One of the few episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that the titular film maker directed himself, Back for Christmas is a dark tale for sure, while being played mostly for laughs. A man kills his wife and buries her in the basement before leaving for California only to have his plans to cover it up unravel while he's out of the country.
John Williams is fascinating in his role as a quintessential Englishman of the era, stiff upper lip and all, who fumbles his way though a murder/cover-up. He's almost adorable if he wasn't such a cold blooded murder. His characterization through the crime and into a California montage is charming. We almost root for him to get away with it. He has a great plan and a new life in L.A. that all feels so, well, jolly.
This really isn't a holiday story, Christmas is just a looming deadline haunting our protagonist. It's an irony that plays out so cleverly, a season of joy that instead brings this man's plans crashing down around him.
The story relies a little on previous generations' comfort with the whole "take my wife please" trope but the film doesn't belabour this point too much. And as per the program's conventions, Hitchcock's silly little into and outro are a little cringy when viewed today. But the concise little morality play is enjoyable and perhaps, like other holiday tales (A Christmas Carol) there is a lesson to be learned about trying to get away with something.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Back for Christmas
Starring: John Williams
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Francis M. Cockrell
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