The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series) Captive Audience (1962) User Reviews

'The Hitchcock Hour' goes James M. Cain style

[binapiraeus · 7/10 · 11 August 2014]

And yet another 'goodie' from the great host of that great crime serial - with a touch of Noir, like so many times, and more concretely a touch of James M. Cain's fabulous crime-and-passion novels. In fact, it IS set in the detective fiction writers' milieu, enthralling the 'captive audience' (which means not only us, but also his publisher and a young colleague, to whom he sends the tapes describing his... story...) very cleverly in a series of flashbacks, making us believe that we're in for a similar story as "The Postman Always Rings Twice" or "Double Indemnity" - but at some point (as Hitchcock's stories usually do), the plot takes an entirely different turn...

The cast is excellent, too: James Mason as passionate as I've VERY rarely seen him, and young Angie Dickinson as the quintessential femme fatale; BUT if you want to find out about the outcome of their 'fatal affair' - see for yourself! Because we must NEVER give away the ending of a Hitchcock thriller, as we all know...

Mystery writer lives out the plot of his story

[CCsito · 8/10 · 7 December 2009]

This episode deals with a mystery writer (James Mason) who sends a tape copy of a developing story to a publisher. As the publisher and a fellow worker listen to the tapes, they begin to realize that the story teller may be providing a plot based more on fact than fiction. The mystery writer becomes involved with a married woman (Angie Dickinson) and she later tries to get her lover to kill her husband. After hesitating on the murder for hire plot, he realizes that he has been used. The publisher and the fellow worker attempt to notify the woman that her lover is out to get her. But they are too late. The mystery writer is arrested, but is left with no true ending to the story.

Decent Idea, but It Took Forever

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 5 May 2023]

After viewing all the original half hour AK stories, the hour long ones seem to plod along. Here we have a cool idea. As an author, send a series of tapes, one at a time, to your publisher. Tell a story that you are actually living, a murder plot. James Mason, he of the great voice, plays a fellow who is in a car accident with his young wife. She dies and he goes on, but there is brain damage. He has fallen in love with another woman, one played by Angie Dickenson. The men in the office, listening to the tape decide the guy is telling the truth. Soon the publisher must recognize that things happen that must be dealt with.

Colorful Cast in an Awkward Storyline

[dougdoepke · 16 January 2015]

A publisher gets recordings from an author about what sounds like a real life crime being planned. But is it.

The cast is the real draw here. James Mason gets to emote more than his usual courtly self, while Angie Dickinson is at the peak of her compelling allure. Together, they're kind of an odd couple, but then that fits the storyline. Also good to see ex-Charlie Chan Roland Winters, e.g. The Sky Dragon (1949), in a villainous role no less, along with the great Arnold Moss who could be really sinister, e.g. Border Incident (1949). Too bad he and Mason didn't have a face-off, since each embodies a lot of dramatic gravitas. The story generates some suspense as we wonder what Mason's recordings are up to. However, to me, the various twists and turns are too frequent and awkwardly blended to gel well. Also, it sounds like the last lines, repeated over and over, are really screenwriter Levinson's private difficulties with the story. That would certainly be different. Anyhow, for Mason fans, it's a chance to see the slickly debonair actor with his hair really mussed and looking seedy.

A Crime Drama That Generates Little Heat

[atlasmb · 6/10 · 20 March 2017]

This episode of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" is a crime story. A publisher receives some tapes from one of his writers. They outline the story of a murder that has not yet been committed. The publisher wonders if the tapes might be about a real situation, not merely the stuff of a writer's imagination. He calls in a third party to listen to the tapes. Together, they wonder if they have a responsibility to act, in case the author intends to commit a real murder.

If this situation created real suspense in the viewer, it would be very effective. But this episode instead only creates suspense about when the clever twist in the story will occur. It never does.

James Mason is effective as the author, but his role is tame compared to his part in "Lolita", which had recently been released. Angie Dickinson plays the part of a manipulating woman, who may not exist in reality.

The story, adapted from a novel, feels watered down, lacking emotional impact. The publisher serves as a proxy for the viewer. The story does offer one idea that will be addressed many times by films to follow: the obligation or feasibility, if any, to attempt to prevent a crime which has not yet been committed. But this ethical conundrum is defused by the script itself.

Not bad, but it felt heavily padded.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 26 April 2021]

With "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone" you mostly see the half hour long episodes in syndication. However, both made hour long episodes (the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" show being renamed "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour") and the hour long ones are often problematic. This is because although both were quite good as half hour shows, some of the one hour ones are not...mostly because they felt like half hour episodes which were heavily padded to meet the new running time.

