Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1.19

The Derelicts

starring Robert Newton, Phillip Reed

written by Robert C. Dennis, Terence Maples

directed by Robert Stevenson

Inventor Ralph Cowell (Phillip Reed) murders the eccentric Alfred J. Sloane, his business partner, to whom he owes $10,000 and 50% of the profits he has made for the sale of his invention. Cowell leaves Sloane's body in the park where they met to talk business, thinking that no one will know that it was he who did it. Peter J. Goodfellow (Robert Newton), a person of no fixed abode, sees Ralph murder Sloane and finds the IOU that Cowell signed.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 3.24

Ménage à Troi

Commander Riker and Counselor Troi and her mother are abducted by Ferengi captain Daimon Tog. Lwaxana Troi finds Tog repulsive but he is infatuated with her and her telepathic abilities which he hopes to use to make money. She has no interest in changing her mind but in the interest of getting herself, her daughter, and Commander Riker away from the Ferengi ship on which they are being held against their will, Lwaxana feigns interest in Tog.

Amazing Stories (1985) 1.03

Alamo Jobe

starring Kelly Reno

written byb Joshua Brand, John Falsey, Stephen Spielberg

directed by Michael D. Moore

Fifteen year old Jobe starts seeing strange things while serving at the Alamo in 1836 when it was under attack by Mexican General Santa Anna's army. Jobe sees people in late 20th century clothing walking through the battle. He tries to warn them that they are in danger by being there but they don't see or hear him. Colonel Travis gives Jobe a message to get to General John Lefferts on Suttlecock Road.

Jobe leaves the Alamo and finds himself in San Antonio in 1985. He looks for Shuttlecock Road. He takes a horse someone has left unattended and rides around town. The police chase him for a while. He's about ready to give up when he finds first Shuttlecock Road and then a store named Lefferts Antiques. The owner claims to be the great-grandson of General Lefferts. He thanks Jobe for the letter. Jobe heads back to the Alamo.

Paths of Glory (1957)

Paths of Glory (1957)

starring Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready

directed by Stanley Kubrick

88 minutes

French Brigadier General Mireau (George Macready), in the midst of the First World War, indignant after one of his regiments fails to achieve, what was deemed from the outset to be an unachievable goal, insists on court martialing three rank and file members of the regiment. Major General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) agrees with Mireau's reaction to the defeat and thinks it will be good for morale if three soldiers are executed. Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), the regiment's commander, who was present on the battlefield at the time of the attack insists on defending the three men in what turns out to be nothing but a show trial in which he is given no opportunity to provide the three soldiers with a proper defense.

The Phil Silvers Show 4.33

Bilko in Outer Space

Ritzik and Grover have $600 that they plan to use to pay for their vacation in Hawaii. Bilko tries to get them to play cards with him but they do their best to avoid him. They manage to steer clear of him until he tricks them into signing up for a phony space program.

Thoughts

This was okay. I was hoping that part of the episode would involve Bilko going to outer space but that is not the case. I was hoping for something along the lines of The Outer Space Spirit or Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD 6 (Nov 1968). That is not what I got. 

Un Village Français 6.04

Sur le quai

or On the Platform

Anselme, Raymond, and the others find the bodies still hanging in the schoolyard, including Marie's. Antoine goes to take her down but Anselme insists that it's his fault that it came to this and that he should not be the one to do it. Raymond takes Marie's body for burial even though Anselme insists that he shouldn't. Before the are done taking the bodies down they receive word that it was Marchetti who hanged Marie.

Heinrich and Hortense try to get through a German checkpoint but someone spots them. They are pulled aside. Heinrich is made to dig a grave for the two of them. They are about to get executed when some Americans show up and kill the German soldiers. Heinrich, speaking in English, claims that he is with the anti-fascist underground.

Steven Universe 1.49

The Message

Greg helps the Crystal Gems figure out how to decipher a message that is being transmitted by a Wailing Stone. They assume at first that it is an audio message but then it occurs to Steven and Greg that it might be a video message. They are correct. It was sent by Lapis Lazuli who warns them that someone is coming for them. They assume that the someone is Peridot.

