Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) One More Mile to Go (1957) User Reviews

Hitchcock at his best

[pnuthall · 8/10 · 6 December 2006]

I disagree with the other review for this episode.

"One More Mile to Go" is a fine addition to the works of Alfred Hitchcock, and is leaps and bounds better than many of the instalments of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and other shows of the time.

The story is simple: Sam Jacoby (the ever-excellent David Wayne) kills his wife, and intends to dispose of her corpse. He loads her into the trunk of his car, and sets off to ditch her where she'll never be found. Along the way, a motorcycle cop pulls him over for a faulty tail light. Will the cop discover the body?

Aside from Wayne's superb performance, the show has all the hallmarks of great Hitchcock: almost the entire first act is silent, as Hitch finds interesting ways to tell the story, keeping himself (and the audience) amused. He must also have taken much delight from the scenario: he places the audience firmly on the side of David Wayne's character... we are on the edge of our seat every time the cop or the mechanic comes close to that trunk, every time they try to pry it open, and therefore we are as guilty by implication as he is!

Along with Hitchcock's other forays into television, this segment shows him to be a masterly -- and somewhat subversive -- director, whose only concern was to tell a good story visually. He was so far ahead of his time it just isn't funny, and this and his other episodes hold up exceptionally well. Highly recommended.

I was only going 35

[Archbishop_Laud · 8/10 · 27 July 2013]

I agree with those who say this is one of the best episodes. Hitchcock himself directs, and begins with us spying on a couple from outside. They argue, he grabs a poker from the fire and bludgeons her to death. Now he has to dispose of the body. It's more than 10 minutes in before we hear anything other than the soundtrack (first a siren, then a voice).

The whole episode is an exercise in tension. It's hard not to find ourselves rooting for the protagonist (the killer, played by David Wayne), we've been with him from the start.

There are only two other characters, the police officer and a garage mechanic (still working at night). The ending is understated, as was often the case in the series.

The Last Mile

[sol1218 · 8/10 · 5 May 2012]

***SPOILERS*** Disposing of his wife, Louise Larabee, with a fire place poker that he ends up cracking her skull with after a bitter argument over something or another, were never told what it was all about, Sam Jacoby,David Wayne, stuffs her body into his car trunk and plans to dump it somewhere off the Pacific coast. Observing all the speed limits in order not to attract attention Sam is still stopped by motorcycle cop Steve Brodie who noticed that Sam's left tail light is out.

Brodie is concerned that if Sam doesn't get his tail light fixed it may cause him to be in an accident where he can get slammed from being and possibly killed. Sam for his part knows that if the trunk is ever opened, to fix the tail light, he's cooked with his wife's dead and murdered body found by traffic cop Brodie! Playing it by ear Sam tries to talk his way out of the situation he now finds himself in but to no avail. Officer Brodie is so concerned that he'll end up in a traffic accident that he goes out of his way to make sure that he gets his tail light fixed even if he has to get Sam to drive to the local police station garage to get it done!

Terrifically tense and nerve wracking Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, one of the very best, has wife murderer Sam Jacoby find himself in a pickle in that he ran into a very helpful traffic cop who was far more concerned for his health and safety, and the health and safety of those on the road,then he was in his wife's whom he just brutally murdered.

***SPOILERS**** In the end Sam was regained to the fact that he'll soon be found out and meekly drives to the local police station garage with Officer Brodie escorting him there. And it of all things was a broken tail light that Sam, who thought he covered all the bases in his wife's murder, overlooked and which ended up doing him in.

So little to travel, so far to go

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 20 March 2020]

This is my ninth favorite episode of the show, it's pretty much your getaway story, what I like is the suspense is once again different as it's double layered. I like how throughout the episode we are in the guilty party's perspective as he is traveling to a location to cover up his crime, this would seem like smooth sailing except for one little thing that could ruin his plans.

You're really in this guy's shoes where you almost want this guy to get away, as he is just coming so close. And this one thing results in a close call with a police officer and mechanic we're hoping he can some how talk his way out of or have at least have a little luck left to bail him out.

