The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Alfred Hitchcock Presents)

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is a seventh-season episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents made in the summer of 1961 that has never been broadcast on network television.

The story and teleplay were written by Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, and the episode was directed by Josef Leytes.

Although formerly considered a lost episode, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" has since been widely distributed in syndication and – due to its status in the public domain – in numerous Hitchcock home media releases and video on demand.

[1][2] Exiting his trailer on a cold windy night in Toledo for a smoke, carnival magician Sadini the Great spots an unconscious youth on the ground.

Displeased by the youth's presence, Irene finally accedes to Sadini's request to get food for the lad after the boy describes her as an angel.

There, as a demonstration of his newly acquired magical powers, he attempts to perform Sadini's "sawing a woman in half" trick on Irene, to her horror as she awakens screaming.

Nobody called me on the carpet because of this capricious decision - as a matter of fact, when the series went into syndication, my show was duly televised without a word from the powers that be.” [3] "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents never aired on the NBC Television network because the finale, by 1960s standards, was deemed "too gruesome" by sponsor Revlon.

[1][4][5] "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", once denied network broadcast, is now the most widely distributed Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode of all those produced.