SECRET AGENT - Alfred Hitchcock - "Burns A Flaming Trail Among The Gay Capitals Of Europe" (1936)

Saturday Night Special? Hell Yeah! "Secret Agent" 1936!!

 What's really scary is to think that enough time has passed that some people today don't even know who Alfred Hitchcock is, and that some day in the not too distant future, only historians will know the name! I daresay that if it wasn't for "Psycho," 97% of people 30 and under today wouldn't know who he was!

"The films of Alfred Hitchcock" should be a mandatory course in educational institutions the world over! It's that fucking simple! 

 In between World Wars, Mother Earth was a pretty tense place, and it doesn't seem to be getting much better lately!

 How in the Hell is it possible that with over 30 gazillion people in the world, Peter Lorre is a character that has not, and possibly will not ever be created again?

That's "Father Knows Best's" Robert Young as Robert Marvin in the middle! One good rule, never trust a guy with two first names! On the left is Madeleine (The 39 Steps) Carroll as Elsa Carrington, and on the right is her husband Richard Ashenden as played by John (The Elephant Man) Gielgud. She's been given to him as a wife in a secret government plot to track down and kill a German agent. Basically a stranger, horndog Robert Marvin has picked up on the fact that they are not real close, and is doing everything humanly possible to get into Elsa's pants!

Elsa and Richard are having to get to know each other really quick!

Richard Ashenden is actually a novelist named Edgar Brodie who was publically killed off, but the bad guys are on to their little ruse!

Ashenden's partner on this job is yet another horny little character, Peter Lorre as a hired killer known as only "The General!" When he introduces himself to people he rattles off his full name, but I'm not sure if anybody really knows what he's saying! The two here have gone to this church to meet another operative, but what they find is the guy playing a solemn chord on the organ because somebody else already got to him. The only clue is that he's clutching a button in his hand. Here's a short little sound clip of "The General's" introduction, and the droning organ!

At a casino, an unfortunate fellow loses a button that falls onto the roulette table. Of course, it's the exact same kind of button that was found in the clutching hand!

They now have their man, now it just comes down to how will they dispose of him?

The man is an avid hiker, so the threesome plan a nice day outing together!

Not knowing the full depth of the mission, Elsa is almost catatonic when she finds out what they did!

It gets worse when they find out they got the wrong guy!! Only "The General" is non-repentant, Elsa and Richard have decided they've had enough of this job!

So Richard and Elsa find themselves falling in love for real, and decide to run off together and put all this nasty sordid business behind them!

I'm going to end this with these three awesome shots! For the rest of the story, you're just gonna have to go watch it yourself!

How about this shot? Sends shivers up my spine!!

I got my copy of "Secret Agent" at Big Lots for $3.99!  It's a two DVD set called "Alfred Hitchcock, Master Of Suspense," and not only includes "Secret Agent," but also nine other Hitchcock features including "The Lady Vanishes," and "The 39 Steps" and is definitely one of the deals of the century! Have a good weekend, take your vitamins, and don't text and drive!