The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Series 2, Episode 27    Robert Douglas    Barré Lyndon (teleplay); Robert Bloch (story)    Christopher Lee, Gia Scala, Gilbert Green    08 May 1964    48:15 (total) • 45:15 (film) • 2:10 (Hitchcock)    6/10

The Sign Of Satan

We begin with Christopher Lee getting out of a coffin in a smoke-filled cemetery at night. That gives you your first clue.... He plays a character named Karl Jorla, an actor in what turns out to be a horror movie been showed at a private screening for a film director who has been looking for a leading man to play in his next film - a horror picture. Dave Connor, the projectionist explains that the movie they are watching was shot in Austria by a religious cult and hasn't yet been released to audiences. After a brief rundown on Karl and the film, the small group continue watching the film in which rituals are observed and pledges to Satan are made. Karl is killed by his minions and his body laid on a fire as the film ends. Max Rubini (Gilbert Green) is the director who, after seeing the film assures his leading actress Kitty (Gia Scala) that he will get Karl for the film he is making and that she shouldn't confuse Karl's screen personality with the real man that is probably is. But Dave tells them that there is something odd about Karl and that Max ought to be cautious. He goes on to tell Max that he bought the film in Paris from the director who needed the money but warned him the film was made by a cult who never expected the film to be shown in public. Max insists he wants to hire Karl and so Dave makes a phone call to get Karl brought to Hollywood. Karl arrives at the studio and is met with a barrage of photographers who all want to publicize his visit, but Karl reacts strongly to all the camera flashes. He also makes it known that he doesn't want others to know of his private affairs and vehemently refuses any kind of publicity. Speaking with a slightly bizarre French accent, Karl tells Max in his office about the film he made and how 'real' it was and how the sign of Satan is everywhere but Max laughs the suggestion off. Eventually Max and Karl agree terms and Karl is put up in a hotel courtesy of the studio. The next morning it is revealed that Karl has checked out of his hotel without telling anybody but fortunately they find Karl on the back lot ready to go. He becomes intrigued by a prop on the set and begins behaving odd. When question about why he left his hotel Karl refuses to give an explanation. Karl does tell Max that he believes he is being pursued by people in Europe who don't like the fact Karl is in America shooting a movie and verbally attacks Max over his mockery of Karl's film. Karl tells him that the ceremony and the worship of the devil in his movie was all real and now there are people who want to kill him. Karl receives a letter at the studio informing him that the man who directed Karl's film has been found dead. Max gives Karl a room on the lot for his safety. Karl immediately begins barricading himself into the room, paranoid that he will soon be found and killed by those seeking him. As Karl sleeps a sinister looking man enters the room and attacks him but the studio cop makes the save (after jumping through the window to get into the room). Spooked by the attempt on his life Karl is assigned an officer to protect him so that filming can go ahead as planned. The next day as Karl prepares to start filming another letter arrives for him detailing the death of his former director and the methods which were used. Karl refuses to divulge his whereabouts at nights to protect himself from anybody who knows where he can be found. And with that he sneaks away in his car. Dave Connor follows Karl into town but loses him. Three days pass and there is no sign of Karl and Max is frantic because he is about to start filming. Max decides to begin shooting without Karl but as they prepare the first scene he suddenly appears as Kitty recites her lines summoning Satan but when they stop filming Karl is nowhere to be seen. After examining the footage Karl is not present in the film but the sound girl remembers hearing Karl's voice. This leads them to a house where they discover Karl's dead body. TRIVIA •The story was written by Robert Bloch, the same novelist who wrote the book for Psycho.

HITCH'S PROLOGUE (1 minute 8 secs + 23 secs): [Hitch is holding a microphone with a cable] "Welcome to the planet Mars. My getting here was not as remarkable as our finding a wire long enough to reach back to Earth. This remote broadcast is a first but since there is absolutely nothing up here to talk about I'm not sure the trip was worth it. We found no trace of life. In fact no trace of anything except this item. [He walks over to a sign which reads IF YOU LIVED HERE YOU'D BE HOME NOW!] This may seem like irrefutable logic but from what I can observe if you actually did live here you would have moved away long ago, to some place with a better view, more prestige or some oxygen. That last item rules out the scene of tonight's drama, Hollywood, California. Our story concerns some doings that would be considered rather peculiar even in that bizarre town. For purposes of contrast however, we first present one minute of sanity and solemnity." "Throughout the country there are hundreds of men standing eagerly by waiting breathlessly for this moment. Their moment. Their chance to announce the call letters of their station. It is a thrilling experience and I wouldn't want anyone to miss it. Our story will continue at the conclusion of this important event." HITCH'S EPILOGUE (39 secs): "The killers of Karl Jorla, method actor and devil worshipper, were eventually brought to justice. By the way the proceeding was not an expose of American burial customes. At least I sincerely hope it wasn't. Next week we shall return to Earth and present another story. I cannot express the keen disappointment I felt in not finding any life here on Mars. I would have liked nothing better than to be the first to discover life here. Perhaps I shall have better luck another time. Good night." SPOILERS Well apparently Karl dies. I honestly was so confused by the ending that I didn't understand it, so I don't know what was the spoiler!

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION... Christopher Lee is one of those actors whom you see the name and immediately realise "this ought to be interesting". Such a versatile actor, this was not his finest hour, not by any means. A silly French accent is unconvincing and I was extremely frustrated with the awful ending. Even Hitchcock looks old and tired and wraps up the show by simply saying Karl's killers were brought to justice but doesn't elaborate? It's so messy.

THE CAST (click any image to enlarge)

Karl Jorla... CHRISTOPHER LEE Kitty Frazier... GIA SCALA Max Rubini... GILBERT GREEN Ed Walsh... ADAM ROARKE Dave Connor... MYRON HEALEY Captain Hartzell... BYRON KEITH The script girl... NICKI BRICK The studio policeman... SAUL GORSS The 1st Acolyte... HORST EBERSBERG The 2nd Acolyte... DIETER JACOBY The 3rd Acolyte... ERIC FROST The 4th Acolyte... WALTER FRIEDEL Police inspector... GEORGE DeNORMAND Photographer... WILLIAM MEADER

GALLERY (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394086/ [IMDb] This page was last updated on: 25 July 2020