Best or Worst? - Riabouchinska

Suspense's "Riabouchinska" is introduced with some narration. It continues with more and still more narration. There is too much narration.

"Riabouchinska" is the story of a ventriloquist, the woman that he once loved, and the ventriloquist's dummy that he created in her image. There is also his wife, her boyfriend, and a blackmailer. Wally Maher plays the police detective who investigates the murder of the blackmailer. Joseph Kearns stars as John Fabian the ventriloquist and Lurene Tuttle stars as the high-pitched voice of Riabouchinska, the ventriloquist's dummy.

The version of this story done for television by Alfred Hitchcock Presents is the better version of the two. Claude Rains plays the tragic and deluded John Fabian, and a young Charles Bronson plays the detective who uncovers the sad truth between Fabian and his puppet. Both episodes were based on the short story "And so Died Riabouchinska" by Ray Bradbury. Suspense's radio-play and the tele-play for Alfred Hitchcock Presents were both written by Mel Dinelli.

The narrator is Armana Fargey, a pseudonym for actress June Havoc. This episode aired on November 13, 1947. A different version of "Riabouchinska" appeared on television in 1988, for an episode of Ray Bradbury Theater.

Download Suspense.1947.11.13_Riabouchinska.mp3

(Image from Morguefile.com)

Comments

[j]

Great site Id like to add it to http://blogcarnivals.blogspot.com
It's a site that many have used to show off there best work

[cmillinsf]

Sure, go ahead and add it. Thanks!
Christine

[Jimbo]

I would put this episode on the "worst" side personally...

[Steven]

I completely agree: The 1956 Alfred Hitchcock Presents version is superior to the 1988 Ray Bradbury Theater version. Indeed, And So Died Riabouchinska might be the best episode of the entire Hitchcock series. It is better scripted, better acted and better directed. And the doll, Riabouchinska, is much classier and endearing.

This is somewhat surprising, given that Ray Bradbury wrote the short story that it's based on. I would expect his version to be better, but I'm sorry to say it's downright bad.

Since I haven't read the short story, I can't say which version is more true to its origins. Either way, the Hitchcock version is better.