Alfred Hitchcock zeigt You'll Be the Death of Me (1962–1965) HD online

This is an almost unbearably tragic story, in my opinion one of the very darkest in the entire hour-long series.

'Driver' Arthur (Robert Loggia) has just returned from military service, bringing home with him his young Asian wife, Mickey (Pilar Seurat) and some severe psychological problems.

To pay off the debt on the family farm, he takes a job in the local sawmill. Stopping off one evening at the local tavern for a drink after work, Driver runs into an old flame, Betty Rose (Carmen Phillips), who clearly wants to turn the heat up again. He tells her he's married now, that it's all over between them, but Betty Rose isn't about to let him go. She follows Driver as he walks home through the woods, confronts him and swears she'll destroy his marriage. Big mistake: In a sudden explosion of insane rage Driver kills her, just a few hundred yards from the lonely farmhouse where Mickey waits for him, worried because he's usually not this late coming home from work.

And because he tries to hide what he's done, Driver ends up destroying everything he holds most dear.

What makes this episode truly poignant are Loggia's and Seurat's performances. Even though he's just committed a brutal murder, Driver's love for Mickey and desire to protect her are evident. But his good intentions are no match for his rising panic, as the lies he tells her quickly fall apart. Ms. Seurat invests her character with marvelous dignity and a sweet vulnerability; she's a stranger in a strange land, a woman very much in love with her husband, whose only friends are the little dog who's her constant companion, the storekeeper Mrs. McCleod (Kathleen Freeman) and Mrs. McCleod's mute, half-wild daughter, Ruby (Sondra Blake).

And of course, the original Bernard Herrmann score elevates this story to a whole new level. I know I'm getting kind of monotonous about this in these reviews, but there is simply no composer remotely comparable to him working in this medium nowadays. For my taste, the music he wrote for these episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour embody some of his best work, and this is no exception, evoking shades of mood and moments of emotional intensity which perfectly complement both the horror and the terrible pathos of this prime slice of Appalachian Gothic.

A plot synopsis might make you think you could skip this episode as a been-there-done-that affair. But the mechanics of that typical Hitchcock TV format are smoothly executed and the acting--as usual--helps. What elevates this to real drama--not TV melodrama-- is the unusual set up of what must be a Korean Vet returning home with his Asian bride. This gives novelty to the show and a real freshness--even now years later-- to the stay-at-home-bride's plight that follows. Other very strong element Loggia's performance in particular and Herrmann's score. Not to give anything away but there is a murder sequence where Loggia and Herrmann will really knock you out emotionally.

A well, if unobtrusively directed, and strong formula episode which, regardless of being an hour long works especially well because in this case the extra time helps let the characters develop and actors really dig deep. Watch it!

I just finished watching this episode and would rate it in my top five Hitchcock Hour favorites. The plot is tight and the acting by everyone (including Rags) is superb. The character of Driver embodies a man beginning anew whose past intrudes to put a roadblock between him and happiness. Rational at first, his fear and rage grow and eventually blind him as to how great is his strength and how vulnerable his victims. I could feel his anguish after each killing. I could also feel the uneasy feeling in the pit of Mickie's stomach when certain facts came to light and her eventual terror when she realizes what has happened. Granted, there were times in the play when I could accurately predict what was going to happen next, but the pacing and interesting characters (particularly that of Ruby) kept me glued to the tube to the very sad end. Excellent piece.

Mood and character carry the fairly familiar plot. Mountain man Driver's (Loggia) trampy ex-squeeze Betty Rose wants to rekindle their affair, even though he's brought a new bride, Mickey, home from army service. In fact the wanton Betty Rose even threatens to tell the new bride of their past affair. Worse, that would ruin the couple's shot at a new life. So, being a Hitchcock, he strangles her. Trouble is his new wife finds out, but as an overseas bride, Mickey's completely dependent on him. So what will she do.

As reviewer Sauvage points out, the episode plays out more like a tragedy than a murder case. Driver's driven more by a desire to protect Mickey than anything else. Except, he doesn't always know how best to do that. In a sense, he's a victim of his own good intentions. Inserting, the mute mountain girl Ruby and her tell-tale blackboard into the proceedings amounts to a memorable touch. Then too, was there ever a more vulnerable looking girl than the petite Mickey. No wonder Driver's so protective. All in all, the entry, though nothing special in the suspense department, does manage some new wrinkles on an old face.