Thoughts

The order of the episodes seems to be jumbled on Hulu, according to the Steven Universe Wiki. I just discovered that I skipped over three episodes by mistake.

The Wailing Stone previously appeared in 1.19 Rose's Room but I did not make any mention of it my notes for that episode. I went back and watched that episode. It only appears very briefly in that one.

This was a good episode. I like the humor and the way it expands the world in which the story takes place. Greg and Lapis Lazuli are the only characters to appear in this story other than Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Peridot is mentioned but does not appear.

Adventure Time 5.20

Shh!

Jake and Finn have a contest to see who can go the longest without speaking. They communicate mostly by using signs that they have written. BMO freaks out when Finn and Jake won't speak. BMO assumes that they aren't really Finn and Jake but doppelgangers. They try desperately to convince BMO, without talking, that they are the real thing.

Thoughts

This was a fun episode. I love how BMO immediately assumed the worst.

The Good Place 1.06

What We Owe to Each Other

Eleanor spends the day trying to help Michael figure out what is wrong with the Good Place. She sees that he is unable to relax and suggests that he stop trying to fix things for a day. They sing karaoke, go bowling, and just have fun.

Chidi goes to the spa with Tahani and Jason / Jianyu. Tahani suggested the spa because she wanted some time alone with Jianyu to work on their relationship but instead she discovers that she has more in common with Chidi that she does with Jianyu.

The episode ends with Michael announcing that he is the problem and that he will be leaving them.

One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

starring Francis Lederer, Ida Lupino

directed by Rowland V. Lee

80 minutes

One rainy afternoon in Paris, struggling actor Philippe Martin (Francis Lederer) goes to the theater with Yvonne, his lover. She doesn't want to be seen with him because she is married so he agrees to meet her in the theater after the lights go down. There is a mix up and Phillipe winds up in seat 99 instead of seat 66. He kisses the woman sitting next to him, Monique Pelerin (Ida Lupino), thinking that she is Yvonne. Monique makes enough noise about it that the lights come up in the theater, the movie is stopped, and Philippe gets arrested.

Moonlighting 3.10

Poltergeist III -- DiPesto Nothing

Bert gets on Agnes' nerves. She thinks that he's getting treated better  than she is at the Blue Moon Detective Agency. She decides (without consulting with them) to take a case that Maddy and David reject. Mrs. Renborn, the client, needs someone to prove that her home is haunted. She takes the case despite the fact that the thought of having to track down a ghost gives her the creeps.

Bert shows up while Agnes is trying to solve the case. She resents having him around at first but quickly changes her mind.

Thoughts

This episode was a little too silly for me. David and Maddie are in it but only briefly at the beginning and the end. I think it's great that they tried something different but in my book this is a swing and a miss. I think that the writers and the director are mostly to blame for the quality of this episode.

The Twilight Zone 1.16

The Hitch-Hiker

starring Inger Stevens

written by Rod Serling, Louise Fletcher

directed by Alvin Ganzer

Nan Adans (Inger Stevens) keeps seeing the same hitch-hiker as she drives cross country from New York to Los Angeles. She spots him for the first as she is getting a flat tire repaired in Pennsylvania and then again as she is getting ready to get back on the road.

She drives south from Pennsylvania. Somewhere in Virginia she spots him again. She doesn't understand how he keeps getting ahead of her. She almost gets hit by a train at one point just after seeing him.

Doctor Who (1963) 8.05.X2

Christopher Barry: Director (2010)

19 minutes

Christopher Barry returns to Aldbourne, where much of The Daemons was filmed and talks about his life. He talks about his life before he got into the television and movie business and within the business. He seems to have mostly fond memories of his time working on Doctor Who. Aside from archival footage it was just Christopher Barry. There were a number of photographs of Barry from various stages of his life.

Barry directed four of the episodes of 1.02 The Daleks and all of 12.01 Robot. I've seen the other stories he directed that starred Tom Baker but not in recent years.

