The Hitchcock Project-Arthur A. Ross Part Seven: Wally the Beard [10.19] and Wrapup

by Jack Seabrook

Walter Mills is a 25-year old London bookkeeper who is frustrated by his routine, unexciting life. One day, he surprises himself by buying a stylish suit and hat, then adding a fake beard from a costume shop to the ensemble. Having always though of his weak chin as a defect that kept him friendless, Mills finds a new sense of self-confidence in disguise and visits a neighborhood pub, where he pretends to be a Navy man and attracts attention from the other patrons. Pretty Noreen Harper is particularly taken with him, though her companion, a rough character named Curly, is less impressed.

"The Chinless Wonder"
was first published here

Calling himself Phillip Marshall, Stanley fools his landlady, Mrs. Jones, and quits his job, living off money he has embezzled from his employer bit by bit, enjoying keeping company with wealthy Noreen, and moving to a new neighborhood. He buys a small boat to impress his new girlfriend, though he cuts his arm while working on the pleasure craft and some blood is spilled, staining both the boat and his bag. Noreen takes him home to bandage his wound and the two spend a romantic afternoon together. Returning to his new boat, Walter is confronted by Curly, who recognizes him as Wally Mills, "'the chinless wonder of Corson Street,'" and threatens to expose him. To buy Curly's silence, Walter agrees to help hide a sack of stolen goods by dropping it into the Thames River right where his new boat is moored.

The next morning, Walter's troubles multiply when his former landlady attempts to collect back rent that he owed to her when he moved out suddenly. She visits the new room that Walter has rented as Phillip Marshall and she and his new landlady inspect it, finding Walter's possessions and a bag with bloodstains on it. When Walter returns later that day, the police are waiting for him. Noreen sent a message by Curly that she has gone to visit a sick aunt in Brighton, and Inspector Marples asks Walter about the bloodstained bag. Walter takes the police to his boat and explains how he cut himself, mentioning the moorings in passing.

Larry Blyden as Walter Mills

The next morning, the police confront Marshall with the news that the bloodstains match the Army records of Walter Mills, and they are about to arrest Phillip for murder when he peels off his beard and reveals his true identity. Inspector Marples is angry but, just as Walter is about to leave, another policeman arrives to announce that a dead body has been found. The police retrieved Curly's sack from the river and inside it they found the body of Noreen's husband. Walter realizes that she and Curly have played him for a fool.

"The Chinless Wonder" is a light, entertaining story with an unexpected ending. The author, Stanley Abbott (1906-1976), wrote a handful of short stories in the 1950s and early 1960s (The FictionMags Index lists a total of eight), and three were adapted for television: one on General Electric Theater in 1958 and two on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1965. "The Chinless Wonder" was renamed "Wally the Beard" after a nickname Curly calls Walter Mills at one point in the story, and the television version improves on the short story.

Kathie Browne as Noreen

Bernard Herrmann wrote the score for this episode, and a theme for woodwinds and strings plays over the opening credits. The setting has been moved from London to an unspecified location in the United States and the show begins in Walter's office, where his fiance of six weeks, a young woman named Lucy, breaks off their engagement, calling him "'a very ordinary man'" and adding that he is "'dullsville'" and "'ordinaryville.'" Balding and bespectacled, Walter looks older than the 25-year-old character of the short story; in fact, Larry Blyden, who plays the part, was 39 at the time of filming and the character later refers to himself as a "'mature man.'" Walter visits a wig shop and an enthusiastic and engaging salesman convinces him to purchase a toupee and false goatee.

We next see Walter in a bar, with his new look in place, where he meets Noreen and Curly. In these early scenes it quickly becomes apparent that Arthur A. Ross has taken the narrative passages of the short story and converted them into sparkling dialogue that is delivered flawlessly by the actors, from Larry Blyden and Kathie Browne (as Noreen) down to the bit players, such as Dave Willock, who plays the wig salesman. The telefilm is also aided immeasurably by Bernard Herrmann's score, which provides unobtrusive music that fits each scene perfectly.

Katherine Squire as Mrs. Adams

Walter, as Phillip, returns home to the rooming house where he resides and is confronted by his landlady, renamed Mrs. Adams. The scene is cleverly staged to demonstrate a shift in the balance of power brought on by Walter's new self-confidence: the camera is positioned to look up at him, now that he is in charge of the relationship, and it looks down at Mrs. Adams, who is now in a subordinate position. She refers to Walter as a "'weasel,'" but Phillip defends his alter-ego in a stirring testimonial. Alone in his room, Walter leans out the window and laughs with delight, exclaiming "'I'm new! I'm free! I'm a new, free man!'" However, his reverie is interrupted when he sees Curly looking up at him from the street below.

The next day, Walter is again himself, sans hairpieces, when Mrs. Adams bursts in, looking for Phillip Marshall and carrying a note for the man from Curly. As Phillip, Walter visits a new rooming house, where the landlady, Mrs. Jones, is quite taken by his appearance and treats him like a man of distinction. As in many other episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, unmarried people live together in rooming houses, living spaces that were soon to become scarce as the postwar housing boom took hold.

