The Alfred Hitchcock Hour The Second Verdict (1962–1965) Online

***SPOILERS*** Funnyman Frank Gorshin who earlier that year-1964-had practically blown off the stage and made people,watching him, forget the Beatles in their US debut on the Ed Sullivan Show with his hysterical comedy routine does a great job as psycho killer Lew Rydell in this Alfred Hithcock Hour episode.

Rydell on trial for the murder of grocery delivery boy Freddie gets off with an innocent verdict that his lawyer Ned Murray, Martin Landau, with his brilliant defense strategy got for him. It's later at Murray's office that Rydell confesses that he in fact did kill Freddie because he made a pass at his sexy wife Melanie, Sharon Farrell, when he delivered the groceries. Shocked that he let a guilty man off the hook or the electric chair Ned want's to get in contact with the D.A's office and tell him that he's responsible for letting a guilty man, a cold blooded murderer,get away with murder! The problem for Ned is that it would be double jeopardy to retry Rydell! So what's he use of trying!

It's then out of nowhere that a good friend of Ned's mobster Tony Handeman, John Morley, shows up at his home to thank him for what he did for his son in getting him off on a assault rap. The boy has now become a productive citizen and family man which he wouldn't have if Ned didn't keep him from being convicted in a court of law. Ned who was determined to go to the D.A is also told by his boss Mr. Osterman, Harold Stone, to whom he's engaged to his daughter Karen, Nancy Kovack, just to forget about it. It's over and done with, Rydell's trial, and just go on with your life Mr. Osterman tells Ned. As for Rydell who in fact told Ned that he in fact did murder Freddie the delivery boy he's now planning to sue Ned and his law firm headed by Mr. Osterman for impugning his "spotless character" as a respectable door to door salesman.

***SPOILER*** Thing soon work out for Ned but in a way he never imagined. Tony takes it upon himself to do him a favor by knocking off Rydell but something goes very wrong for both him and his intended victim. Yet what happens do tie up all the loose edges in this whole messy matter for Ned like in knocking off two birds with one stone. It's now up to Ned to live with the consequences that he's responsible for in both freeing a guilty man of murder and at the same time having another no so Innocent man killed in him trying to ratify his mistake!

"The Second Verdict" is for the most part a fine entry about justice and the law, let down by a predictable conclusion. Martin Landau is attorney Ned Murphy, who successfully defends traveling businessman Lew Rydell (Frank Gorshin) from a murder rap. Following the verdict, Rydell privately confesses to Murphy that he is guilty of the crime, beating a grocery boy to death because of his psychopathic rage over the flirtatious nature of his wife Melanie (Sharon Farrell), who remains oblivious to the effect she has on other men. Scrupulously honest, Murphy is engaged to the daughter (Nancy Kovack) of his employer (Harold J. Stone), who is reluctant to have his future son-in-law tarnish the firm's reputation by going to the D.A. with Rydell's confession. Tony Hardeman (John Marley), whose brother was saved by Murphy's defense, decides to take matters into his own hands, while the attorney has a heartfelt talk with the judge (Richard Hale) who helped shape him into the lawyer he's become. Best remembered as The Riddler on TV's BATMAN, Frank Gorshin, one of the greatest impressionists of his generation, proves himself to be a solid character performer, quite believable and even frightening.

What a thrilling, very clever, brilliant story and so in the typical AH series style. It would remind me Richard Marquand's JAGGED EDGE back in 1986. But just a little, a lawyer defending a finally guilty innocent man... This scheme has although been used before, I assure you. I won't tell much more, than the other two guys have already said about this episode. Just one thing is weird: the director: Lewis Teague, you know the B movies director from the seventies and also eighties, who gave us CUJO, ALLIGATOR, a man who worked for Roger Corman enterprises...So I did not know he began his career with a Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode. And in 1964. And if you check his filmography you'll notice that he did absolutely nothing between this time and the early seventies: acting, directing, producing, editing... Nothing. So what the hell did he do during all that time?