Four Star Playhouse 1.12

Man in the Box

starring Charles Boyer

written by John Bagni, Gwen Bagni

directed by Robert Florey

A man (Charles Boyer) sits and watches a play. He imagines himself playing three different parts in the play: Benedict (the ruthless dictator), Topaz (the leader of the rebellion), and Davidow (Benedict's secretary). Elena, Benedict's wife, begs him to change his ways but he refuses, despite knowing that he may be assassinated that very night. Benedict is left alone, as the play ends, facing imminent death and with the knowledge that Elena has left him to be with Topaz.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 2.13

Armageddon Game

Chief O'Brien and Doctor Bashir help the T'Lani and the Kelleruns, two races that have recently ended a war that lasted for centuries, destroy the Harvesters, their most deadly weapons. They are ready to celebrate when two armed Kelleruns break into the facility where the work was done and kill everyone except O'Brien and Bashir, who just barely manage to beam out of there.

O'Brien and Bashir beam down to the surface of T'Lani III because they are unable to contact the Ganges, the runabout in which they traveled to the T'Lani system. The planet is abandoned but it was once inhabited. They take shelter in a building and immediately take start trying to contact the T'Lani.

The Makanai: Cooking for the Meiko House 1.06

One-Sided

Kiyo hopes to win a bread machine in a contest. She collects as many raffle tickets as she can before trying her luck. Momoko finds herself charmed by Kiyo's cooking despite seeing her as a rival. Ryoko longs to have her father in her life but he is married to someone other than her mother.

Thoughts

This is another episode with some tender moments and delicious looking food.

The Dry (2020)

The Dry (2020)

starring Eric Bana, Genevieve O'Reilly, Keir O'Donnell

directed by 

117 minutes

Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) an Australian Federal Policeman, returns to home town to attend the funeral of Luke, a friend from 20 years ago. It isn't just Luke who is dead. His wife and 8 year old son are buried on the same day. The belief is that Luke killed them and then himself although the police have yet to find a motive.

Returning to town dredges up a lot of old memories, some good and some bad. Aaron used to hang with Luke, Ellie, and Gretchen. Their little group was broken up after Ellie was found dead, drowned in a spot where they used to hang out. Ellie's father accused Aaron of murdering Ellie. Aaron's father took it seriously enough that he sent Aaron away.

Adventure Time 5.19

James Baxter the Horse

Finn and Jake try to imitate James Baxter the Horse. The come close to sealing the deal but no matter what they try it seems like they can't quite get there.

Thoughts

Hmm...

Steven Universe 1.45

Rose's Scabbard

Lion finds Rose's Scabbard, among other items, while exploring the Gem Battlefield with Steven and the Crystal Gems. They bring it back with them. The scabbard makes Pearl very nostalgic. She tells Steven that she had a special relationship with his mother. Rose told her things that she didn't tell anyone else.

Pearl takes Steven to Rose's secret hideout but it turns out he's been there before. Lion took him and Connie there. They are there to find Rose's sword but after she shows Steven an image of the sword he claims to know where to find it. They return to the house and Steven pulls the sword out of Lion.

Pearl runs off. Steven follows her. He finally catches up to her. She shares some more herself and Rose.

Un Village Français 6.03

La Corde

or The Rope

27 Aug 1944

Marie is on her way back to the bridge with two American soldiers when they get attacked. One of the soldiers is killed. Marie takes off running while the other American stays and returns fire. She makes it most of the way back to the bridge but she's ambushed by a few German soldiers and taken prisoner.

Marchetti and Servier try negotiating with the Resistance. They agree to release Antoine and Suzanne in return for promises of safety for their families and a fair trial. The Resistance led by Anselme finally agrees to their terms. 

The Outer Limits (1963) 1.15

The Mice

starring Henry Silva, Diana Sands, Michael Higgins

written by Bill S. Ballinger, Joseph Stefano, Lou Morheim

directed by Alan Crosland Jr.

Chino Rivera (Henry Silva), convicted murderer, sentenced to life in prison, volunteers for a scientific experiment, run by Dr. Kellander (Michael Higgins), in the hopes that he will get an opportunity to escape. The plan is to teleport Chino to the planet Chromo after the Chromoids have teleported one of their own to Earth. They are testing the process on a human prisoner because to date the teleportation process has only been proven to work with mice.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 2.17

Samaritan Snare

Wesley Crusher and Captain Picard travel together to Starbase 515 in a shuttlecraft. Wesley is going to take Starfleet exams. Captain Picard is going because he needs an operation on his heart. Doctor Pulaski offers to perform the operation aboard the Enterprise but Captain Picard would rather not have everyone aboard the ship learn of his cardiac condition.

