Not every Hitchcock episode had to nail a killer or expose some nefarious crime. This is a sadly poignant story of a woman who longs for a meaningful relationship with her husband, who becomes inspired by the voice she hears of a countess who has found her ideal match. Because Laura Bowlby (Jessica Tandy) has psychic ability, she becomes intrigued by the disembodied voice, enough so as to search out the woman's last known residence in Hong Kong. What she finds blissfully corresponds to the description offered by the countess of her lovely gardens enhanced by a pool and willow tree. It's only when Mrs. Bowlby experiences a moment of guilt for encroaching on this hallowed space and prepares to leave, that she's momentarily stopped in her tracks to notice an inscription on a stone marker attributed to the Countess. Along side her name are the initials of the man she loved but could not marry, who's passion was devoted to the countess but who was married to another. The shocking discovery of that other woman with the initials of Mrs. Bowlby lends itself to the somber and somewhat inconclusive ending of the story.
9 Reviews
Has a Hitchcock-like Quality
Hitchcoc8 June 2013
It's a psychic ghost story. Seeing Jessica Tandy (Driving Miss Daisy, et. al.) at her youthful best is quite a treat. Along with husband, Hume Cronyn, they are masters of the American stage. This is a simple tale of a woman who begins to be invaded by psychic experiences (voices from the past, in this case). She meets her husband in Hong Kong. He appears distant and cold, considering the time that has passed since last they met. This would have made a very good movie with some more sophisticated writing and a bit more soul searching on her part. She is really left to her own devices and must sort things out herself. The scenes of 1950's Hong Kong are really pretty striking. Still, the episode seems somehow a bit cheap and underproduced.
Spook Story.
rmax30482322 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Middle-aged Jessica Tandy visits her elderly husband in Hong Kong and he rents a limousine for her to be driven around in so that she can see the sights. It's been established that she has some sort of slight supernatural power or second sight.
While she's being chauffeured about, she begins to hear a woman's voice in the back seat. No one else hears it. The voice has a French accent and speaks of her love with a passion than Tandy herself has never known.
The voice appears to belong to the car's previous owner and Tandy tracks down the address, finds a beautiful but empty house with the woman's grave in the yard next to the koi pool. Then she locks the gate and consigns herself to the house and yard, forever as far as we can tell.
The screenplay is by Sterling Silliphant who knew how to write for the movies. ("From Here To Eternity," etc.) The supernatural overlay is a little like that of "The Turn of the Screw" only here there's no doubt that the spirit is real. It's one of the few stories that might have satisfactorily been turned into an hour-long play. Jessica Tandy was almost 50 years old when this was shot and still beautiful in an unusual way. She must have been very good as Blanche DuBois on Broadway in "A Streetcar Named Desire" ten years earlier.
While she's being chauffeured about, she begins to hear a woman's voice in the back seat. No one else hears it. The voice has a French accent and speaks of her love with a passion than Tandy herself has never known.
The voice appears to belong to the car's previous owner and Tandy tracks down the address, finds a beautiful but empty house with the woman's grave in the yard next to the koi pool. Then she locks the gate and consigns herself to the house and yard, forever as far as we can tell.
The screenplay is by Sterling Silliphant who knew how to write for the movies. ("From Here To Eternity," etc.) The supernatural overlay is a little like that of "The Turn of the Screw" only here there's no doubt that the spirit is real. It's one of the few stories that might have satisfactorily been turned into an hour-long play. Jessica Tandy was almost 50 years old when this was shot and still beautiful in an unusual way. She must have been very good as Blanche DuBois on Broadway in "A Streetcar Named Desire" ten years earlier.
Driving Miss Tandy
telegonus15 August 2017
The Canary Sedan is a very well plotted tale from the half-hour Hitchcock series, third season. It's set in an exotic locale (Hong Kong), and it features no American characters.
