User Reviews

I haven't seen every single episode yet, so I can't say if this is the worst of the series... but I can say that all the low ratings and negative reviews are accurate.

There is an interesting idea in the episode, but terrible execution. Most episodes of AHP have an interesting idea that isn't enough to fill 24 minutes, leading to a lot of meandering between the set-up and the resolution. Sometimes a great twist ending can save a mediocre episode, but the real strength in this series lies in the interesting characters and captivating performances carrying the bulk of the runtime. Unfortunately, this episode has an obnoxious lead character and terrible lead performance.

I don't put the blame entirely on the lead actor. The character was written poorly, and he was directed poorly. The whole episode is filled with terrible writing and direction. Not a single character behaves like an actual human being in this episode.

There is a twist at the end, and it could have been very satisfying if anything leading up to it mattered. This could have been a really tense, slow burn of a story, if only the main character were written to be subtle and sympathetic, and the events of the night built and unravelled. Instead, it's a pointless slog.

The one highlight of the episode (for me) is seeing Clu Gulager in a very early role. Even with material as bad as this, he is always fun to watch.

Not a particularly effective effort. It is about an incredibly emotional young man who carries great hatred toward his father. We hear of an appointment that he has at 11:OO. Of course, we are left in the dark as to what is going to happen at that time. While we wait he engages in a series of destructive acts. The odd thing is the patience shown by the people he encounters. Personally, no matter what his father was, the apple settles right next to the trunk. It's hare to empathize with this childish rant, and when things are finally explained, it's a disappointment. One interesting figure is that of Clu Guligar, who often played young toughs, sort of a poor man's James Dean. He did a lot of snarling, sort of that gunfighter who seeks out the old gunman so he can get himself killed.

Now, I'm as big a fan of the series as anyone, but I've got to admit that this entry is a bomb. It's as bad as any I've seen. The best part is the first five minutes where we try to figure out what David's (Kimbrough) problem is. From that point on, dreary one-note is piled on dreary one-note. Kimbrough agonizes at a fever pitch that never lets up and is darn near agonizing to watch. In short, the performance is third-rate James Dean. Also, the screenplay fails to develop the 11 PM appointment gimmick in either interesting or suspenseful fashion. Nor does the plot build from one segment to the next. The three segments (Crane-Gulager-McClory) simply stretch out to fill the 30- minutes. And when the payoff (if you want to call it that) comes, it's hardly surprising. How this mess managed to pass the usually eagle-eyed production crew is perhaps the biggest mystery of all, proving I guess that even the best has its flops.

Big fan of this series, but this entry was beyond weak. No suspense, no mystery -- so to compensate, they add in heaping tablespoons of the worst overacting you could possibly imagine. This is almost unwatchable, and if you've had the pleasure of viewing it, you will see what I mean.

Probably the most unrealistic episode of the series... a train wreck of a performance by the lead actor.

The story picks up vignettes in the life of a emotional 17 year old. You begin to imagine that these vignettes have a point -- that there is some sort of irony or Hitchcockian twist on the way. But no. This was based on a short story that I now must find and read, because I cannot believe that what I just saw on screen is what the author intended. Least I hope not.

The main character that is. I'm not sure if it's a case of bad acting or the way it was written but this had to be the most obnoxious and annoying character in the history of this show.

The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because I kind of liked the twist at the end. Run, don't walk away from this clunker.

"Appointment at Eleven" is the worst acted and worst written dialog in all the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" I've seen. So far, this includes all of seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 and part of season 5. It's THAT bad!

A young man is angry with his father. Apparently, years ago, he was caught by his son with some blonde floozy and how the young man, now 17* is running about town screaming, yelling, starting fight and acting pretty much like a gigantic butthead. The degree to which he screams and rants is simply impossible to explain...you just have to see how badly handled it all is. Less subtle and less well acted than a middle school pageant...it's THAT bad. And, oddly, as this jerk scream, yells, fights, etc., they all are very patient when in real life I think they would have either called the cops or slugged him. A horrible episode from start to finish...and one that really annoyed me.

*The 17 year-old was played by an actor who was about 26 in real life and he looked 26.

This is without a doubt the most poorly written, acted and directed Alfred Hitchock episode I've ever seen. Regardless of some hidden purpose some may think they had for having the most annoying main charcter ever, which I don't believe is so, it doesn't take away from the fact that watching it just once is more than enough.

I'm really surprised at so many bad reviews here.

I loved this episode, it had me intrigued from start to finish. Sure, there may be better AHP outings, but there are far worse in the series. Clint Kimbrough was mesmerizing. I'd never heard of him and am now interested to know more of his work. Nice to see the very talented Clu Gulager as well. Also interesting for a cameo appearance by a very young Michael J. Pollard.

There's a lot to think about during this episode. The ending is marvelously chilling and I didn't see it coming.

Well worth the twenty-five minutes of viewing.

'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' "Appointment at Eleven" (1959)

Opening thoughts: Although anybody who hated "Appointment at Eleven" without seeing any other Robert Stevens-directed 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episode may find it hard to believe, the series' most regular director (with 44 episodes under his belt) actually did direct some fine episodes. "Our Cook's a Treasure", "The Manacled", "The Dangerous People", "The Glass Eye" and "The Motive" notably. And most of his episodes ranged between at least watchable and good.