George Mitchell as Keefer

Walter/Phillip calls Noreen and arranges to see her, then visits a marina and purchases a boat from a man named Keefer. There is a nice bit of business between Phillip and Keefer where Phillip admits he knows little about sailing and enlists Keefer's aid in convincing Noreen otherwise. Bernard Herrmann's score hits playful, nautical notes here, supporting the light, seafaring tone of the scene. Phillip cuts his thumb trying to set up the boat and the scene dissolves to Noreen's apartment as she bandages his wound. In this scene, especially, Kathie Browne (as Noreen) is photographed with glamorous, classic Hollywood lighting as the musical score takes a romantic turn. She confesses to having a husband, "'almost an ex-husband,'" and praises Phillip's "'interesting'" beard, calling him a "'mystery.'" The score supports the dramatic tone of the scene and the music swells as Phillip and Noreen kiss.

Berkeley Harris as Curly

Phillip leaves Noreen's apartment on another emotional high, only to be brought low again by a confrontation with Curly, who wants his help in hiding stolen loot. To protect his secret, Walter agrees to the deal and he and Curly take the boat out and sink the bag. Meanwhile, the new landlady, Mrs. Jones, answers an ad from the old landlady, Mrs. Adams, and the two gossip about their tenants and inspect Phillip's room. Phillip comes home to find the landladies and Lieutenant Johnson in his room, and the scene that follows mixes humor and suspense; Phillip is suspected of foul play while his answers to the policeman's questions grow increasingly awkward and Mrs. Adams is shown in reaction shots.

Lee Bergere as Lt. Johnson

When pressed to prove his innocence, Phillip peels off his hairpieces to reveal the truth; once again, Herrmann's score lends gravity to the scene as well as pathos: one feels sorry for Walter, whose ruse has led to suspicion of criminal activity. Up to this point, the teleplay has followed the events of the story closely, but here Ross inserts a new scene, in which Walter visits Noreen and confesses the truth to her. Noreen accepts him as he is and, when he tells her about having hidden Curly's loot, she tells him to cut it loose so it cannot be traced to him.

In the show's final scene, Walter heads out on his boat at night to cut the bag loose from the moorings, only to have a police boat arrive. Back at the marina, the bag of loot is opened to reveal the corpse of Noreen's husband, and Walter realizes he has been had. The small changes Ross makes to the end of the show make the conclusion more exciting and suspenseful, a fitting finish to a strong episode.

Dave Willock as the wig salesman

"Wally the Beard" improves on "The Chinless Wonder," with a good script, crackling dialogue, fast-paced direction, evocative music, and top-notch acting. The theme of doubling is important. Walter's life changes when he takes on the role of Phillip, but the choices he makes along the way to preserve the ruse end up with him getting in trouble with the law. Noreen is playing a double role as well, but it is so subtle as to be nearly invisible. She must know Walter is putting her on right from the start, yet she is utterly convincing in her love for him, right up to the end. By putting on a toupee and false beard, Walter assumes the part of a Man of Distinction, that vague essence of male cool that permeated the 1950s and 1960s and was immortalized in the song, "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity (1966). The Man of Distinction is irresistible to women, drives a fast car or boat, and dresses and grooms himself with care. For Walter Mills, this seems easy at first, but what he fails to realize is that he is not really fooling anyone; instead, con artists and criminals target him as their patsy and his landladies end up calling the police when they suspect him of murder.

Elizabeth Harrower as Mrs. Jones

"Wally the Beard" is the only episode of the Hitchcock series to be directed by James H. Brown (1930-2011), who worked for years as an assistant director or production manager, including on 18 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents from 1958 to 1961 and two more of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He also worked as Hitchcock's assistant director on The Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964) and directed for television from 1961 to 1974. In an interview, Brown later remarked that most of his directorial jobs arose when someone else dropped out. He went on to work as an associate producer, production manager (including nine episodes in the first season of The Odd Couple), and director of TV commercials. He admitted that he preferred the steady work of an assistant to the insecurity of a director.

Leslie Perkins as Lucy, Walter's fiance

Larry Blyden (1925-1975) carries the show as Walter Mills. Born Ivan Lawrence Blieden, he served in the Marines in WWII and began his acting career on Broadway in 1948. He acted mostly on TV from 1950 until his death, only appearing in three films in that period. He was on Thriller and two classic episodes of The Twilight Zone, though this was his only appearance on the Hitchcock show. He won a Tony Award in 1972 for his role in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and died in 1975 in a car accident.

The duplicitous Noreen is played by Kathie Browne (1930-2003), who was born Jacqueline Katherine Browne and who was married to Darren McGavin from 1969 until her death. She appeared on screen from 1955 to 1980, mostly on TV, and was seen on an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("Bed of Roses"), Star Trek, and The Night Stalker.