After all the Hitchcock domestic strife and wife murdering episodes this is something completely different. Jessica Tandy plays the lead character, Mrs Bowlby the wife of a British banker in Hong Kong, still a part of the rapidly declining British empire of the time.
Miss Tandy's character has a gift, can guess past and future events, as we learn when she'll still on ship (yes, it's that long ago, though modern feeling for the Fifties); and one wonders what ailment kept her away in England so long. Psych issues? I don't recall this being mentioned.
The plot thickens when, at the urging of her very busy husband she acquires a sedan, and a driver to go with it, wishes that it had been canary yellow instead of a darker color and,--lo!--this was precisely its color before its previous owner sold it, and then it was repainted; there's no reason given for the paint color change; and this gives one pause.
Mysteries abound in this episode, and presented, intriguingly, as little mysteries, some of which make the viewer wonder if Mrs Bowlby is losing her mind. She hears voices when being driven around the city, begins to determine the names of the people she hears.
The story is aided by eerie background music similar to that used in the later TV anthology series One Step Beyond, which dealt with the paranormal, also a feature in this episode. Or is it? Its main character may be hearing messages from Beyond, and yet she could also be having a nervous breakdown.
Tandy is superb in the lead, and she plays her character with dignity and class. Her performance has hints that the character she's portraying may be either confused by the sounds of the city or perhaps a little sick in the head. Or perhaps more than a little.
The ending, which I shall not give away or even hint at, is disturbing in its quietude, possesses a dark calm that does not feel like a conclusion. This is a brilliant entry in the series, and it's not one for the children; nor even, for that matter, teenagers; and not because it's shocking or sensational but because it's so adult
After all the Hitchcock domestic strife and wife murdering episodes this is something completely different. Jessica Tandy plays the lead character, Mrs Bowlby the wife of a British banker in Hong Kong, still a part of the rapidly declining British empire of the time.
Miss Tandy's character has a gift, can guess past and future events, as we learn when she'll still on ship (yes, it's that long ago, though modern feeling for the Fifties); and one wonders what ailment kept her away in England so long. Psych issues? I don't recall this being mentioned.
The plot thickens when, at the urging of her very busy husband she acquires a sedan, and a driver to go with it, wishes that it had been canary yellow instead of a darker color and,--lo!--this was precisely its color before its previous owner sold it, and then it was repainted; there's no reason given for the paint color change; and this gives one pause.
Mysteries abound in this episode, and presented, intriguingly, as little mysteries, some of which make the viewer wonder if Mrs Bowlby is losing her mind. She hears voices when being driven around the city, begins to determine the names of the people she hears.
The story is aided by eerie background music similar to that used in the later TV anthology series One Step Beyond, which dealt with the paranormal, also a feature in this episode. Or is it? Its main character may be hearing messages from Beyond, and yet she could also be having a nervous breakdown.
Tandy is superb in the lead, and she plays her character with dignity and class. Her performance has hints that the character she's portraying may be either confused by the sounds of the city or perhaps a little sick in the head. Or perhaps more than a little.
The ending, which I shall not give away or even hint at, is disturbing in its quietude, possesses a dark calm that does not feel like a conclusion. This is a brilliant entry in the series, and it's not one for the children; nor even, for that matter, teenagers; and not because it's shocking or sensational but because it's so adult
Synopsis inaccurate
bribabylk18 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I just watched this on Hulu.com so I thought I'd correct a few mistakes given in the synopsis of the events of the story and in another review. SPOILERS follow.
Jessica Tandy's character isn't told by her driver that the sedan that has been purchased for her use was formerly a canary yellow color, she's told that by the salesperson at the dealership. Also, she doesn't "track down" the address of the house used by the former owner of the sedan as a trysting place, she learns of the address by "overhearing" it spoken by the disembodied voice in the car. And finally, the former owner of the sedan, the French countess, didn't die and Tandy doesn't find her grave at the house. It's clearly mentioned earlier in the episode that the countess left Hong Kong alive if not happy. What Tandy finds in the Chinese garden of the house is a stone engraved with some poetry precious to the countess and her illicit lover, under which they've signed their initials. THAT'S the "twist" of the story--Tandy recognizes the initials of the countess' lover to be those of her husband, and it hits her like a punch in the gut; while they were apart he was carrying on a secret life full of the romance and passion he never shared with her.
