I just found a clean copy of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents version of The Jar on youtube. Looks like it's only been up since July. Finally I get to see it!This message has been edited. Last edited by: skmckee,
The first time I saw it I tuned into it by accident while channel flipping. I called a friend who turned it on and it took her boyfriend about two seconds to realize what he was watching!
Posts: 7315 | Location: Dayton, Washington, USA | Registered: 03 December 2001
I absolutely love Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but have never seen "The Jar," so thanks for pointing this out. My mother remembers seeing the episode as a young girl, back when it first aired. It scared the living daylights out of her. To this day, she gets the willies thinking about it.
As an aside, it's a real shame that Universal (I believe it's them), cares so little about AHP. They released the first season on crappy double-sided DVDs that are prone to skipping; the next four seasons were treated decently; but then the sixth was released as a "print on demand" set--burned DVDs, essentially. And there appears to be no plans to release the remaining seasons (or any of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour). The full run got a release in the UK and Australia, I believe. Been toying with the idea of picking the set up along with a region-free DVD player, but I'm also holding out hope that someone like Shout Factory will do a U.S. release.
"The Jar" was shown in 1964 on THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR. It had a fine script by James Bridges which was reasonably faithful to Ray Bradbury's short story. It starred Pat Buttram, Collin Wilcox, William Marshall, Slim Pickens and Jane Darwell, and was brilliantly directed by Norman Lloyd (who only recently passed away at age 106). The musical score was by Bernard Herrmann. It remains for me one of the finest, most wonderfully creepy television shows ever aired. It appears that the links to the 1964 show previously posted on this forum no longer work, but it can be currently viewed by clicking on the link below. If you have never seen it, you are in for a treat!
"The Jar" was subsequently remade for television in 1986 as an episode of THE NEW ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR. There was a lot of talent involved. The 1986 version starred Griffin Dunne, Fiona Lewis and Laraine Newman, and was directly by Tim Burton. Unfortunately, Ray's story was updated and dramatically altered and, in my opinion, the remake does not come even remotely close to the power of the 1964 original. If you have never seen the 1986 version of "The Jar", it can be viewed by clicking on the link below this paragraph. Just don't get your hopes and expectations too high.
The link below, from the bare*bones e-zine, will take you to an excellent and thorough review of the version of "The Jar" which appeared on THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR back in 1964. This was television at its best!
It was one of the better Bradbury adaptations I have seen. They did have to alter the ending due to the rule then about not letting criminals on TV escape after committing crimes. Pretty sure that rule's been changed. I remember seeing a program, I think it was on the Alfred Hitchcock revival series, where an apparently guilty, but really innocent, person was caught and the real murderer escaped.
Posts: 7315 | Location: Dayton, Washington, USA | Registered: 03 December 2001
The link below will take you to a 1995 U.K. radio broadcast of Ray Bradbury's classic short story, "The Jar". The story was adapted for radio by British writer Brian Sibley. Ray himself introduces the show, and reads the credits at its conclusion. Well done!
The year was 1964. The place was the set of THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR during the production of "The Jar". The link below will take you to a photo taken on that set. To the right is actor Pat Buttram. In the middle is director Norman Lloyd. To the right is author Ray Bradbury. (Both Ray and Mr. Lloyd have autographed the photo.) And in the middle is perhaps the real "star" of the show, The Jar itself, which can still be viewed by visiting the Ray Bradbury Center at Indiana University...where it currently resides.