TVSquad

Today is the birthday of suspense and horror master Alfred Hitchcock, born August 13, 1899. You can do the math and guess that he's no longer with us, but he left an incredible body of work. In his honor, here's the very first episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, from October 2, 1955. It stars Ralph Meeker and Vera Miles and was directed by Hitchcock himself.

Stamp collecting is something I just never got into (don't worry, I have plenty of other obsessions), but this might be the first time I actually go to my local post office and get a sheet.

Yesterday, 20 new classic TV stamps were unveiled: I Love Lucy, The Twilight Zone, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, The Honeymooners, Texaco Star Theater, Perry Mason, The Lone Ranger, Burns and Allen, Ozzie and Harriet, Hopalong Cassidy, Lassie, Dragnet, You Bet Your Life, The Dinah Shore Show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Phil Silvers Show, Howdy Doody, The Red Skelton Show, and Kukla, Fran, and Ollie,

In 1958, Alfred Hitchcock went on his TV show and asked viewers who were watching the show in the year 2000 to write in and let him know how things are going. Not sure if Hitchcock thought he'd be alive 42 years later, but it's an interesting clip (and kudos for Hitchcock for actually assuming that this show would be watched decades later).

Conan O'Brien should have jumped on this for his bit, but now they've gone and changed the name of it.

[via Paleo-Future]

One of the great things about the web is now we don't have to just tell you about a great episode from a TV series and hope you own it on DVD or that it shows up on TV at some point, we can actually show you the episode as well. Video after the jump!

This is an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents from November, 1958 titled "Man with a Problem." It stars someone who would later go on to one of the great sitcoms, Elizabeth Montgomery, as well as Peter Mark Richman (who has been in everything) and Gary Merrill, who is the man with the problem in question.

I don't get RTN (Retro Television Network) where I live. If you go to their web site and scroll down, you'll see that the network isn't in every state yet. But it's something I'd like to see on my local cable system.

RTN is a channel that shows a lot of old TV shows. It's sort of what TV Land used to be, a long time ago, before they started to get into reality shows, movies, and Extreme Makeover.

The channel is still at a time in their history where they have the freedom to not only air cult-yet-mainstream shows like the original Battlestar Galactica, The Incredible Hulk, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Leave It To Beaver, and Magnum, P.i., they're also airing such shows as Delvecchio (!), It Takes A Thief (!), Kate and Allie (!), the original 50s version of Mike Hammer (!), Run For Your Life (!), and The Bold Ones (!). As you can see, this is one eclectic network. They also have original programming such as talk shows, RTN Mystery Theater, and Offbeat Cinema. Robin Leach is going to host a show on the network, too.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Hazel Court: She was the actress known as the "Scream Queen." Besides appearing in such classic horror flicks as The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, and The Curse of Frankenstein, she also did a lot of TV, including episodes of The Twilight Zone, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Burke's Law, The Wild, Wild West, Gidget, Thriller, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Rawhide, McMillan & Wife, and many other shows. She died of a heart attack at age 82.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season 3
• CSI: NY - Season 3
• The Captain and Tennille - In Hawaii, In New Orleans, Songbook, and Christmas Show sets
• Creature Comforts - Season 1
• Degrassi Junior High - Complete Collection
• Everybody Hates Chris - Season 2
• Family Ties - Season 2
• Ghost Hunters - Season 3, Part 1 and Shining Hotel sets
• Girlfriends - Season 2
• Hannah Montana - Vol. 3
• Meerkat Manor - Season 1
• Michael Palin Pole To Pole
• Murder, She Wrote - Season 7
• Robin of Sherwood - Set 2
• Roots - Complete Collection
• Roots - The Next Generation
• Stargate: SG-1 - Complete Series
• The Vicar of Dibley - A Holy Wholly Happy Ending and The Immaculate Collection