A 5-year-old boy finds his uncle's revolver, partially loads it with bullets, and plays with it in public, unaware of its deadly power.A 5-year-old boy finds his uncle's revolver, partially loads it with bullets, and plays with it in public, unaware of its deadly power.A 5-year-old boy finds his uncle's revolver, partially loads it with bullets, and plays with it in public, unaware of its deadly power.
- Rick Sheffield
- (as Steve Dunne)
- Fred Chester
- (as Biff Elliott)
- Amy Chester
- (as Lucy Prentiss)
- Jackie Chester
- (as Billy Mumy)
- Supermarket Customer
- (uncredited)
- Darlene
- (uncredited)
- Stephen
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMarta Kristen (Jiffy Snack Girl) would later go on to co-star with Bill Mumy (Jackie Chester) in Lost in Space (1965).
- Quotes
[introduction - HItchcock is in the box office of a movie theater]
Alfred Hitchcock - Host: Good evening and welcome to "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". The feature is about to commence. Please don't be alarmed. We are not charging admission. This is not pay-TV. As usual, all we ask is that on those occasions when you can't view our show, that you let us know so that we can send it to someone else. Please don't be a no-show.
[steps out of the box office with a gun]
Alfred Hitchcock - Host: This is not a holdup. I wish to dramatize the title of tonight's play.
[Hitchcock pulls the trigger and a flag with the word 'BANG' pops out]
Alfred Hitchcock - Host: Tonight's story is called "Bang! You're Dead". Despite the fact this has been introduced with my usual flippancy, it concerns a very serious subject and I would be doing it a disservice if I led you to regard it lightly. Now I must hurry into the theater, for I don't want to miss the beginning. Fortunately, I have a minute to find my seat before the feature starts, for it is preceded by an unselected short subject. It is the management's way of discouraging those who might stay through more than one show.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Svengoolie: Indestructible Man (2021)
- SoundtracksFuneral March of a Marionette
Written by Charles Gounod
The story is one of the few episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" which was actually directed by the famous director himself. It's about a little boy who finds a real gun and the kid has no idea that it's real AND loaded. And, he goes about town threatening folks with the weapon! Will he end up blowing someone's head off or will they catch up to the budding psychopath on time?
This is an obvious anti-gun show (much like the "Hawaii Five-O" episode "Use a Gun, Go to Hell") trying to make a valid point about guns and gun safety. I am sure some gun owners will feel defensive about it, but I thought it had a very valid point to make about unprotected guns and kids. Not exactly subtle but memorable.
When the story begins, Jackie (Mumy) is out playing cowboy. Later, when his uncle comes for a visit, Jackie finds a REAL gun in his uncle's suitcase along with bullets...and he takes it out to play. When the family discovers the gun and bullets are missing, they frantically canvas the neighborhood looking for him before it's too late.
While this is generally a very good episode, I did find it hard to believe that Jackie's mother was so polite when she was looking for him in the supermarket. Imagine waiting in line to talk to the customer service rep to ask if they've seen the boy when she knows he has a loaded gun! Also, when he actually does fire the gun, it seemed amazing that a 5 year-old would do so without it hurting him or knocking him down, as a .38 caliber handgun is very strong...especially for a kid. Apart from these minor glitches, a very tense and exciting episode.
- planktonrules
- Apr 17, 2021
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1