The Enterprise gets a distress calls, while Wesley and the Captain are gone, from a Pakled ship. Geordi figures that he can get the Pakled ship up and running in no time at all. Commander Riker gives the go ahead so Geordi beams over and gets to work.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1.18

Shopping for Death

starring Jo Van Fleet

written by Ray Bradbury

directed by Robert Stevens

Retired insurance salesmen Clarence Fox and Elmer Shore try to convince Mrs. Shrike (Jo Van Fleet) that she could get murdered.

Thoughts

I'm not sure what to make of Clarence and Elmer. What makes them, Clarence in particular, such busybodies? In the end it seems that Clarence was right. Mrs. Shrike gets it in the end, but how did Clarence know? What made him spot her in the first place?

The Good Place 1.05

Category 55 Emergency Doomsday

Everyone is forced to stay inside for an extended period of time because of a Category 55 Emergency Doomsday situation, the sink hole won't stop growing.

Tahani discovers that she has an extremely low ranking among the citizens of The Good Place. The discovery brings on a bit of anxiety and some memories of her life before she died. She confronts Michael about the matter but he waves it off.

Eleanor and Chidi go a little nuts being locked up together inside for days on end. Michael asks them to let another couple, Nina and Bart, stay with them while the sinkhole is being repaired. Eleanor and Chidi get very nervous when they learn that Nina is a marriage counselor and Bart is a fraud investigator. Their guests put them under the microscope after they catch them having an argument.

Amazing Stories (1985) 1.02

The Main Attraction

starring John Scott Clough

written by Brad Bird, Mick Garris, Steven Spielberg

directed by Matthew Robbins

Brad Bender (John Scott Clough) has his life turned upside down the day before he expects to be named prom king. A meteorite crashes through the window of his bedroom. His body becomes magnetized which in turn makes his life a living hell.

Thoughts

The first half of this episode makes it seem like Brad has it all. It is halfway through the episode that the meteor crashes through Brad's window turning his life upside down.

The Godfather Part 2 (1974)

The Godfather Part 2 (1974)

starring Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, John Cazale

directed by Francis Ford Coppola

202 minutes

I still don't like this one as much as The Godfather (1972). It is much more ambitious that the first movie but it also feels overly full. One thing that I was surprised by was how fast some things happened in this film considering how long it is.

See my notes from the last time I watched The Godfather Part 2 (1974) in Aug 2025 for a summary and more of my thoughts about this movie.

Steven Universe 1.44

Marble Madness

Connie gets Steven interested in a series of books, The Spirit Morph Saga. He gives them a try but she gets a bit worried when he reads the books out of order.

A giant robonoid, sent by Peridot arrives in Beach City. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl destroy it but then another one shows up and then another, and another. Steven suggests that they should follow the latest robonoid that see what it wants.

The robonoid goes to the Kindergarten. There it goes to the Prime Control Room and contacts Peridot. Steven asks Peridot what she wants. The Crystal Gems step in and smash Peridot's connection to the Prime Control Room.

Adventure Time 5.18

Princess Potluck

Jake and Finn go to a potluck party thrown by the princesses. Ice King finds out about it and gets angry that he wasn't invited. He comes up with numerous ways to ruin the party but none of them seem to work. He finally attacks the party. It is then that he learns he was invited but never saw the invitation because he doesn't read his mail.

Thoughts

This was fun. It starts with Finn and Jake but quickly becomes the Ice King's episode.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 2.12

The Alternate

Doctor Mora, who has a history with Odo, visits Deep Space Nine. Mora is amazed at the progress that Odo has made, the way he handles himself but he isn't there for a social call. He has found something in the Gamma Quadrant that resembles Odo's genetic structure that he wants to investigate further.

Doctor Mora, Odo, Dax, and one of Mora's associates go to the Gamma Quadrant to a planet where they find something alive that seems to be metamorphic, like Odo. They bring it back to the Alpha Quadrant, to the space station. They proceed to examine it. During the night it escapes from the lab in which it was kept. Chief O'Brien tracks it through the ducts and finds what looks like the remnants of the life form but it is no longer alive.

