La hora de Alfred Hitchcock Who Needs an Enemy? (1962–1965) Online

The Murray music pushes too hard in this episode trying to make some visual jokes work but kind of flattening them. The basic story is good, the ending is funny, but the best part of the show may well be the opening scene with Anderson confronting his friend with a gun. It's a tense scene and Anderson is terrific in it. Anderson also has one of the best scenes when he's giving the eulogy--it's sort of like the scene in a later Pink Panther film with Dreyfus eulogizing Clouseau.

In all Anderson, who got so well know as Steve Austin's boss, is the real spark to this show, getting to show very different sides to himself.

Yes the director is HARRY MORGAN of M.A.S.H and dragnet fame and of wife beating infamy late in life. He does an OK job there is one nice dolly shot, aided by an optical effect. Otherwise he might be to blame for some of the comedy that doesn't work, though a good amount of it does. The lead character seems kind of flat as played by Steven Hill. Though the seemingly thankless role of the "dumb blonde" played by Joanna Moore comes off surprisingly well. There are several familiar faces from other shows of the era all of whom do well in small parts. It just seems if the show had been treated, on all levels, as more of a dark comedy--rather than the yuk yuk kind, it might have really worked better as a whole.

Nicely timed final shot leaves a better impression than the whole episode does.

"WHO NEEDS AN ENEMY" is one of the better "tongue-in-cheek" presentations in the Alfred Hitchcock Hour series. Embezzler Steven Hill has been stealing from his business partner (a very disillusioned Richard Anderson) for years and is finally caught in the act. Threatened with a long prison term, Hill decides to fake his own suicide with the help of his new girlfriend, Joanna Moore. Naturally, Hill has put aside a substantial amount of stolen money to coax Ms. Moore into the ruse. What he doesn't know is that Moore is really in league with Anderson to retrieve the loot. After a botched police investigation, Hill finally makes a run for the money, only to be caught red-handed once again. This time his "suicide" is the real thing. Deftly directed with comic touches by old-time actor Harry Morgan of M*A*S*H* TV fame, "Who Needs An Enemy" is well-done and a highly amusing entry in the series. Anderson's farewell funeral elegy for his devious partner is a highlight as is the performance of Joanna Moore. In her early thirties at the time of the filming, the late Ms. Moore looks nearly a double now for her daughter, Tatum O'Neal. Hitchcock's wry commentary during the final curtain call was also one of his best. Naturally, old Alfred had to inform his audience that the killers weren't allowed to get away with their dastardly crime (the censors wouldn't allow it). Not only were they found guilty of blowing Hill up into little pieces, they were also fined for "littering."

This erratic entry's mainly a matter of taste. All in all, the series's patented black humor is spread on more thickly than usual. Hill plays against type, being something of an amusing bumbler. His Charlie Osgood has cooked the books, gypping partner Eddie (Anderson) out of thousands of dollars. Charlie schemes to fake his death and run off with ditsy blonde Danielle (Moore). Still, it looks like Eddie's no one to mess with, so Charlie better not slip up.

One good thing is that it's hard to guess what the ironic upshot will be. Then too, the upshot's pretty satisfying, and shows why justice-served was wisely postponed to Hitch's wrap-up. That way we get the irony's full flavor on screen. On the downside, I wish someone had re-thought Eddie's silly eulogy—it's way over the top, beyond the rest of the hour. Anyway, Hill struggles manfully with Charlie's comedic character, showing why the actor specialized in dramatic parts, instead. Moore, however, is in a groove with Danielle's sexy air-head. Overall, whether there're enough pluses to make the erratic entry worthwhile is mainly up to the viewer. For me, it was a close call.

***SPOILERS*** Caught red handed embezzling their company Eddie Turtin, Richard Anderson, is going to have his partner and life long friend Charlie Osgood, Steven Hill,reported to the police and made to stand trial for his crimes. This could land Charlie behind bars for at least 20 years if convicted.

Talking things over with his girlfriend Danielle, Joanna Moore, Charlie concocts this plan to fake doing himself in and then check out with Danielle to South America with the remaining $60,000.00 he still has stashed away in his office. Having been a demolition expert in the US Navy in WWII Charlie plans to use a dummy and deep sixing it at the local marina attached with a dozen sticks of TNT to fake his own death. Now free from arrest and prosecution, in that he's been declared dead by the courts, all Charlie has to do now is get the cash and together with Danielle, in buying two plane tickets to Brazil, check out of the country and live happily ever after. Or so Charlie thinks.

***MAJOR SPOILERS*** As we soon learn Danielle is not as dumb as she makes herself out to be. In fact she's not even a dumb blond in her hair being actually dark with a blond wig covering it up. Going along with Charlie's plan Danielle is actually Eddie Turtin's secret lover and together they fooled Charlie into thinking that he got away with both his crime in stealing the$60,000.00 and scheme in faking his own death! Celebrating his perfect crime Charlie gulps down a shot of Eddies's finest prized bourbon only to end up, with it being spiked, back were he started at the end of a pier at the marina. But this time around when he did drop down into the bay with both Eddie and Danielle's help he stayed there permanently!

A man and his fiancé play out an elaborate bid to fake his suicide when his business partner threatens prosecution for embezzlement. The leads play this one well and make it clear this is a light entry about empty headed losers. Joanna Moore blends the look of innocence with that of a dumb crook's girl. Self parody of the genre and working better than some of the other episodes that attempt it.

The use of irony by Alfred Hitchcock always enhanced everything he did and this television episode is no exception.

I didn't trust the blond, Julianne Moore, from the beginning and pretty much guess who she had secretly hooked up with.

After being threatened by his partner and friend, Richard Anderson, for embezzling money from their business, Charlie feigns his suicide death so that he can flee with his supposed fiancé with the money.

It's just ironic how Charlie ended up- in the same way that he had first pretended to.

Some of the scenes are almost comical, especially the funeral scene where Anderson gives a eulogy ripe with passion, but with anger for what Charlie had done.