Jessica Tandy's character isn't told by her driver that the sedan that has been purchased for her use was formerly a canary yellow color, she's told that by the salesperson at the dealership. Also, she doesn't "track down" the address of the house used by the former owner of the sedan as a trysting place, she learns of the address by "overhearing" it spoken by the disembodied voice in the car. And finally, the former owner of the sedan, the French countess, didn't die and Tandy doesn't find her grave at the house. It's clearly mentioned earlier in the episode that the countess left Hong Kong alive if not happy. What Tandy finds in the Chinese garden of the house is a stone engraved with some poetry precious to the countess and her illicit lover, under which they've signed their initials. THAT'S the "twist" of the story--Tandy recognizes the initials of the countess' lover to be those of her husband, and it hits her like a punch in the gut; while they were apart he was carrying on a secret life full of the romance and passion he never shared with her.
Where's Avis When You Need It
dougdoepke12 October 2010
Rather slender episode that really serves as a showcase for Tandy. Laura (Tandy) is the genteel wife of an Englishman (Matheson), traveling to meet him at his post in Hong Kong. Nothing unusual here except she's also gifted with psychic powers made clear in a good setup scene aboard ship.
Once in the Orient, she begins to hear a woman's voice inside a rented car formerly owned by the mysterious woman. The woman speaks of a passionate affair that soon arouses Laura's envy since her own marriage is relatively loveless. But who is this mystery woman and what does her disembodied voice portend.
The entry makes good use of exotic Hong Kong locales to frame the strange occurrences. However, I wish director Stevens had aimed at creepier visuals in place of a more conventional style. To create an appropriate atmosphere, the weird sound of a theramin is used instead. But to me, that woo-woo is just too cheesy and obvious, especially for a quality series like Hitchcock.
Anyway, the 30-minutes ends in a strongly ironical payoff, and is also a good chance to catch one of the most respected actresses of the period.
Once in the Orient, she begins to hear a woman's voice inside a rented car formerly owned by the mysterious woman. The woman speaks of a passionate affair that soon arouses Laura's envy since her own marriage is relatively loveless. But who is this mystery woman and what does her disembodied voice portend.
The entry makes good use of exotic Hong Kong locales to frame the strange occurrences. However, I wish director Stevens had aimed at creepier visuals in place of a more conventional style. To create an appropriate atmosphere, the weird sound of a theramin is used instead. But to me, that woo-woo is just too cheesy and obvious, especially for a quality series like Hitchcock.
Anyway, the 30-minutes ends in a strongly ironical payoff, and is also a good chance to catch one of the most respected actresses of the period.
A mystery in Hong Kong
TheLittleSongbird20 March 2023
Robert Stevens' Season 3 episodes were mostly solid, with three great ones in "The Glass Eye", "Heart of Gold" and "The Motive". Only "Miss Bracegirdle Does Her Duty" didn't do much for me as far as his previous episodes for the season go. "The Canary Sedan" is also the third and last outing for Jessica Tandy, the others being "Toby" and "The Glass Eye" (both of which she was marvellous in and both also directed by Stevens). Did like the premise here, which is very Hitchcockian sounding and that is a great thing.
"The Canary Sedan" however could have been better than it was. It is far from being one of the worst episodes of Season 3 (a season that started off incredibly strongly but became inconsistent a third of the way in), but it is also a long way from being one of the best. Did think though that it was one of the more disappointing ones in how it did not near enough with the great potential it had, such a good premise and the execution was not fully realised. Of Stevens' Season 3 episodes, only "Miss Bracegirdle Does Her Duty" was weaker.