John Indrisano as the bartender

Mrs. Adams, Walter's first landlady, is played perfectly by Katherine Squire (1903-1995), who was on Broadway from 1927 to 1959 and on screen from 1949 to 1989. She was in five episodes of the Hitchcock series, including "Man from the South," where she plays the scolding wife of Peter Lorre's character, and she was seen on Thriller and The Twilight Zone. Later in her career, she was a regular on the soap opera, The Doctors (1970-1975).

Squire's husband, George Mitchell (1905-1972), often appeared with her, and in "Wally the Beard" he plays Keefer, the experienced sailor at the marina who is exasperated by the antics of Walter Mills. Mitchell was on Broadway from 1942 to 1970 and on screen from 1935 to 1971. He was on the Hitchcock show four times, including "Forty Detectives Later," and he was also seen on Thriller and The Twilight Zone.

In smaller roles:

• Berkeley Harris (1933-1984) as Curly; he was on screen from 1952 to 1981, mainly on TV, and this was one of his two appearances on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
• Lee Bergere (1918-2007) as Lieutenant Johnson; he was on Broadway from 1936 to 1972 and on screen from 1954 to 1989. He makes the most of his role as the policeman and his scenes manage the difficult balance of humor and suspense.
• Dave Willock (1909-1990) as the wig salesman; he started out in vaudeville in 1931 and played many small parts on screen from 1937 to 1975. He acted on radio in the '30s and '40s and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was in one other episode of the Hitchcock show and he was also on The Twilight Zone. He, too, makes the most of a small role, enlivening his single scene and interacting well with Larry Blyden.
• Elizabeth Harrower (1918-2003) as the second landlady, Mrs. Jones; she started on radio in the '30s and was on screen from 1949 to 1974. This was one of two Hitchcock episodes in which  she appeared. She was also on The Twilight Zone and Batman. After she stopped acting, she became a prolific writer for soap operas in the '70s and '80s.
• Leslie Perkins plays Walter's fiance in the show's first scene; she had a brief screen career from 1963 to 1970 and was also seen on Batman. This was her only appearance on the Hitchcock show.
• Blink and you'll miss John Indrisano (1905-1968), who plays the bartender in the scene where Walter meets Noreen. He was a professional boxer from 1924 to 1934, then a boxing referee from 1934 to 1949. He trained many film actors for boxing scenes and played bit parts on film and television from 1933 to 1968. He was on Batman three times and he was also on the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, "The Throwback," where he utilizes his boxing skills.

Watch "Wally the Beard" for free online here. Thanks to Peter Enfantino for providing a copy of the short story!

Sources:

Abbott, Stanley. “The Chinless Wonder.” Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Jan. 1965, pp. 61–71.

The FictionMags Index, www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. OTR Pub., 2001.

IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/.

“Obituary: James H. Brown (1930-2011).” The Classic TV History Blog, 20 Sept. 2011, classictvhistory.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/obituary-james-h-brown-1930-2011/.

Stephensen-Payne, Phil. Galactic Central, philsp.com/.

“Wally the Beard.” The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, season 10, episode 19, NBC, 1 Mar. 1965.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, www.wikipedia.org/.

Arthur A. Ross on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: An Overview and Episode Guide

Arthur A. Ross wrote the teleplays for eight episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, all of which were broadcast between January 1964 and March 1965. One of the episodes, "The Evil of Adelaide Winters," was based on a radio play by Ross; the rest were based on stories written by others.

Ross's five scripts for season nine demonstrate a skill at mixing comedy and suspense and often explore the relationships between men and women, especially in the context of marriage. "Three Wives Too Many" is a brilliant expansion of a short story in which Ross expands the role of the murderous wife. "The Evil of Adelaide Winters" is faithful to the radio play of the same title and makes good use of the visual medium. "Anyone for Murder?" veers off into new territory from the short story on which it is based, mixing murder with black humor in an examination of marriage that is more interesting and amusing than its source. "Ten Minutes from Now" removes the elements of humor that were found in the short story and suffers as a result, while "Who Needs an Enemy?" is another black comedy that explores the relationships between men and women.

The three scripts by Ross that were produced for season ten include "Triumph," a rare episode that lacks humor but benefits from lyrical writing and a superb reworking of the short story's narrative structure. This hauntingly beautiful episode once again explores the relationships among married couples. "Thanatos Palace Hotel" is Ross's second failure, a script that expands Western elements from the source to its detriment and loses the element of surprise. Ross's final script, for "Wally the Beard," is perhaps his most humorous of all and succeeds in adhering to the short story's plot structure while improving on its narrative.

In all, the eight shows scripted by Arthur A. Ross constitute a fine addition to The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, often displaying the black humor for which the show's host was so well known.