North by Northwest (1959)

North by Northwest (1959)

starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

written by Ernest Lehman

directed by Alfred Hitchcock

136 minutes

Two armed men, employees of Lester Townsend (James Mason), kidnap Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) thinking that he is George Kaplan. Thornhill tries to explain to them that he isn't Kaplan but they refuse to listen. Thornhill is taken to see Lester Townsend who tries to get information out of him. Thornhill has no idea what they are talking about. He continues to insist that he is Thornhill, not Kaplan. They force him to drink a lot of bourbon and are getting ready to kill in what will look like a drunk driving accident when Thornhill escapes.

Un Village Français 6.02

Le Pont

or The Bridge

26 Aug 1944

The Americans arrive during the night, but just a few of them. They bring explosives and want to blow up the bridge for reasons that later become apparent. The explosives are set with the help of Marie and the other Resistance fighters. Something goes wrong and the explosives don't detonate. Everyone gets pinned down by a sniper while they are trying to figure out what wrong with the explosives.

Janvier survives the attack on his home, but just barely. They take him to the police station and call for Dr. Larcher. When Daniel gets there and examines Janvier he can tell it doesn't look good. It looks to him like one of the bullets hit Janvier's spine. Janvier needs to be taken to a hospital but under the current circumstances that's impossible. He gives Janvier a shot of morphine and a priest comes to give Janvier last rites.

The Substance (2024)

The Substance (2024)

starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid

written and directed by Coralie Fargeat

141 minutes

Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), an aging fitness star and former award winning movie actress signs up for a regimen of treatment, The Substance, that gives her a second chance at youth. She injects herself with The Substance. Her back opens up and a younger version of herself emerges. Sue (Margaret Qualley) quickly becomes a star. Harvey (Dennis Quaid), Elisabeth's agent / manager dumps her and takes on Sue as his latest client. Everything goes great for Sue and Elisabeth (but mostly Sue) until Sue decides to bend the rules.

The Twilight Zone 1.15

I Shot an Arrow into the Air

starring Dewey Martin, Edward Binns

written by Rod Serling, Madelon Champion

directed by Stuart Rosenberg

A rocket ship carrying eight men takes off from Earth but not long afterwards it loses contact with ground control and disappears from all radar screens. The rocket crash lands on an asteroid. Four of the astronauts are killed during the landing. Another is seriously injured and dies hours later.

Corey (Dewey Martin), one of the three survivors, starts questioning everything that the mission's commander, Colonel Bob Donlin (Edward Binns), one of other two survivors says. Pierson, the third survivor, and Corey explore the rocky area where they have landed but only Corey returns. He claims at first that he doesn't know why Pierson hasn't returned yet. Donlin insists that they go looking for him.

The Phil Silvers Show 4.32

The Colonel's Second Honeymoon

Bilko manipulates things so that General Colonel Hall gets jealous of General Wade who once danced with Mrs. Hall. Bilko talks the Colonel into taking Mrs. Hall on a second honeymoon. Bilko sneaks off base, while the Halls are out of town, and goes on vacation only to discover that he is at the same ski resort as them.

Thoughts

Captain Barker is in this episode but blink and you'll miss him.

This is a decent but not great episode. Bilko uses his manipulative talents but this is one of those rare occasions when it doesn't have anything to do with making himself some money.

The Good Place 1.04

Jason Mendoza

Jianyu and Eleanor talk. His real name is Jason Mendoza and he's a DJ from Jacksonville, FL. He's getting tired of keeping quiet. Eleanor tries to convince him to continue to keep his mouth shut but then Chidi finds out about Jason's secret. Tahani almost finds out but Eleanor and Chidi lie and tell her that they are trying to coax Jianyu out of his shell.

Tahani hosts the opening night for a new restaurant, The Good Place. Jason wants to break his cover but just as he is starting to talk a hole opens up in the ground, in the middle of the restaurant. Everyone freaks out and runs screaming from the restaurant.

The episode ends with Jason agreeing to let Chidi teach him how to be a good person.