The Jar 1986 Review with sort of SPOILER - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Cori aka ChrisSCrush · 04-09-2026, 08:59 PM

The 1986 episode of the revival of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, “The Jar,” was loosely based on the 1944 Ray Bradbury story of the same title with extensive changes. This episode is notable for having been directed by Tim Burton.

It opens by establishing that the jar of the title, a large glass container with a glass lid, has a mysterious history. It is shown distracting a Nazi while chasing a Jew during the Holocaust.

About 45 years later, Knoll, played by Griffin Dunne, is a struggling artist whose work is going nowhere. He is savagely panned by an art critic, played by Paul Bartel.

Searching for materials for his art, he is led to a classic 1930s car which has been in an accident. Under the hood he finds the mesmerizing jar. He purchases it, makes a stand for it, and incorporates it into his art exhibit. As in the original story, people are fascinated by the jar and gather around it staring. Knoll refuses to sell it, but people demand other examples of his art and soon he and the gallery owner are prospering.

Resemblances with the Bradbury story are one man recognizing the attraction of a certain special jar and gaining from it. His wife is mean and sarcastic and cheating on him. Just about everything else is different other than the final confrontation.

Despite being directed by Tim Burton with music by Danny Elfman, this version is not faithful to the original story and is not as good as the version on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour which closely followed the story.

SORT OF SPOILER: One main resemblance between this version and the original story is the implication that the main character gets away with committing a crime and is much better off after having done so. This was against the code in use on television when “The Jar” was originally filmed in 1964 and so in that version the crime was discovered.

04-09-2026, 08:59 PM	#1
Cori aka ChrisSCrush Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 30, 2001 Location: USA and still trying to be proud of it! Posts: 2,068	The Jar 1986 Review with sort of SPOILER The 1986 episode of the revival of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, “The Jar,” was loosely based on the 1944 Ray Bradbury story of the same title with extensive changes. This episode is notable for having been directed by Tim Burton. It opens by establishing that the jar of the title, a large glass container with a glass lid, has a mysterious history. It is shown distracting a Nazi while chasing a Jew during the Holocaust. About 45 years later, Knoll, played by Griffin Dunne, is a struggling artist whose work is going nowhere. He is savagely panned by an art critic, played by Paul Bartel. Searching for materials for his art, he is led to a classic 1930s car which has been in an accident. Under the hood he finds the mesmerizing jar. He purchases it, makes a stand for it, and incorporates it into his art exhibit. As in the original story, people are fascinated by the jar and gather around it staring. Knoll refuses to sell it, but people demand other examples of his art and soon he and the gallery owner are prospering. Resemblances with the Bradbury story are one man recognizing the attraction of a certain special jar and gaining from it. His wife is mean and sarcastic and cheating on him. Just about everything else is different other than the final confrontation. Despite being directed by Tim Burton with music by Danny Elfman, this version is not faithful to the original story and is not as good as the version on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour which closely followed the story. SORT OF SPOILER: One main resemblance between this version and the original story is the implication that the main character gets away with committing a crime and is much better off after having done so. This was against the code in use on television when “The Jar” was originally filmed in 1964 and so in that version the crime was discovered.