EPISODE GUIDE-ARTHUR A. ROSS ON THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR

Episode title-"Three Wives Too Many" [9.12]
Broadcast date-3 January 1964
Teleplay by-Arthur A. Ross
Based on "Three Wives Too Many" by Kenneth Fearing
First print appearance-Michael Shayne Mystery Magazine, September 1956
Notes
Watch episode-here
Available on DVD?-no

Episode title-"The Evil of Adelaide Winters" [9.16]
Broadcast date-7 February 1964
Teleplay by-Arthur A. Ross
Based on "The Evil of Adelaide Winters," a radio play by Arthur A, Ross
First print appearance-none; first radio broadcast on Suspense, 10 September 1951
Notes
Watch episode-here
Available on DVD?-no

"The Evil of Adelaide Winters"

Episode title-"Anyone for Murder?" [9.20]
Broadcast date-13 March 1964
Teleplay by-Arthur A. Ross
Based on "Anyone for Murder?" by Jack Ritchie
First print appearance-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, January 1964
Notes
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Available on DVD?-no

Episode title-"Ten Minutes from Now" [9.26]
Broadcast date-1 May 1964
Teleplay by-Arthur A. Ross
Based on "Ten Minutes from Now" by Jack Ritchie
First print appearance-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, October 1963
Notes
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Available on DVD?-no

"Anyone for Murder?"

Episode title-"Who Needs an Enemy?" [9.28]
Broadcast date-15 May 1964
Teleplay by-Arthur A. Ross
Based on "Goodbye Charlie" by Henry Slesar
First print appearance-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, January 1964
Notes
Watch episode-here
Available on DVD?-no

Episode title-"Triumph" [10.9]
Broadcast date-14 December 1964
Teleplay by-Arthur A. Ross
Based on "Murder in Szechwan" by Robert Branson
First print appearance-Collier's, 9 October 1948
Notes
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Available on DVD?-no

"Triumph"

Episode title-"Thanatos Palace Hotel" [10.15]
Broadcast date-1 February 1965
Teleplay by-Arthur A. Ross
Based on "Thanatos Palace Hotel" by Andre Maurois
First print appearance-Candide, 16 December 1937
Notes
Watch episode-here
Available on DVD?-no

Episode title-"Wally the Beard" [10.19]
Broadcast date-1 March 1965
Teleplay by-Arthur A. Ross
Based on "The Chinless Wonder" by Stanley Abbott
First print appearance-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, January 1965
Notes
Watch episode-here
Available on DVD?-no

In two weeks: Our series on Bill S. Ballinger begins with "Dry Run," starring Walter Matthau and Robert Vaughn!

Listen to Annie and Kathryn's entertaining discussion of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, "Never Again," on the Good Evening podcast here!

Listen to Al Sjoerdsma's incisive podcast about the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, "A Bullet for Baldwin," here!

The Hitchcock Project: About Emily Neff--A Few Words About a Forgotten Mystery Writer

Emily Neff

In my review of "One for the Road," I wrote that I had been unable to find any information about Emily Neff, the author of "Partner in Crime," the short story upon which that episode was based. However, I have recently made contact with Susan Bernard Voelker, the daughter of Emily Neff. Ms. Voelker was kind enough to provide details about her mother.

Emily Neff

by Susan Bernard Voelker

My mother, Emily Neff Bernard, was born in Denton, Texas, on September 22, 1922, to Sherman Brown Neff and Jessie Utz Neff. She had a younger brother, Phillip Duncan Neff. She was born Emily Neff, no middle name.

She came from a literary family. Her father had a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Yale, and a master’s and doctor’s degree from Harvard. Most of his life was devoted to college administrative work and teaching. For twenty-five years, Dr. Neff was the head of the Department of English at the University of Utah. After he retired, he went to Wayland College in Plainview, Texas, as chairman of the Division of Humanities and professor of English. He was much loved and revered by his students. He was the author of two books, The Province of Art: An Approach Through Literature, and Lazarus and Other Poems. He was listed in Who’s Who In America.

Emily’s mother was the youngest of ten children and grew up on a farm in Missouri. At age eighteen she got her teaching certificate and taught for a year in a one-room, one-teacher school. She wrote her memoirs about her life on the farm, but I have no information on college and career. She and my grandfather were avid readers, and passed on their love of books to my mother.

Her first story, "Hoolio," was published here

My mother grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. I believe she started writing at an early age. I have a little blue enamel vase she was awarded in 1936 (age fourteen) by the William M. Stewart School for "first prize, short story." After high school she went east, to Smith College, where she earned a B.A.­ with a major in English. She spent her junior year at the University of Utah, where she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Initially she was interested in newspaper writing. For one year she was a reporter for the New Britain Daily Herald, but she wanted very much to move to New Orleans and work for the Times-Picayune. Her plan was to start out in New Orleans and then move on to San Antonio and San Francisco. I have a series of humorous letters between her and the managing editor of the T-P, where she is trying to convince him to hire her in spite of her inexperience, out-of-state status, and the fact that she was a "girl reporter." These letters are all signed with her nickname, Red Neff. A quote from one of her last letters: "I seem to be beating my head against a stone wall in trying to land a mail-order job on your paper. However, being too young to be discouraged, too mulish to give up, and too dumb to know when I’m licked, I shall continue to cling to the thread of hope you have extended." Eventually, she went to New Orleans, had an interview, and was hired. She never made it to San Antonio or San Francisco, because she met my father, Pierre Victor Bernard, who was a city editor on the paper, got married and had three daughters. All her life, she loved New Orleans.

