Where the Woodbine twineth in Virginia

Virginia WoodbinePhoto byDave's Garden Bing images screenshot

Woodbine and Wangdoodle

One of my favorite episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour is Where the Woodbine Twineth, the 113th episode of season three. The plot revolves around an orphan, Eva Snyder, played by Eileen Baral, who sings a song about the Woodbine twining as she plays with her new doll, Numa.

This phrase comes from Mark Twain, who penned "Where the woodbine twineth and the wangdoodle mourneth." The Alfred Hitchcock episode ends with the doll and the girl changing places. Numa is chased away by Aunt Nelle (Margaret Leighton), horrified to find that Eva has become the doll in the box.

Eva and Numa in Where the Woodbine TwinethPhoto byIMDb screenshot

The Woodbine twineth in Virginia

A woodbine is a crawling, creeping honey-suckle plant that goes up a vine. In the Alfred Hitchcock episode, the location where the plant was growing appeared to be in Aunt Nelle's backyard. This plant is also native to Virginia.

The Woodbine, also known as the Virginia Creeper, is native to the State. This five-leaf ivy plant may be seen covering trees and telephone poles. The true Virginia Creeper climbs high and sprawls, but the Woodbine "twineth" on lower surfaces like fences and rocks.