But of course, the other layer of suspense is we already know this guy isn't going to get away with it, nor do we feel he deserves to, but the question is when is going to get caught.

Will he get away or won't he, you'll just have to wait and see. But as an old saying goes, it's always the littlest things that can derail the best laid plans.

Rating: 4 stars

The Best Episode from Season Two!

[Chance2000esl · 8/10 · 16 November 2008]

Not a surprise since it was directed by Hitchcock himself.

It has many of the features we associate with the best of Hitchcock: extensive and suspenseful use of silence; the use of a trivial object (in this case, an automobile tail light) to heighten the terror, horror or suspense; monologue voice-over of the criminal's thoughts (we'll see this again but in an expanded form --many voices-- when Janet Leigh is escaping in 'Psycho' in 1960); the use of camera shots outside windows looking in; the list could go on and on. While watching this we are right away dropping our jaw exclaiming, "This is pure Hitchcock!"

David Wayne, in an outstanding performance, kills his wife, puts her in the trunk of his car and drives off to bury her. Steve Brodie, who appears in a total of four AHP episodes, is the motorcycle policeman pursuing him to tell him that his back tail light is out.

Watch and see what happens. You'll start sweating the way David Wayne does. As others have noted, Hitchcock makes us feel sympathetic to the murderer! So I'll give this an 8. Easily the best episode of Season Two, which was from September 30, 1956 to June 23, 1957! Other top episodes of the second season were: "My Brother Richard" (Jan 20, 1957) with Harry Townes and Inger Stevens; "Bottle of Wine" (Feb 3, 1957) with the wonderful Herbert Marshall and an appropriately spineless Robert Horton; and "Number Twenty-Two" (Feb 17, 1957) with an amazing performance by Rip Torn as a 'juvenile delinquent'.

The Rules Of The Road

[telegonus · 10/10 · 13 July 2017]

One More Mile To Go is a superb episode of Hitchcock's half-hour series, and this comes as no surprise, as it was directed by the Master himself. As the plot revolves around a man driving along lonely roads in the dead of night with the body of his wife, whom he murdered in the opening scene, in the trunk, and Mr. Hitchcock didn't drive, it seems an odd choice of subject matter.

For all this, the director knows the rules of the road where suspense and directing are concerned. The killer is, as is so often the case in Hitchcock's tales, a rather sympathetic sort, especially as played by David Wayne. His smiling and often too helpful nemesis, a motorcycle cop, as played by Steve Brodie, makes for a nice contrast in character types. Both actors are good without drawing too much attention to themselves.

I see no reason to give away or even hint at how the story ends except to say that while it doesn't come as the least bit shocking it's so low key, almost unemphatic, as to come as somewhat of a surprise. For those who like their films and TV shows dark this one should come as a treat: everything happens at night.

Some Classic Hitchcock Elements

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 16 June 2013]

This is a a mini-version of many of the Hitchcock thrillers. The murder is committed and becomes the pivotal act. We don't know anything about the victim other than she seems to be a virago. David Wayne obviously has had enough and kills her. He moves her to the trunk of his car and spends the entire episode seeking a place to dump the body. What he doesn't count on is a broken tail light and Javert type motorcycle patrolman (second prize winner in a Rod Steiger look-alike contest) who insists that it get fixed immediately. Unfortunately, changing a bulb doesn't do the job. There is a short and to repair it they must get into the trunk. Hitchcock is great at getting us caught up in the plight of the poor boob who has pretty much closed the door to any hopeful outcome. We do actually root for him all the way; why can't that damned cop leave him alone? Of course, the fates take over and we really know what will eventually happen.

The crux of this episode seems flawed.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 24 February 2021]

The story is unusual because the first third of the show has no audible dialog...none. Instead, you see what happens through a house's window and the voices are muffled. A husband and wife are arguing. Eventually she slaps him and then he responds by beating her to death with a fireplace poker! He then wraps her body up and dumps her in his car's trunk. He then goes for a long drive. Eventually, he's pulled over by a policeman. It seems one of his rear lights is broken and the cop insists that it be fixed IMMEDIATELY...not tomorrow or even later that night...NOW. Considering the wife is in the trunk, this is a problem. What's next? See the show.