"The Baby Sitter" was
published in this issue

Emily was a reporter for the Times-Picayune for two years. Over the next two decades, her fiction writing was sporadic, not prolific. Perhaps the reason it is difficult to find out anything about her is that she didn’t seek recognition and wrote more as a hobby than anything else. Her genre was the short story, but she wrote some clever little poems, and even once collaborated with a friend on a musical, which they didn’t finish. She wrote the lyrics and her friend the music. A favorite of mine was a children’s story called "Garfield, The Absent-Minded Goat," which was never published, and I’m not sure she even submitted it. A list of her writings, the ones I know of, is attached.

I’m pretty sure the stories that Alfred Hitchcock bought were all originally published in magazines, and I believe he bought them through her agent in New York, McIntosh and Otis. I don’t think my mother ever had any personal contact with Hitchcock. Of course, she was delighted he used her stories on his show, and it was always a source of pride in our family. Still is.

My mother stopped writing some time in the 70’s, I think, when she became increasingly interested in New Orleans politics. She started her own public relations firm, with mostly political accounts. My older sister worked with her, and, when Emily retired, my sister took over the business.

"The Chrysalis" was published here

When we were growing up, my mother was popular with our friends, who saw her as talented, glamorous, and hip. She was active in our schooling. She directed several plays when I was a Brownie and produced and directed talent shows at our high school. She taught sewing to the neighborhood children, and one summer she helped me and a friend write a neighborhood newspaper (The Nosy News).

My older sister and I both majored in English. Neither of us followed in our mother’s footsteps. Although we didn’t write creatively, except for a few poems here and there, our background in English helped us in writing various articles/reports for our jobs, my sister in public relations and advertising, and me in social work. My younger sister was an art major, creative in another way.

Emily liked to travel… the UK, Europe, Russia, India, Mexico, Jamaica. Italy was her favorite, and she took classes to learn the language.

It was Emily’s wish to make it to the year 2000, but she fell a few months short. She died of a stroke on August 22, 1999, in Mandeville, Louisiana, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. She was seventy-six. At her memorial service, I read from the last chapter of Eudora Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings, which I had been reading to her when she was sick. We scattered her ashes in her beloved Bryce Canyon, Utah.

I asked my friends who knew her to tell me the first word or words that came to mind when thinking about my mother. These are the words: red, red lipstick and hair, intellectual, intimidating, haughty, elegant, reserved, critical, stubborn, intelligent.


Ms. Voelker's husband, Tom Voelker, also was kind enough to share his memories of Emily Neff:

"Mr. Blanchard's Secret"
was published here

What about Emily?

I could never pin her down.

Creative. Insightful. Intelligent. Emily.

She could be charming. She could be dismissive. She could be engaging or remote, at once inviting and unapproachable.

Her smiles played across subtle wit, thoughtful observation, and cutting sarcasm.

In Emily, strength of character shaded over into hard willfulness.

But it wasn’t just that she was self-centered. Her center was her self.

Like all of us, there was much more to Emily than what met the eye.

To me, she was a mystery. Something essential remained hidden: the center.

She eluded me.

I never saw more than a few facets of her infinite variety.

I wonder whether anyone did.


Short stories by Emily Neff

"Hoolio," Seventeen, May 1948
"The Other Man," The Times-Picayune Magazine, April 10, 1949
"The Chrysalis," Cosmopolitan, October 1952
"Pupa and Butterfly," Familie Journal, Feb. 12, 1953
"The Baby Sitter," Cosmopolitan, May 1953
"Standard of Loving," Toronto Star Weekly Magazine, December 8, 1956
"Partner in Crime," Wicked Women, 1960
"The Love Sportsman," Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, May 1961
"No Bed of Roses," Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, March 1977
"Mr. Blanchard’s Secret," Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, June 1978


TV Shows Adapted from stories by Emily Neff:

"The Baby Sitter," Alfred Hitchcock Presents, May 6, 1956
"Mr. Blanchard's Secret," Alfred Hitchcock Presents, December 23, 1956
"One for the Road," Alfred Hitchcock Presents, March 3, 1957 ("Partner in Crime")
"Bed of Roses," The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, May 22, 1954 ("No Bed of Roses")
"Murder in Mind," Alfred Hitchcock Presents, January 28, 1989 ("Mr. Blanchard's Secret")


Sources:

FictionMags Index
Galactic Central
IMDb

The Hitchcock Project-Clark Howard Part Two: Night Fever [10.28] and Wrapup

by Jack Seabrook

Colleen Dewhurst as Nurse Hatch

Hospitalized after being shot in a holdup gone wrong, Gerry Walsh awakens to find himself being questioned by the police, who want him to tell them the location of George Cappo, his partner in crime. Captain Tevell wants to have Walsh transferred to the prison hospital for killing a cop but the doctor says the patient is too sick to move, so Tevell has him handcuffed to the bed, with round the clock guards and steel grilles on the windows. Nurse Alma Hatch, "an extremely plain girl" of about 27, is assigned to care for the prisoner round the clock.

