User Reviews

I know this is a Hitchcock episode, but it smacks of the Twilight Zones episode where the owner of the diner has an extra eye on his forehead (under the classic soda jerk hat). This one has as its redeeming feature, a performance by Steve McQueen, late of "The Blob," who plays what we think is a somewhat bored and unsatisfied reporter. We also have Arthur Hill, a recognizable character actor who had a series where he played Lawyer, Owen Marshall. It's the classic story of a man everyone thinks is nuts, trying to convince the natives he is indeed a Martian. The denouement is somewhat unsatisfying with a slight touch of "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street." Nevertheless, while the script isn't much, there is a dynamism in McQueen, who died very young, and the character of hill, whose outrageousness makes us think perhaps he is telling the truth. No spoilers here. See for yourself.

Prolific science fiction writer Fredric Brown penned at least five episodes of the prime- time television series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." One of the best was an episode entitled "Human Interest Story," featuring up-and-coming actor Steve McQueen opposite Arthur Hill. This black & white episode cast McQueen as Bill Everett, a reporter at a major daily newspaper, who is assigned an oddball story. Everett's editor sends him out to a local bar where a man, Howard Wilcox (Arthur Hill of "A Bridge Too Far"), claims that he is a Martian trapped inside the body of an ordinary mortal who is concerned about his sanity. The bartender, Cargan (Tyler McVey of "Man's Favorite Sport"), called the newspaper editor and has arranged an interview for Everett with Wilcox. Naturally, Everitt and his editor are dubious about the authenticity of Wilcox's admission, but Everitt goes and meets the gentleman. Wilcox explains that he has died on Mars and been transported to the body of an insignificant human. He is disturbed because he has retained his memories of Mars. For example, he explains Martians don't drink alcohol and he feels uncomfortable in Wilcox's body because is differs so vastly from that of a Martian. He mentions that as a Martian he had been endowed with six fingers on each hand. Furthermore, they had joints different from Wilcox's human hands. Moreover, he adds that he has a wife and he isn't sure how to go about explaining what has occurred to him. Everett offers sympathy and tries to calm the worried Wilcox. If you watch Hill's performance, you can see perspiration flecking his forehead, while McQueen looks sweat free. Eventually, Wilcox takes Everett home to meet his wife, Elsie Wilcox (Anne Anderson) and they have some more drinks and then leave for another bar on a corner in a derelict section of town. Director Norma Lloyd does an excellent job of orchestrating the conversation in the first bar and then abruptly cuts away from the second bar. Everett returns to his newspaper office and tells his editor that Wilcox was in fact and alien residing in Wilcox's body. He goes on to say that he has not only killed Howard but also his wife Elsie. He has disposed of the bodies and nobody need worry about them. The editor wears a look of satisfaction and both Everett and he appear considerably relieved about the outcome of the evening. Indeed, they are Martians, too! Now, they have taken care of a loose thread that might have unraveled a forthcoming invasion.

Basically, Brown and Lloyd have given us a sci-fi saga without flashing lights, bug-headed creatures from beyond and made everything look mundane and ordinary, right down to the admission of a premeditated murder. Everything is neatly wrapped up. Indeed, the bartender was also a Martian impersonating a human, so when he heard Wilcox's story, he notified his fellow aliens to come down and seal up this leak. Quite often "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" aired episodes where the leads got away with murder. "Human Interest Story" qualifies as one of the best, and nary a hair is ruffled in the process because the despicable stuff takes place off-camera. Incidentally, this was McQueen's second appearance on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," but of far greater significance is the fleeting appearance of the reporter who occupied the desk immediately behind Everett's desk. You must look quickly to see in the few moments that he is allotted that the reporter is played by a young Clint Eastwood! Another lightweight but hard-hitting entry in the series that will have your head whirling at its surprise finale!

****SPOILERS*** Cute little human or better yet Martian interest story by "The Master"-Alfred Hitchcock-himself that has to do with this very confused individual Howard Wilcox, Arthur Hill, who claims to be from the planet Mars that he says is having its population dying off from an unknown as well as incurable disease. Told by his boss newspaper editor Cargan, Tyler McVey, to check out the story he sends out his ace reporter Bill Everatt, Steve McQueen, and tells him to spin it into a human interest story about a man who lost his way in life and about to go off the deep end.

Meeting Wilcox at a local bar for a few drinks as well as shooting the breeze with him Everett soon gets the feeling that Walcox is on to far more then he realizes. Buying the guy a few shots of beer Everatt agrees to go home with Walcox and talk to his wife Elsie, Anne Anderson,about the strange condition he's in who has no idea in just how crazy her husband really is . But in the end Everett decides to keep it a secret not to disturb her with what he knows about her whacked out and mentally unbalanced husband which is far more then what he let's her on to.

***SPOILERS*** Mind blowing final with the truth coming out about Wilcox as well as Everett and his boss Cargan in that they know a lot more about Walcox then they let the audience on to believe. And what they have to do is shut up or eliminate Walcox together with anyone he came in contact with to prevent their plans from being successful: Which is in fact the infiltration and take over the Earth itself! P.S Check out a young 29 year old Clint Eastwood in a non speaking as well as non shooting role as a reporter in the press room with both Everett and Cargan are as he's seen answering the phone. This also turned out to be the only time that both Eastwood and McQueen the two top stars of the 1960's and 70's, McQueen passed away in 1980, were ever seen in a movie or TV series together.

Other reviewers here have spoiled the ending, so I feel free to do so as well.

The plot seems really simple: A newspaper editor named Cargan sends a reporter-Bill Everett, played by Steve McQueen to a nearby bar to get a human interest story on a guy who claims to be from Mars.

Everett talks to the man, played by Arthur Hill, for most of the episode, at one point was about to leave him, when the man asked for help in what he should do. The story was that he was on Mars until very recently-and he tells details about life on the red planet-when he suddenly found himself inhabiting the body of an earth man, complete with his mind and memory along with his own mind from his Martian life.

So Everett goes to the home of this Martian's earthling shared body and meets the wife. He tells him he's got a place to take him to help the problem. They tell the Mrs. they're going to get some beer. Everett leads him into an alley behind a bar and is seen saying the place he is taking him is right here. We switch scenes without seeing anything.

Now Everett is back in his editor's office, only now, unlike their conversation earlier all about getting a newspaper story, they are talking about a Martian takeover and how Everett had to keep anyone from knowing about it through this guy that he just killed. It seems they are Martians, as was the bartender who phoned with the tip and many others.

The acting between McQueen and Arthur Hill was quite good, but I was bored listening to this guy's detailed stories about what was happening on Mars and how he happened to get away.

Given the ending, I don't understand why Everett cared to have him go home the earth-wife to let her know everything is OK, shortly before Everett killed him. But what really makes no sense, and to me ruins the whole episode is that Everett and Cargan were speaking for a couple of minutes, in private, early in the episode. Everything was earth-like, about a story for the paper, how the bartender phoned with a tip about this nut, how he might have to ply him with drinks to get him to open up, etc. I say there is no way these two would have been conversing in this manner if they were indeed Martians as shown in the end.

There was a similar problem with another recent script from this series where two people involved in a scam were all alone and yet had a conversation as if they were not involved in a crime at all, but had an audience so they carried out a little act.

Even before the ending I had two thoughts: Am I watching Twilight Zone by mistake? Either way, this is a dreadfully boring episode. I give it a 3 because the actors were talented.