both a foreshadowing of the episode's theme and also indicative of the cruel playfulness of its story as it unfolds.

Up and comer Robert Vaughn, looking like a kid straight out of college, is about to be tested by his boss, who's sending him on an assignment with 10 grand in an envelope to be delivered to a business rival, whom young Vaughn learns he is supposed to kill. This is the test to see if this whippersnapper has the Right Stuff.

Vaughn drives "upstate" that night, to do the job, and when he arrives at the house of the guy he's supposed to rub out, played by Walter, Matthau, the man surprises him in his wine cellar with a gun of his own, then proceeds to tell Vaughn that his boss is no good, and that, after inviting the young man to enjoy having a glass of wine with him proceeds to make him a better offer for a partnership in his business.

A grittier and more contemporary Hitchcock tale than most, Dry Run benefits from excellent acting by its principal players, both still a few years away from stardom. The overall tone is set by none other than Alfred Hitchcock in his introduction, wearing a hat and overcoat, talking about the rise of television shows featuring private eyes and jazz around that time, from which I think it's safe to infer it's the then hugely popular Peter Gunn series he's talking about.

Not surprisingly, this one actually rather plays as a Peter Gunn episode, as after the first scene everything happens at night. That the man whom Vaughn is hired to kill lives lavishly in a country house far from the city is similar to many an entry in the other series. Hitchcock shows seldom did this. So faithfully, I mean. It's easy to forget that one is watching a Hitch show; and the ending, when it comes, it's not easy one to have guessed.

The episode begins in a nice corporate office. Soon you realize that the boss is NOT a typical boss but a crime boss and the racket is apparently very respectable looking. But it still is organized crime...heartless and evil. And the young man in this office (Robert Vaughn) is given his assignment to deliver some money to a guy...and then murder him. But the intended victim (Walter Matthau) is a cagey sort and when this hitman arrives, he's waiting for him with his gun in hand. But there's no shooting...and the intended victim insists that the would-be killer have a seat and share a drink with him. Where is all this going?

This is a very good episode. While I was suspecting the twist, it still was a very nice twist and offered something very different from other episodes. Well worth seeing.

This "AHP" episode from 1959 is one that features two legends both now late that being Robert Vaughn and Walter Matthau both here with some very early work and this story is a mob themed one that involves a double cross deal of money and trust! Art(character actor Robert Vaughn)is an up and coming thug a guy who wants to make his way with the mob, and he's told by his boss to make a delivery of 10,000 dollars to a rival mob guy named Moran(Walter Matthau). And during this deal and visit a cat and mouse game of trust and conversation is dealt out only the deck of cards of honor and loyalty take a turn and twist that involve a pop and bang of bullets to end the episode! Overall well done episode that features early work of two legends.

Robert Vaughn wants in with a mob boss. He agrees to do a job for the guy. The job is to kill an adversary played by Walter Matthau. It is a "dry run." If he can pull this off, he will be let into the family. When he gets to the winery where Matthau is holed up, they have a series of tests of will. Vaughn thinks it should be easy but he makes several fundamental mistakes. Matthau seems dangerous and he is. This all plays out until Vaughn comes to the end of the test. Can he accomplish what he has been sent to do. The problem with this one is it was too easy to figure out. Still, these are a couple of very good actors.

10 PLUS STARS, classic Hitchcock all the way with Walter Matthau returning in another excellent role, this time as a slick gangster.

This one will keep you on your toes, because you don't know what the heck is going to happen. It all starts with the big guy, called Barberosa (played by popular David White), who sends young Robert Vaughn (pre MAN FROM UNCLE star) on a mission to eliminate the competition, a bootlegger named Moran (Mattheau).

It's stories like these, without a doubt, that undoubtedly inspired the writers of so many GODFATHER-type movies and cop shows. Mattheau really shines here, albeit on the creepy side, and all set in a dark, empty winery. How's that for atmosphere? The scene where Vaughn drives up to the abandoned building is campy enough.