In the days that follow, Walsh flatters Nurse Hatch, telling her that she has "'natural beauty'" and cultivating a relationship with her. He denies having killed the policeman and confesses to having fallen in love with her. After Tevell tells Walsh that he's headed for the electric chair unless he tells the police where to find his partner, Alma offers to help the prisoner and fakes his records so he can stay in the hospital for a few more days. She then agrees to escape with him and helps him prepare.

"One Way Out" was
first published here

When Walsh is well enough to move, Alma gives his guards drugged coffee to put them to sleep before helping him out of the hospital and driving him to a run-down neighborhood. They climb to an upstairs apartment, where Cappo admits them and a voluptuous blond welcomes Walsh, who quickly dismisses Alma. Recalling the many times she has been fooled by men, Alma descends the stairs and tells the waiting policemen where to find the killers.

In "One Way Out," which was first published in the February 1965 issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Clark Howard makes the reader believe that Nurse Hatch is desperate and that she falls in love with the manipulative criminal Walsh, so the conclusion, where the nurse is revealed to have been in control of the situation, comes as a surprise. The producers of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour must have liked the story, because it was bought and filmed right away and it aired as the next to last episode of the TV series on May 3, 1965.

Tom Simcox as Gerry Walsh

Retitled "Night Fever," with a teleplay by Gilbert Ralston, the show follows the story closely and is enhanced by a good selection of music cues from other episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; the music sounds like it was written by Bernard Herrmann. The character of Tevell has been split in two, with Detective Sergeant Martinez as the older policeman and Detective Gabe Greeley as the younger. Having two detectives allows for dialogue between them; Greeley flirts with pretty young nurse Wilson, setting the scene for the attraction between the male characters and the female nurses that will be more fully manifest in the relationship between Walsh and Nurse Hatch.

Joe DeSantis as Sgt. Martinez

As Nurse Hatch, Colleen Dewhurst is older and more attractive than the character as described in the story, though she still speaks much of the same dialogue about knowing that she is not pretty. Unlike Howard's short story, where Walsh's thoughts are explained in narrative passages and the reader knows that he is manipulating the nurse, the viewer cannot be as certain of what Walsh is doing, since his thoughts are hidden. About halfway through the show, the detectives briefly discuss taking Nurse Hatch off the case. Martinez comments that "'She's got a wife complex. She wants to be a wife like all the other women.'" When Walsh proposes that Nurse Hatch help him escape, she is more resistant than her counterpart in the story, but when she does agree she kisses her patient, making it clear that there is no turning back.

Don Stewart as Gabe Greely

Most of the episode occurs in Walsh's hospital room and the corridor just outside it. When Nurse Hatch helps him make his escape, the action finally moves outside, though the atmosphere remains oppressively noirish because it is nighttime and it is raining. Nurse Hatch takes Walsh out of the hospital in a wheelchair, with a blanket covering his body and a bandage over half his face. There is a moment of Hitchcockian suspense when the nurse's car pulls up alongside a police car, but the duo make it to the apartment of Walsh's partner and the conclusion plays out as it does in the story. Lacking the narrative description of her thoughts that is found in the short story, Dewhurst must convey to the viewer her character's seeming disappointment with Walsh's choice of women by the dejected way she walks and by her facial expressions. Her lack of surprise on encountering the policemen at the foot of the stairs tells us that she has been cooperating with them; no viewer watching her romance with the prisoner blossom would have expected that it was all a ruse to catch his partner.

Richard Bull as the doctor

"Night Fever" is an effective translation of "One Way Out" from the page to the small screen. The teleplay is by Gilbert Ralston (1912-1999), who was born in Ireland and who worked as a TV producer in the 1950s before trying his hand as a writer, with TV writing credits from 1961 to 1972. The FictionMags Index credits him with seven short stories between 1959 and 1961, five of which were published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. He was also the co-creator of the series, The Wild Wild West. He wrote the screenplays for two camp horror films of the early 1970s, Willard (1971) and Ben (1972), and he also wrote a series of western novels in the early 1970s. "Night Fever" was his only contribution to the Hitchcock TV show.

