Learning from Hitchcock

            On Thursday, December 1^st I realized about halfway through the day that it was December 1^st and I’d forgotten to take out my rent money. When Sundar came to the door I had to tell him that I’d give him the money on Friday.

            I also remembered that it was time to pay for my monthly phone service. I had just enough money to do that, so I went over to what was called Wind Mobile last month, but now they had a temporary Freedom Mobile sign draped over the old one, even though inside it still said Wind in big letters on the end of the counter. While the guy was putting my payment through I asked why they were changing the name to “Freedom” when “Wind” is already symbolic of freedom. He just shrugged and said, “I guess they like it”. I wondered, “Did people not get the metaphor?” He affirmed that a lot of people got it. I asked if the change would mean that the fees would be going up. He answered that they would, but not for old customers. I don’t like the name change because it’s so much less poetic to say “Freedom” than “Wind”.

            I’ve been watching one half-hour episode of Johnny Staccato almost every night for the last few weeks, and though the writing doesn’t stand out, some of the shows have their moments. One episode guest starred Elizabeth Montgomery and there’s a great kissing scene between her and John Cassavetes. She looked like she was enjoying herself.

Another episode that was directed by Cassavetes had a very Hitchcockian beginning. The show opens just showing a woman from just below her knees, walking along a hallway in high heels, and staggering slightly, as if she’s drunk. It cuts to the torso of a man in a tweed coat as his hands are tying a knot in a silk scarf. Cut to the woman, shown just below her shoulders and above her waste as she stands in front of a door and begins to unlock it. Cut to the man’s hand as he flicks off a light switch. Cut back to her as she unlocks the door. Cut back to her legs below the knees again as she enters the room and walks across the room to a settee where she sits. The camera is still at the same level but we now see her foreshortened just above her knees as she bends to remove her shoes. As she is removing the second shoe we see a man’s shoes under the settee as he walks behind her. The camera stays at that level, so we do not see the strangulation. We just see her legs flailing and her bare feet kicking until she becomes still. We don’t see her fully until she drops dead to the floor. It was a very well done opening, but the rest of the episode was nothing special.

Another episode featured an actress and singer named Ann Henry. She was a Black woman with a British accent. She was a good singer and quite attractive so I wondered why I’d never heard of her. It turns out that she was crippled by meningitis just as her career was rising so she never made it big in music or films, but she did become a choir director in a church on the west coast of the States.