I think the basic idea in this episode is flawed. After all, I cannot imagine any policeman being THAT insistent that you fix a tail light immediately. Standard procedure is that they give you a warning ticket and if you get the problem fixed in a few days, there is no fine. About the only way they'd insist you had to have a problem fixed immediately was if it was potentially life threatening...such as sparks shooting out of your car or a wheel falling off the car! Despite this flaw, the episode is interesting and tense.

By the way, had BOTH tail lights gone out, then the story would have made a lot more sense!

The suspenseful getaway

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 13 July 2022]

"One More Mile to Go" is one of the seventeen episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', a truly fascinating series but an inconsistent one, that he directed himself. Also his first after "Mr Blanchard's Secret" which to me was a little disappointing (though still slightly above average) and among the weaker entries that he directed. Others of his were very good and more, especially one of the best episodes of the entire series "Breakdown". It was very interesting seeing this side to David Wayne.

There were not many episodes from Season 2, which was very up and down as a season, that blew me away. "One More Mile to Go" was one of the ones that did and it is amazing that it took what looks very standard on paper and turn it into a truly unsettling episode in classic Hitchcockian style with a psychologically fascinating lead character. To me, it is the best episode of Season 2, the best Hitchcock-directed episode since "Breakdown" and the best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episode overall since "The Creeper".

Everything here works. It looks great and is very rich in atmosphere, when it comes to the photography and lighting "One More Mile to Go" is one of the best looking episodes of Season 2 and one of the few of the season to look and feel cinematic and on par with the best looking Hitchcock films from the 40s and early 50s. That is a huge compliment by the way. The audio is suitably ominous and the theme music couldn't have been a more ideal choice.

Hitchcock's direction is impeccable and reminiscent of the direction he had in the best of his thrillers, he wasn't coined the master of suspense for nothing. And there is plenty of suspense in "One More Mile to Go", the premise looking at it could easily have been over stretched and predictable. Actually it turned out to be diverting and increasingly uncertain as to how things map out and the sense of dread unsettles.

It was an interesting touch having much of the first half wordless, that proved to be a clever choice and the sound effects don't come over as cheesy or out of place at all. The lead character psychologically is fascinating and it is very easy to root for him later on. Wayne shows a side to him not usually seen before and does a superb job, unnerving but also succeeding in making the character easy to feel for.

Outstanding episode overall. 10/10.

Trunks are for Spare Tires

[dougdoepke · 18 June 2007]

This is neither superior Hitchcock nor is it inferior-- it is , however, vintage Hitchcock. There's the usual sly fascination with murder in the home, the workman-like concern with what to do with the body, and the story-telling ability to take a slender premise and make it suspenseful. At the same time, of course, the audience is manipulated into siding with the culprit-- all Hitchcock hallmarks. An episode like this presents some challenges since there's little dialog, no character development and not much action. A lot thus depends on getting the most out of the material, which director Hitchcock does by cleverly working the erratic tail- light gimmick that keeps us on pins and needles. We keep wondering when that trunk lid is suddenly going to be popped open. He also recognizes that the role of the culprit calls for unusual acting skills since the actor will have to convey a gamut of convincing emotions. Stage actor and Oscar winner David Wayne is a perfect choice for the harried part. Watch his impressive array of stricken reactions to each new threat. Nonetheless, the material lacks the sort of cachet that would make the entry really memorable. Understandably, this slender 30- minutes demonstrates Hitchcock's skills as a consummate craftsman, but not as a world- class artist. Still and all, it's an entertaining half-hour.

