Christopher McKittrick

Overlooked Gems: The Curious Incident of Hitchcock's “Incident at a Corner”

Just four and a half years after launching his Alfred Hitchcock Presents television series, Hitchcock directed his only color episode of television for NBC's Startime anthology series. The short-lived Startime program was able to attract top-tier talent to work on the series because it was overseen by Hitchcock's agent and industry power player Lew Wasserman. Hitchcock's episode, “Incident at a Corner,” features his contracted star Vera Miles as a woman who investigates a rumor that has vilified her elderly grandfather throughout their community, and was adapted by award-winning mystery writer Charlotte Armstrong from her novella. “Incident at a Corner” was shot shortly after production wrapped on Psycho but aired just weeks before the release of Hitchcock’s cinematic masterpiece. While Psycho pushed the limits of film censorship, “Incident at a Corner” touches upon many familiar Hitchcock themes, including voyeurism, false accusations, authority, guilt, and family in a compact and compelling 50-minute presentation suitable for primetime audiences, though with a few passing nods to the just-completed Psycho. Hitchcock even utilized much of the crew from the upcoming Psycho for “Incident at a Corner,” including cinematographer John L. Russell, second unit director Hilton A. Green, and set decorator George Milo. As one of Hitchcock's final television productions, “Incident at a Corner” is well worth a second (or even first!) look from Hitchcock aficionados for its compelling portrayal of how a careless and baseless accusation and ensuing gossip can ruin an innocent man’s reputation, as in The Wrong Man.

About
Christopher McKittrick is the author of Vera Miles: The Hitchcock Blonde Who Got Away (University Press of Kentucky, 2025), the first book about the Hollywood star of classic films like The Searchers (1956), The Wrong Man (1956), Psycho (1960) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). He is also the author of books about popular music, including, Howling to the Moonlight on a Hot Summer Night: The Tale of the Stray Cats (Backbeat Books, 2024), Can't Give It Away on Seventh Avenue: The Rolling Stones and New York City (Post Hill Press, 2019), and Somewhere You Feel Free: Tom Petty and Los Angeles (Post Hill Press, 2020). McKittrick has appeared on HLN's How It Really Happened and Fox News Digital and is a regular contributor on podcasts and radio programs concerning film, music and pop culture. In addition to writing, McKittrick has worked in several roles in the entertainment industry, including as the U.S. editor of Creative Screenwriting, the premier screenwriting resource, and as the director of operations of the Visual Effects Society, the global professional honorary society representing visual effects practitioners in the entertainment industry.