Don Marshall as the guard

Directing the show is Herbert Coleman (1907-2001), who had a sixty-year career in Hollywood and who is best known as an assistant or second unit director on several Hitchcock films of the 1950s, including Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958). Coleman produced sixteen episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1964 and 1965 but this is the only episode he directed; perhaps he was given the opportunity because the series was coming to an end. He does a competent job, especially in a shadowy shot when Nurse Hatch returns to Walsh's room early in the show, and later, in the noirish sequence that concludes the episode. A memoir was published in 2007, years after his death, called The Man Who Knew Hitchcock; in it, Coleman recalls this episode as "Night Nurse."

Colleen Dewhurst (1924-1991) gives a strong performance as Nurse Hatch. Born in Canada, she was a well-known stage actress who won two Tony Awards. Her television career lasted from 1957 to 1990 and in that time she won four Emmy Awards. She also appeared in films during that period. This was her only episode of the Hitchcock series. At age 40, she is considerably older than the 27-year-old nurse in Clark Howard's story.

Peggy Lipton as
Nurse Winters

Gerry Walsh, the mostly bedridden killer, is played effectively by Tom Simcox (1937- ), whose screen career spanned the years from 1962 to 1991. He appeared in one other Hitchcock hour.

Playing Sergeant Martinez, the older of the two detectives, is Joe DeSantis (1909-1989), whose career on screen ran from 1949 to 1987 and included numerous TV episodes. He was seen on Thriller, The Outer Limits, and one episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "A Night With the Boys."

Don Stewart (1935-2006) plays Gabe Greely, the younger detective. He was on film and TV from 1942 to 2001 but his longest-running role was on the soap opera, The Guiding Light, from 1968 to 1984. This was his only appearance on the Hitchcock show.

In smaller roles:

• Don Marshall (1936-2016) as the policeman who guards Walsh; he was on screen from 1962 to 1992, had a leading role on Land of the Giants (1968-1970), and appeared in three episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, including "The Cadaver" and "Isabel."

Rayford Barnes as George

• Richard Bull (1924-2014) as the doctor; his long screen career ran from 1956 to 2011 and he was on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour three times, including "Death and the Joyful Woman." He also had a recurring role as a doctor on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-1968) and he was a regular on Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983).

• Rayford Barnes (1920-2000) as George, Walsh's partner in crime; he was on screen from 1952-1997, he was seen on The Twilight Zone, and he had parts in three episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, including "Water's Edge."

Laurie Mitchell
as Pinky

• Laurie Mitchell (1928- ) as Pinky, Walsh's blonde girlfriend; her brief screen career lasted from 1954-1971 and this was her only role on the Hitchcock show.

• Peggy Lipton (1946- ) as pretty nurse Wilson; this was her third credit in a career that began in 1965 and continues today; she is best known for a lead role on Mod Squad (1968-1973) and for her part in Twin Peaks (1990-1991 and 2017).

"Night Fever"was remade for the 1985 NBC color version of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and broadcast on October 6, 1985, as a half-hour episode. In this version, Walsh is seen robbing a liquor store and shooting a policeman before being shot by the policeman's partner. Here, there is no partner in crime for the police to seek. Walsh charms the nurse and she helps him escape, but this time she takes him to her own home, where he discovers that the policeman he killed was her husband. The show ends with Nurse Hatch shooting Walsh. The episode is not bad, as an example of 1980s' TV, but the conclusion does not hold up to scrutiny. The police would never let the wife of a dead cop nurse his killer, let alone leave her with him so that she could help him escape and then kill him! Jeff Kanew, who co-wrote this version with Stephen Kronish, admitted that they did not read Clark Howard's story but rather wrote their teleplay after watching the original TV version and reading a synopsis.

The original version of "Night Fever" is not available on DVD but may be viewed online here. The remake may be viewed online here. Thanks to Peter Enfantino for helping me locate the correct short story and for sending me a scan!

Sources:

Coleman, Herbert. The Man Who Knew Hitchcock: a Hollywood Memoir. Scarecrow Press, 2007.

The FictionMags Index. 21 July 2018, www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. OTR Pub., 2001.

Howard, Clark. “One Way Out.” Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Feb. 1965, pp. 3–15.

IMDb, IMDb.com, 21 July 2018, www.imdb.com/.

“Night Fever.” Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 1, episode 2, NBC, 6 Oct. 1985.

“Night Fever.” The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, season 10, episode 28, CBS, 3 May 1965.

Stephensen-Payne, Phil. Galactic Central, 23 July 2018, philsp.com/.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2018, www.wikipedia.org/.

Clark Howard on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: An Overview and Episode Guide

Two stories by Clark Howard were adapted for the Hitchcock TV series: "Enough Rope for Two," which aired in the third season, and "One Way Out," which was retitled "Night Fever" and which aired as the next to last episode of the tenth and final season. Both shows followed Howard's tales closely, though the first expanded the lead female role to showcase star Jean Hagen and suffered as a result. Each of the episodes stands as a solid example of the crime fiction of its day, and it is unfortunate that the producers of the Hitchcock series did not see fit to adapt more examples of this author's work, especially since his stories became a mainstay of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in the decades that followed.

