Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) Bull in a China Shop (1958) User Reviews

Fun to watch...but what's the point to all this silliness??

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 1 April 2021]

"Bull in a China Shop" is a most unusual episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" in that the story lacks a good twist and yet I still enjoyed it and recommend you see it despite this serious flaw...mostly because the little old ladies are so cute and fun to watch.

The show is just weird. It seems that a group of old ladies think a detective living nearby is a real hunk (Dennis Morgan). To get his attention, they kill one of their friends...and it's quite possible she even volunteered for this in order to get him to come to their home and spend time with them. When he can't believe they could be killers and refuses to investigate, they continue committing other crimes just to get this nice man to visit! Weird...that's for sure.

Arsenic indeed

[ctomvelu1 · 7/10 · 7 January 2013]

Clever spin on the classic comedy, "Arsenic and Old Lace," "Bull" features four little old ladies who call in their neighbor, a handsome homicide detective, to check out a corpse on their couch. Turns out the corpse was yet another little old lady, and the coroner discovers she was poisoned with arsenic. The detective questions the four spinsters, and decides the poor woman's death was accidental, since the ladies keep the arsenic (rat poison) next to their sugar supply in the cupboard. Shortly after, they call him in again, and this time, one of the four is dead, also from arsenic poisoning. This time, the detective figures one of the three survivors is a murderer, but which one? The immortal Estelle ("The Magic Sword") Winwood, with her goggly eyes and crooked smile, is delightful as the landlady of the house and Dennis Morgan handles his Cary Grant-ish role with the proper finesse. A must-see for fans of the 1944 movie that starred Grant.

Peeping ladies

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 1 February 2023]

James Neilson directed twelve episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', some good ("Mail Order Prophet" and "Reward to Finder" in fact excellent), some not so good ("The Percentage" getting my vote as his weakest). Though none terrible certainly. Of which "Bull in a China Shop" is his penultimate. Did like the premise quite a lot, as one can tell this reviewer has a thing for good concepts and it has been a common reason for wanting to see anything really.

"Bull in a China Shop" is a very good penultimate outing for Neilson, one of his better ones for me) and a very good episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. Some may prefer the more darkly suspenseful and creepier tales, but 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' did do a fair share of light hearted and tongue in cheek and quite well mostly. "Bull in a China Shop" is one of the better examples of the series to take the tongue in cheek approach, while not completely escaping the traps.

So much is good. The acting is very good, with Estelle Winwood being absolutely delightful. Loved the chemistry between the ladies and Dennis Morgan plays it straight very effectively while not taking it too seriously. Neilson directs in a controlled and taut manner, as well as fully allowing the cast to have fun. Hitchcock's bookending is as droll as ever and fits perfectly with the humour present throughout "Bull in a China Ship".

It's a nicely filmed episode and despite the location being simple it is not too basic. The series' main theme is wholly deserving of its iconic immediately recognisable status.

Absolutely loved how wonderfully tongue in cheek the writing and humour was and also the darkly offbeat tone of the story. Which is lively in pace and never dull, as not as not too simple or confused. One of the biggest interest points and pleasures is the priceless and wonderfully wild ending that was not expected.

Did find though that "Bull in a China Shop" went a little overboard on the silliness on occasions, especially in some of the last act. It also does lack suspense and surprises, which for me is always preferred for this series.

Overall, very good. So much better than the disappointing previous episode "Flight to the East". 8/10.

Sincere Ladies and the Boredom of Old Age

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 3 July 2013]

While this is totally over the top, I got the biggest kick out of watching these older character actors, hamming it up as the young detective comes and goes from their house. They seem intent on getting arrested, down to the killing of their own. The entire plot rests on the handsome detective being drawn into their little plot. The idea must be to just get some excitement into their lives. There even seems to be a rivalry among them, but they apparently have a tacit agreement to respect the fate of the "winner." The detective is flummoxed and realizes that while he must do his duty, he cannot understand the motive. By the way, the ending is priceless.

Not Exactly a Sewing Circle

[dougdoepke · 25 January 2012]

A Handsome police detective is called next door to investigate mysterious death among four pixilated elderly ladies.

In my book, it's a delightful entry, with delicious tongue-in-cheek. Catch big-eyed Miss Hildy (Winwood) roll those coquettish orbs as she lets handsome O'Finn (Morgan) in the front door. So, their little ruse has worked, but what about the dead lady all laid out in the parlor in her best finery. The four giggle and carry on like school girls. So what's the gentlemanly O'Finn to do with a dead body and a set of highly unusual suspects. This is the series at its dark humor and offbeat best, with no less than a wild ending.