This however is a complete and utter mess in almost every way. No episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' is irredeemable, but "Appointment at Eleven" is one of the few to come very close. When it comes to picking a contender for Stevens' worst episode, this is a strong contender. Yes worse than other misfires of his such as "Shopping for Death", "The Hidden Thing" and "Don't Interrupt", and among the very worst of the entire series.

Good things: There are only two redeeming features. One is the as ever wonderfully macabre theme tune.

The other is the moderately interesting beginning.

Bad things: However, nothing else works and most of the bad things are unbelievably awful. This is one of the few 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes to have not a single halfway decent performance, an episode rife with embarrassing, amateur hour over-acting. Also, one of the few where one hates every single character in it. The lead is insufferably annoying, the most annoying character of the series since the boy in "Don't Interrupt" and a contender for the most irritating of the whole series. He is also unintentionally creepy and the attempts to act younger comes over as affected.

Stevens directs with no life whatsoever and is well out of his depth, this is not indicative of a seasoned director who had already directed more episodes of the series than any other regular but instead of a failed experiment. "Appointment at Eleven" looks cheap, with a very stock under-budget look. It is very slow moving and very flimsily plotted, with too much of the second half being excessively dragged-out filler.

Moreover, the script is too neurotic, repetitive and too talk heavy, none of it intrigues and parts are even irrelevant. As well as very flimsy and dull, the story has no surprises or suspense with the ending being one that can be seen from miles away. The two feelings felt watching this were annoyance and boredom, two feelings never felt with any of the previous episodes.

Closing thoughts: Overall, very bad indeed. Have been known to not find low rated films, shows, cartoons and episodes that bad, but in this case the panning is deserved.

2/10.

I found this to be a very weak episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. One thing that was especially annoying is something that afflicts so many TV programs and movies - namely, why is it that a character who is supposed to be a certain age is always played by someone nowhere near that age? In this case, from watching the story we learn that the main character is 17 years old but he is being played by a 26 year old. Either raise the age of the character or else get someone a lot closer to 17 to play the role. This guy is not even close to looking or sounding the age he is supposed to be.

The only reason why I watched this episode is because Evan Hunter wrote it. I don't know what Alfred Hitchcock saw in Hunter's writing of this episode that made him to collaborate with Hunter on 'The Birds'. The protagonist kind of looks like what Hunter looked like at the time, so maybe he saw himself in the character.

I've read some of Hunter's novels as Ed McBain and I haven't been impressed with his writing. No wonder Hitchcock fired him from writing 'Marnie' as this film has more emotional depth than 'The Birds'. 'The Birds' is unique in the Hitchcock canon because it has no music and therefore no emotion. But that may be emblematic of Hunter's writing. There is no depth to it, and this episode is a clear example.

I cannot believe that there were ANY good reviews for this trash and I feel sorry for those people who gave it more than a failing grade. They are either mental or just have unbelievably bad taste and judgment. The disastrous acting by the lead is just ONE of the things wrong with it. If there was ONE person in the story who sympathized with this horrible lead character, THAT would be ridiculous enough. However, there are THREE different supporting characters who do sympathize, when each one of them should have called the police on this nutcase. Another reviewer made a very good point that in Hollywood, with TONS of actors aged 18-21, why did they hire someone 26 years old? If he HAD looked 17, MAYBE it would be at least a little bit believable that others would feel sorry for him and want to help the "boy". And even then, they could hardly been blamed for calling authorities of some sort. So Clint Kimbrough's miscasting and his resulting failure to come across as a teenager in distress was enough to make this the worst AHP episode in the series. A bartender asks for his ID? HILARIOUS! The validity of the whole story depended on the lead character at least LOOKING like a teenager. Is this a TOTAL loss? Yes, even with fairly decent performances by Clu Gulager, Sean McClory, and the doomed-to-die-young Norma Crane. We also see a very early brief appearance by Michael J. Pollard. I don't blame writer Evan Hunter, a talented man, but for casting and directing such a weak performance by Okie-born Kimbrough, both the main director and casting director should have forfeited their salaries for their collective incompetence. Obviously, Hitchcock himself was too busy making the back-to-back cinematic treasures North by Northwest and Psycho to care much.

This episode is simply and undeniably bad. First of all,it is a weak story. The attempt at suspense falls flat,because it is an empty gimmick. The story itself is not believable,plausible,or very likely. The star of the show is supposed to be 17 years old. He looks to be around 25 years old and behaves as if he's about 7 years old. If he'd behaved in real life 1959 anything like the way he did in this episode,he'd have been beaten to a pulp and tossed into the clink,quickly.

Somehow,his outrageous behavior is given a pass ? Baloney. A main plot point of this episode has something that is supposed to happen at 11pm. This point is mentioned over and over again in a weak attempt to build some suspense. When 11pm finally does come,the first thing that comes to mind is thank goodness it's almost over! This is a very poor episode of a usually much-better tv series. Skip it.

I totally disagree with the other reviewer who stated this character is obnoxious. Or a bad actor. Or that the dialogue was bad.

I'm a physician who has an autistic son and I believe this character was written to be autistic. In that case, they did an excellent job.

I love this episode because it is so different from all the others in this anthology series.