"You better have it fixed now!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 23 August 2021]

There are a lot of effusive reviews for this episode here on IMDb, all of which miss an important aspect of the story. While parked at the garage with the motor turned off, there's no way a tail light bulb would light up, the car would have to be running or at least have the ignition key turned on. All of this is missed in the tension filled story where our murderer Sam (David Wayne) can't escape the persistent motorcycle cop (Steve Brodie), who won't give up insisting the defective tail light get fixed RIGHT NOW! It's uncanny how director Hitchcock gets the viewer to side with Sam in his effort to make a clean get away with the corpse in his trunk. You would think we'd all know better, wouldn't you?

Best Director's Work Among All Episodes

[verybird · 10/10 · 4 July 2016]

After recommending this episode to numerous friends, boasting Hitchcock's tremendous directing work in it, I finally realized I hadn't even checked whether Hitchcock was truly the director of this episode. So I checked. And thank God he was the director.

You think you just know it when you see such excellent directing work. The director must take most of the credits, because technically the first line didn't come up until about 10 min into the show. It's all image. The plot is so simple and the tension all comes from the director's work.

You listen to the language of film.

The mise-en-scène, oh, how can I praise it enough? Sixty years later, it's still the best artwork in film making. How can anyone forget the shot where the police officer talks to the leading character and turns and sits on the engine cover casually dancing his revolver at his waist into the guilty man's eye sight? God, my Hitchcock!

My days especially enjoying such "line-less" scenes goes way back to middle school when I read Takehiko Inoue's masterpiece comic book SLAM DUNK. The last book of the series was the last part of the toughest basketball game they had. When it was so intense, in that book, there were not many lines. All actions and emotions were delivered through pictures, but what I felt was much stronger than any words can express.

That's also why I'm such a big fan of the Pang brothers. In their first feature film Bangkok Dangerous (1999), they created a deaf-mute protagonist, so they didn't have to focus much on verbal language. They chose the impactful language that has no barriers between different cultures, the language of images.

And here, in One More Mile to Go, I see one of the best poems written in this language.

A worn-out exercise in suspense

[vostf · 4/10 · 8 May 2006]

Story: man kills wife then puts her in the trunk to dispose of the corpse in some a deep swamp. But there's a zealous motorcycle patrolman on his way and fate (morals) is definitely tough with people with a corpse in their trunks.

The premise is simple but the story doesn't blossom from its initial stage. There's the man with a corpse in the trunk, a patrolman and a short-circuited tail light. Well, in the 50s television was barely radio with some images so who cared about the poor storyline? At least when Hitchcock used again this trick in the first part of Psycho he only kept the strict minimum to build the suspense without wearing it out.

Excellent Episode

[PlasticActor · 9/10 · 18 August 2022]

Acting here is superb, motorcycle cop too. Close-ups are NOT bungled like so many directors... I would love esc. To LA in the 1950s.

Most suspense drops the ball, not this one. Keeps you going to the end.

PLEASE DON'T LOOK IN MY TRUNK!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 15 March 2024]

One of the all time favorite Hitchcock tv episodes. In fact, if you were to compile a list, this would be in the top 10. Thanks to James Cavanagh, who wrote quite a few classic stories for Hitch. The only drawback, if there is one --- the wife's body in the trunk routine --- is familiar material, but nevertheless outstanding.

Hitchcock directed, so you know it's worth the price of admission. He gets an excellent performance by David Wayne, who reminded me a bit of Tom Ewell, usually playing everyday guys. In this case, he's Sam Jacoby who doesn't seem to have a harmonious marriage, an arguement breaks out and he kills his wife. Short and sweet, and cleverly done while you watch the incident through his window. The scene has that Hitchcock touch from REAR WINDOW, if you are a film buff.

The body goes in the car trunk and Sam takes a midnight drive. It's always those late night drives that's most entertaining. Again, it's the "had this guy not come along...." he would have gotten away with it. Sure enough, a friendly cop (played by Steve Brodie) stops Sam for a flickering tail light -- and you can guess the rest.

Beautifully done, and with the humorous casting of Brodie playing a cop? Usually, Brodie was cast as con men and assorted fast talking characters. That's a real treat.

Classic material in classic black and white. It's easy to get addicted to this episode. You may want to get the dvd box set for this one. SEASON 2 EPISODE 28 remastered.