Certainly there are good things. Tandy is truly excellent, alluring, tense and affecting and her character was very interesting psychologically. Hitchcock's bookending is amusingly ironic. The episode does start off very intriguingly.
Did also find the settings very striking in one of the better looking episodes of Season 3, and while the photography is conventional it is also slick and framed with a lot of care. The audio is atmospheric enough and "Funeral March of a Marionette" is such an inspired and haunting choice of theme music.
However, "The Canary Sedan" could have been better. Story-wise, it never really came to life and was in real need of a lot more suspense, the second half sounded from the synopsis that it was going to be full of it but actually felt a bit dragged out and safe. More could have been done with the psychological aspect of it, the set up is intriguing and neat but it isn't fully explored and is not insightful enough.
Stevens' direction is competent but also undistinguished. The script could have been tauter, as it can be too talky, and not felt as over-heated. The ending, while not expected, was to me too abrupt and inconclusive in an episode that had a story in need of a resolution, instead of the incomplete feeling damp squib one we got.
Overall, watchable but a bit mixed. 5/10.
"The Canary Sedan" however could have been better than it was. It is far from being one of the worst episodes of Season 3 (a season that started off incredibly strongly but became inconsistent a third of the way in), but it is also a long way from being one of the best. Did think though that it was one of the more disappointing ones in how it did not near enough with the great potential it had, such a good premise and the execution was not fully realised. Of Stevens' Season 3 episodes, only "Miss Bracegirdle Does Her Duty" was weaker.
Certainly there are good things. Tandy is truly excellent, alluring, tense and affecting and her character was very interesting psychologically. Hitchcock's bookending is amusingly ironic. The episode does start off very intriguingly.
Did also find the settings very striking in one of the better looking episodes of Season 3, and while the photography is conventional it is also slick and framed with a lot of care. The audio is atmospheric enough and "Funeral March of a Marionette" is such an inspired and haunting choice of theme music.
However, "The Canary Sedan" could have been better. Story-wise, it never really came to life and was in real need of a lot more suspense, the second half sounded from the synopsis that it was going to be full of it but actually felt a bit dragged out and safe. More could have been done with the psychological aspect of it, the set up is intriguing and neat but it isn't fully explored and is not insightful enough.
Stevens' direction is competent but also undistinguished. The script could have been tauter, as it can be too talky, and not felt as over-heated. The ending, while not expected, was to me too abrupt and inconclusive in an episode that had a story in need of a resolution, instead of the incomplete feeling damp squib one we got.
Overall, watchable but a bit mixed. 5/10.
Not among the better episodes.
planktonrules2 April 2021
"The Canary Sedan" is a subpar episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" for two main reasons. First, it is about a woman with psychic powers and I generally dislike this sort of nonsense. Second, the ending is weak and the show could have ended in several other better ways.
The story begins with Laura (Jessica Tandy) traveling to Hong Kong to join her husband. He apparently had been in Hong Kong for work for some time and she is now joining him. However, when she goes to buy a car, she buys a used one and starts getting psychic vibes from the car....as she can hear a woman talking to her lover which, presumably, happened some time ago. But who is this woman with the voice and who is her lover?
The twist in this one didn't impress me and although Tandy was a fine actress, this show, while original, seems a bit silly and awkward.
The story begins with Laura (Jessica Tandy) traveling to Hong Kong to join her husband. He apparently had been in Hong Kong for work for some time and she is now joining him. However, when she goes to buy a car, she buys a used one and starts getting psychic vibes from the car....as she can hear a woman talking to her lover which, presumably, happened some time ago. But who is this woman with the voice and who is her lover?
The twist in this one didn't impress me and although Tandy was a fine actress, this show, while original, seems a bit silly and awkward.
Easily the most dull episode of all
gepico30 October 2020
You got a colourful chinese background in black & white and a great actress in Jessica Tandy. Sad to say that is all there is. A dull story told in a pedestrian way. I wonder why this episode is so different from all the others which are mostly brilliant.
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