Alfred Hitchcock himself directed this nailbiter, featuring prolific child actor Billy Mumy. When his uncle Rich (Steve Dunne) returns from Africa, little Jackie Chester (Mumy) is delighted, knowing that Rich has brought him a surprise. Secretly rummaging through his uncle's luggage, Jackie finds what he thinks is a toy gun. Only it isn't a toy, but the real article -- fully loaded. For the rest of the day, Jackie goes all over town, aiming (but not firing) the gun at various human targets...while his frantic parents conduct a desperate search for the boy, hoping to catch up with him before a tragedy can occur. The most memorable (and frightening) sequence in this episode is shot from Jackie's point-of-view as he looks down the barrel of the gun -- a camera angle reminiscent of one Hitchcock had previously deployed in his 1945 theatrical feature Spellbound. As a bonus, Hitch foregoes his usual comic epilogue to deliver a stern warning about inappropriate use of firearms.
by Hal Erickson
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