The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

Final Escape

Genre: Thriller

Erstausstrahlung: 21.2.64 (Staffel 2, Folge 18)

Filmlänge: 50 Min.

Drehbuch: John Resko nach einer Geschichte von Thomas H. Cannan, Jr. und Randall Hood

Musik:

Kamera: Richard L. Rawlings

Schnitt: Marvin I. Kosberg

Regie: William Witney

Produzent: Robert Douglas, Gordon Hessler (Associate Producer), Norman Lloyd (Ausführender Produzent)

Darsteller: Hinton Pope (Second guard), Edd Byrnes (John Perry), Stephen McNally (Captain), Robert Keith (Doc), John Alderson (Third guard), Nicholas Colasanto (Work Partner), Bernie Hamilton (Second convict), Stacy Harris (Lawyer), John Kellogg (First guard), Alfred Hitchcock (Moderator).

Inhaltsangabe: Convicted bank robber John Perry, Edd Byrnes, is sentenced to fifteen years' hard labor at a state prison lumber camp. Determined to escape, Perry befriends an alcoholic inmate named Doc (Robert Keith), who is in charge of the prison infirmary as well as the burial details. Doc presents the answer: If Perry will finance an operation for Doc's granddaughter, he will help spring him. Doc's plan is to hide Perry inside the coffin of the next inmate who dies, then bury the coffin in the prison cemetery. As soon as the gravediggers and guards leave, he will then dig up the grave and let Perry out. Together, they'll refill the grave and Perry will be free to escape. All goes according to plan, but then Doc doesn't show up on time to dig Perry up. Where is he? Why is he late? "C'mon, Doc"!

Info: This is one of Hitchcock's most memorable TV productions. Fabulous! The Black/White version was a full hour production on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

John Resko was a former inmate on Sing Sing prison's death row having been convicted of first degree murder in 1931 and was sentenced to death in the electric chair at the age of 19.

He won a reprieve just 15 minutes before his scheduled electrocution and his death sentence eventually was commuted to life in prison by Governor Franklin Roosevelt.
He spent 19 years in Sing Sing and Dannemora prisons during which time he studied art and learned how to write. He was released on Dec 22, 1949.

Doubleday and Company published a book entitled Reprieve in 1956 that Resko wrote about his life story which was the basis of a movie entitled Convicts Four starring Ben Gazzara that was made in 1962.

Alexander A. Mayer (Bauten/Dekorationsbau), Julia Heron u. John McCarthy Jr. (Bühnenbildner/Ausstatter), Larry Germain (Friseur), Bud Westmore (Maskenbildner), Vincent Dee (Leitung Kostüme).

Neuverfilmungen:
Final Escape 1985

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