A good example of an hour long episode that is too padded is "Captive Audience", a show that seems to have some irrelevant details added just to make it an hour in length...though running 40-45 minutes would have worked well for this particular show.

When the story begins, a troubled book publisher has his friend listen to a series of tapes delivered to him from one of his writers. Sending tapes is weird...but they turn out to be a confession as the man is contemplating murder.

What follows is a series of flashbacks. The writer (James Mason) explains how several years ago, he was married and on his honeymoon. During this trip, he and his wife made the acquaintance of another couple. Shortly after, there was an accident and the writer's wife was killed. This entire portion really was NOT necessary or even relevant...other than to set the stage for the writer meeting the other woman...something he easily could have done later. It also established that the man had a head injury in the accident. Either way, it was too long and took attention away from the plot.

In a later tape, the writer meets the woman he met on his honeymoon (Angie Dickenson) and they have an affair. Eventually, she pleads with him to kill her husband....no realizing she's setting up a trap. What's next? See the show.

The idea of an unreliable narrator is cool...and after a while it's clear the writer is imbalanced and his narration isn't necessarily the truth...though it is to him. A clever idea. And, the double cross is also very interesting. In fact, the entire episode is decent...just awkwardly written and heavily padded. Overall, it's worth seeing but nothing more.

The final chapter

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 4 November 2011]

***SPOILERS*** It's when murder mystery writer Warren Barrow,James Mason, started sending audio tapes to his publisher at Medillon Publications Victor Heartman, Arnold Moss,that he started to suspect that Bannow was in fact turning psycho. Barrow in his tapes is telling Hartman that he's to murder Ivar West, Roland Winters,in revenge for the death of his wife Helen, Sara Shane, whom he holds responsible for.

It was three years ago when Barrow and his wife Helen were spending time at the French Riviera that he met the West's Ivar and his sexy wife Janet, Angie Dickerson,and in the course of the evening got very enraged at Helen for spending the entire evening drinking and gambling with Ivan! That's while Barrow spent just a few hours at the local casino with Janet who gambled all the money that Ivar gave her away. Driving back to their hotel room after making up with Helen Barrow lost control of his car that slammed into upcoming traffic killing her. It was three years later in San Francisco when Barrow was looking for material,in some beatnik like café, to write his next mystery novel he met Janet who, in telling him what a monster her husband is, talked him into killing her husband Ivar and then taking off with her. It didn't take that long to agree with Janet's plan since Barrow always had it in for Ivar in him being, in Barrow's disturbed mind, responsible for Helen's death!

What Barrow didn't seem to realize was that Janet is manipulating him into murdering her husband so she can take off with her boyfriend and Ivar's money leaving him, the perfect pasty, to end up behind bars or strapped into the San Quinten gas chamber for Ivar's murder! Barrow comes to that conclusion when he confronts Ivar himself,in his cabin, who tells him,after Barrow almost shot his head off, what a cold blooded and manipulating witch his wife Janet really is!

***SPOILERS**** With him now obsessed in finishing his new murder mystery novel, which turns out to be about Ivar and Janet West, Barrow goes to see his publisher Victor Hartman and tell him that the only way he can finish his new book is by acting out,in murdering the main character Janet West, the final chapter in it himself! Even though Barrow still had some of his marbles, he still can tell right from wrong, left him feeling that Janet was using him to murder her husband and then leave him literally hanging was just too much for him to take. Now completely out of it Barrow not caring what happens to him does in fact write that final chapter in his book, with .9mm revolver,in blood in him knowing that that's the only way he can finish it!

"He may just be outlining a new book."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 8 August 2022]

I can think of a better ending for this episode that would have gotten Warren Barrow (James Mason) off the hook for murdering Janet West (Angie Dickinson). All the writers had to do was come up with a rationale for Barrow to convince Tom Keller (Ed Nelson) to run to Janet's rescue at her apartment where Barrow was waiting to kill her. Instead, Tom went there on the suspicion that Barrow was going to do it. Barrow handed his weapon to Tom after pulling the trigger so both of their fingerprints would have been on the gun. It would then have been a matter for the authorities to figure out who the killer was, and since Barrow didn't look like someone the glamorous Janet West would have been involved with, he could have pressed that point and the suspicion would have turned to Keller as the jealous lover who barged in on them both. That might sound farfetched, but no more so than the way the story actually played out. I kind of like my idea, so I'm sticking with it.