"There's a law against peeping ladies you know."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 20 September 2021]

No bulls and no china shop and in their place we have four bored little old ladies, and if you read between the lines, perhaps horny ones as well. This one works totally against anyone's common sense, as the means of getting a handsome detective's (Dennis Morgan) attention involves murdering one's tenants! I'm not sure how Hildy-Lou (Estelle Winwood) thought she could keep her strategy going by the time she got down to 'no little Indians' left, but apparently she had fun doing it. For a while there I thought Dennis O'Finn (Morgan) was going to become a victim for his rather abrupt dismissal of the ladies during the early part of the story, but he was savvy enough to maintain his distance from tea cups and sugar bowls. I think all this nonsense was really meant to come up with a truly catastrophic ending, which is what we got when he directed detective Kramer (Joe Downing) to tell the remaining spinsters he was transferred to arson. I heard those fire truck sirens even before he did!

Adorable Dark Humor

[cmkeller75 · 9/10 · 24 August 2022]

The old ladies are so lovable, it impossible to not smile when they are on screen flirting with the detective. This isn't an episode where you will wonder "who dunnit?" It's extremely obvious. But where it lacks in suspense, it makes up for, in humor. The ending punchline was somewhat predictable - yet it didn't steal anything from the entertainment value. Sit back, enjoy, and get a kick out of these old ladies desperate to just be close to the handsome detective by any means necessary. And I mean ANY MEANS NECESSARY. Very cute. If you need a smile, watch this one.

"Bull in a China Shop" is minor entry in the Hitchcock series

[chuck-reilly · 6/10 · 11 April 2013]

Not much in the way of suspense in the 1958 episode "Bull in a China Shop." Ruggedly handsome homicide detective Dennis Morgan is called in to investigate the death of an old lady who lives in a quaint boarding house with four other elderly women. The women, including Estelle Winwood and Ellen Corby, gush over Morgan like he's an Adonis sent from the gods and he soon learns that the old lady's death was no accident. More "accidents" are on the way as, one-by-one, a corpse appears every time he arrives for an official visit. It's the arsenic in the sugar bowl, of course, but why is this happening to these wonderful old spinsters. Morgan finds out, to his utter chagrin, and it's enough to make him switch career paths.

"Bull..." is played mostly for laughs and ancient Ms. Winwood provides many of them with her animated and energetic performance. She lived to be over 100 and was the oldest member ever active in the Screen Actor's Guild. Ms. Corby later was seen for years on "The Waltons." Veteran actor Morgan had a long and prolific career in movies and television. With his usual flair for the absurd, host Hitchcock wryly apologizes to the audience during the sign-off for not including a real bull and a china shop in the presentation.

One of the rare comedic episodes of AHP

[glitterrose · 10/10 · 29 June 2022]

This episode is truly a gem. I know the series tended to lean more on the serious side but an episode like this is enjoyable and a nice change of pace although I wouldn't blame people if they watched the episode and felt like it sticks out like a sore thumb and doesn't really fit the theme for the rest of the series.

I enjoy 'Bonanza' but I must admit I roll my eyes when the Cartwrights go into heat. I wasn't rolling my eyes at the ladies in this episode for them all going into heat over Detective O'Finn. I also don't think these ladies were bored or basically just waiting to die. These ladies were having fun admiring this man. I don't think I get a kick out of them due to their ages. I think I get the most kick out of it for the measures taken so Detective O'Finn keeps calling on them! Nah, it's not a case of knocking on his door and asking for a cup of sugar or something ordinary like that. Just keep murdering your friends in the house and that'll keep him coming by! Detective O'Finn catches on and requests to be transferred to the arson department and you know what the remaining ladies do? They set fire to their home so he can come by anyway since he's in the arson department now!

So yeah, this is a wonderful episode I'd recommend. The performances from the ladies are a delight to watch. It's another in the 'best of Hitchcock'. Although tbh, both series had so many entertaining episodes it might be easier to come up with a list for the few episodes I didn't like from both series!

THE LADIES AND THE DETECTIVE.

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 11 April 2024]

First off, this very unique story had to have been written especially for Dennis Morgan, one of the great movie stars. True, it has the feel of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, and with good reason. The story was suggested by Julius and Philip Epstein who wrote ARSENIC AND OLD LACE for the screen. Sarrett Tobias, who wrote nine episodes for Hitch, adapted it for the tv show, and did an outstanding job.

Dark humor all the way. Four truly memorable actresses play a group of eccentric old ladies, kind of a knitting circle, who have their eyes on handsome detective Morgan. The wild part, or at least so it appears, they've resorted to murder in order to get him over to their house --so he could keep them company? How it all ends is just wild.

Perhaps the most outrageous episode of the entire series, and that's saying a lot. Cheers to an unforgettable cast of old timers; legendary Estelle Winwood as Miss Hildy Lou, Elizabeth Patterson as Miss Bessie, Ida Moore as Miss Birdie and Ellen Corby (who was the youngest of the entire group!), playing Miss Samantha.

Skillfully directed by series regular James Neilsen, although I'm quite surprised Hitch did not direct it himself.

It's also a treat to see Dennis Morgan, in his only series appearance. A hero to all thanks to his many Warner Brothers films, such as KITTY FOYLE, THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU and CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT. The list goes on. Morgan later became a very successful businessman.

Put this on your viewing list. 10 Plus Stars.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 26 remastered Universal dvd box set. 5 dvd set. 2007 release.