Tales of the Unexpected
"The Hitch-Hiker"
Episode 2.4 (March 22, 1980)
Rod Taylor plays Paul Duveen, driver of a fast, fancy car whose luck goes
sour after he picks up an impish hitch-hiker, Michael Fish, played by Irish
actor Cyril
Cusack.
"The Hitch-Hiker" is one of the 25 Roald Dahl stories
adapted for "Tales of the Unexpected." For the first two seasons, each episode was introduced by Dahl
himself.
The series was an instant hit, with more than half of the British TV
audience tuning in to the first program. The series-- filmed by Anglia
Television, a regional production company in England -- was sold to more than
70 other countries.
The shows were a mixture of suspense, horror and black comedy. The latter was
abundant in Rod's episode. The hitch-hiker has supernatural pick-pocketing skills, and he bedevils
driver Duveen into one bit of trouble after another. "The
Hitch-Hiker" reunites Rod and Cyril Cusack after they appeared
together in "Cry of the Innocent."
According to Stephen Vagg's book, "Rod Taylor: An Aussie in
Hollywood," Rod adored working with Cusack:
-
"I loved every clever marvelous sneaky
thing he did when we are acting together. I just watched him and
laughed. We're like two very good boxers."
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