ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: "The Cheney Vase" (1955)

I keep thinking that we're running out of material, and then I realized how many episodes of different TV shows we still can do, like "The Twilight Zone, "Night Gallery," "Tales Of Tomorrow," "One Step Beyond," "Science Fiction Theater ," yadda, yadda, yadda, and/or tonight's presentation, another episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents!"

I have yet to see anything connected to Alfred Hitchcock that wasn't worth watching, and I think my favourite element is always that wonderful dry and droll sense of humor! I was lucky enough in my life to be able to buy Forrest J. Ackerman's lunch, I wish I could say the same about Alfred Hitchcock!

Okay, so here's a sweet one for you, and even though "The Cheney Vase" might not be the most exciting title in the world, it's sure a damn fine tale of deceit, deception, and despair!!

 Darren (Mike Hammer) McGavin is sleazeball Lyle Endicott! He just got fired from his job at the museum because he's a slacker and a dick!

 If  Lyle's girlfriend Pamela looks vaguely familiar, it's because she is none other than Carolyn (Morticia Addams) Jones!

 I just had to throw this shot in because his eyes are so wide open, and her eyes are closed!

Here she is, Patricia Collinge as Mrs. Cheney, the lady who owns the special antique vase! There's not a lot in her résumé, but she was in three other episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and also in two episodes of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour!"

 Supposedly, the eight inch high "Cheney Vase" is worth $45,000.00, and it seems like everybody wants to get their stinkin' hands on it, especially Lyle, so he tells Mrs. Cheney he'd love to have a job taking care of her. and she decides she'll take him on temporarily! So the wheels are in motion!

This is Kathryn Card as Mrs. Cheney's maid Bella! For all you Lucy fans, Kathryn was Mrs. McGillicuddy on the "I Love Lucy" show! I just like saying McGillicuddy!

The first thing Lyle does is drive off Bella and replace her with a plant of his own, ravishing Ruta Lee as Ruby Boyenton! Besides 88 episodes of "The Hollywood Squares," Ruta was also in some great films like "Hootenanny Hoot," and "The Doomsday Machine!" Ruta was also in "The Twilight Zone" episode titled "A Short Drink From A Certain Fountain!"

 I think it's amazing how much Darren McGavin looks like Richard Nixon from this angle!

Mrs. Cheney has the vase hidden somewhere and Lyle doesn't even know what it looks like so he does some investigating!

And then he spots it on a shelf in Mrs. Cheney's pottery room, but she's there too, so he has to come up with a plan!

The plan is pretty simple, steal the vase and sell it to Max Reisenweber, and run away with Pamela, but Pamela doesn't want to have anything to do with it, so he slaps her!

Mrs. Cheney has been busy! While Lyle had her trapped in her own home, she had plenty of time to work in her studio, and make many exact duplications of the vase! He's pissed!

And Mrs. Cheney gets the deserved last laugh!

In the end, Alfred offers up souvenirs for the viewers! All you had to do to get one of the duplicated vases was to send him a check for $45,000.00! What a card!

If you enjoy Mr. Hitchcock's work as well as I, then you're in luck, because the IMDB streams it for Free right here! Enjoy!