Exceptionally written by Bill Ballinger, who wrote 7 episodes for the series, the author behind the chilling cult film, THE STRANGLER (1964), starring Victor Buono. Watch for it.

Not to be missed. From SEASON 5 remastered dvd box set.

This is supposed-to be a tale about the mafia,organized crime,or whatever you want to call it.

We have some rather shady characters here that are involved in activities that are left to the imagination of the viewer.

The organization is in a fluid state,a state of constant-change and turmoil,as these organizations have a high-turnover rate due to their very-dangerous and dishonest nature.

Very-few members of the group last very-long and nobody ever seems to walk-away alive from these organizations.

Here we have a younger member of the organization that has been with the group for just a few years as a general helper/gopher/clean-up man. He has been a reliable and solid worker and team member so-far. Due to recent events,he is given a chance to advance in the organization if he can complete a seemingly-simple task. The task is a straightforward 'midnight payoff' in a large,dark building in an isolated location. He is given a gun,the payoff money,and also given the idea that he can handle things any way he wishes,for 1 example,he could kill the man being paid-off and keep the money himself.

With all of this racing through his mind,he heads off to take care of the assignment. What will he do? What will happen? Check it out for a wild ride with several unexpected twists and turns ! 8/10.

Big stars abound in this story, beginning with Robert Vaughn of Uncle and Mag 7, in an office, where it looks like the men are just normal businessmen.

However, upwardly mobile Vaughn is told he can move up with an assassination against a rogue number 2 in the organization. #2 is out to assassinate #1. Now how would it look for Largo to assassinate Blowhard (I don't know how to spell the famous Bond villain's name)?

So, the boss gives Vaughn a gun and a location. There he meets none other than wisecracking Walter Mattheau before he was a grumpy old man, before he was part of an odd couple.

Mattheau offers Vaughn a deal to be part of a new organization and really step up as the new number 2. Can he get away with it?

You probably won't see this switch coming.

***MAJOR SPOILERS*** Clever "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episode of how a mob boss determines who's to work for him as a hit-man by testing his both loyalty as well as common sense. Art, Robert Vaughn, has worked his way up in mob boss Baberosa's, David White, organization where he's now slated for the big time in doing in one of Baberosa's top mob competitors bootlegger Moran,Walter Matthau,a former partner of his. Given by Babersoa an untraceable handgun and envelope containing $10,000.00 as bait and instructions where to find Moran, in an upstate winery, Art is more then confident that he can get the job done.

It's when Art gets to the winery where Moran is hold up it's him not the cagey Moran who's the one facing extinction. Moran knows what he's there for and is ready for Art with a .45 pointed at his skull. But instead of blowing him away he gives Art a chance to join him and his boys, or hoodlums, by going back to his boss Baberosa and icing him instead! Having no choice in the matter Art, whom Moran doesn't seem to know is armed, goes along with Moran's plan. What convinced Art that his boss Babarosa wasn't on the up and up is that the 10 G's he gave him to give Moran wasn't part of the payment to knock Moran off! In fact he wasn't being paid at all to do the hit-job on him.

***SPOILERS*** In the end we get see what a naive and stupid jerk Art really was. He never for once realized that not only was Moran on to him from the start but that somehow he was set up in advance to see if in fact he'll go through with his job of knocking off the guy. Even with Moran pointing a gun at his head he gave Art, by going back and forth getting himself a glass of wine and getting drunk, all the opportunity to kill him but he didn't! In fact Art was more then ready to double-cross or hit his boss Babersoa for the measly 10 G's that Moran offered him then in him becoming a top hit-man in his organization! That would have paid Art a hundred times as much! And what Art totally overlooked until it was too late was that it wasn't Moran who was to be whacked but himself if he didn't follow his bosses Babaroas's instructions down to the last crossing of the "T" and dotting of the "I". And in the end Art ended up getting X-ed, like in the 1932 crime classic "Scarface", instead!