EPISODE GUIDE-CLARK HOWARD ON ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS/THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR

Episode title-"Enough Rope for Two" [3.7]
Broadcast date-17 November 1957
Teleplay by-Joel Murcott
Based on-"Enough Rope for Two" by Clark Howard
First print appearance-Manhunt February 1957
Notes
Watch episode-here
Available on DVD?-here

Episode title-"Night Fever" [10.28]
Broadcast date-3 May 1965
Teleplay by-Gilbert Ralston
Based on-"One Way Out" by Clark Howard
First print appearance-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine February 1965
Notes
Watch episode-here
Available on DVD?-no

In two weeks: Our series on Bernard C. Schoenfeld begins with "Decoy," starring Robert Horton and Cara Williams!

The Hitchcock Project-Francis and Marian Cockrell Part Ten: The Hands of Mr. Ottermole [2.32]

by Jack Seabrook

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) is considered the first true Hitchcock film and tells the story of a murderer similar to Jack the Ripper. In a similar vein is the classic Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole," which aired on CBS on Sunday, May 5, 1957. The script by Francis Cockrell was adapted from the short story of the same name first published in the February 1929 issue of a British fiction magazine called The Story-Teller.

In London's East End, a man named Whybrow and his wife are murdered, the first victims of London's Strangling Horrors. The murderer leaves no trace and seems to have no discernible motive. Soon, another murder occurs, and this time the victim is a child named Nellie Vrinoff. Her death is followed by that of a police constable. Eventually, a journalist reasons that, if no one but the police are ever in the vicinity of the crimes, then the murderer must be a policeman. The reporter tests out his theory on Sergeant Ottermole, who confirms that it is correct and makes the journalist his next victim.

"The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" is a classic story of a serial killer whose lack of motive makes him hard to catch. The horror of the situation is that the authority figure trusted to protect the public is also the guilty party. Ottermole's final confession is chilling, as he claims that his own members are seized with an inexplicable compulsion:

A sample issue of
The Story-Teller

"Couldn't it be that parts of our bodies aren't really us, and couldn't ideas come into those parts all of a sudden, like ideas come into--into"--he shot his arms out, showing the great white-gloved hands and hairy wrists; shot them out so swiftly to the journalist's throat that his eyes never saw them--"into my hands."

Two unusual names stand out in the story. The first is Whybrow, the initial murder victim, who is followed through the foggy streets of London and who, once he seems safe at home, opens his door to his killer. Perhaps Burke was rhyming "Whybrow" with "highbrow" in order to suggest that this will be no "highbrow" or scholarly tale, since the character with a similar name is killed in the first section of the story. The second name of interest is that of the killer, Ottermole. The name jumps out at the reader as unusual in the title but is then conspicuously absent until the final confrontation between reporter and sergeant, when the sergeant is identified by name for the first time: " 'Now, as man to man, tell me, Sergeant Ottermole, just why did you kill those inoffensive people?' " In addition to the clever way that Burke holds back this name until the climax, the name itself contains two animals: the otter, a creature that can exist just as easily in land or in water, and the mole, which has strong "arms" for digging and is comfortable living underground and in darkness. A mole is also a term for a spy, so Sergeant "Ottermole" embodies characteristics of both animals, able to be both policeman and killer, to live among normal men while pursuing an underground life as a murderer, and to operate with strong hands while seeing through the dense London fog that hides his actions.

After its initial magazine publication in early 1929, Burke's short story was collected in his 1931 book, The Pleasantries of Old Quong, which was published in the United States under the alternate title, A Tea-Shop in Limehouse. Burke recognized the story's quality and selected it as his entry for inclusion in a multi-author collection that same year called My Best Detective Story. The story was reprinted a decade later in the September 1942 issue of the British magazine Argosy, and began to appear in radio adaptations when it was broadcast on Molle Mystery Theatre near the end of World War II, on February 6, 1945. This broadcast is now lost, but a second adaptation for the same series was aired on June 21, 1946; this version survives and may be heard online here.

Theodore Bikel as Sergeant Ottermole

Comparing the existing versions of "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" to Burke's story is interesting and allows one to determine with some accuracy what Francis Cockrell contributed to the evolution of the story when he later adapted it for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Each of the four existing versions of the story (three on radio and one on television) preserves the essential structure of Burke's story while making certain changes. The 1946 radio version is set in London in 1890, near the end of Britain's Victorian era, and a narrator describes the events leading up to and including the Whybrow murder in a long opening sequence. Perhaps thinking that the murder of a child was too shocking for 1946 radio listeners, the second murder victim becomes an adult woman, while the third remains a policeman. In a major change to Burke's story, the character of the reporter becomes much more central and is introduced early in the proceedings. He appears after each murder and eventually becomes a suspect due to his proximity to each crime. In the final confrontation, the reporter has a gun and shoots Ottermole as the policeman strangles the reporter. Ironically, both men die, and the mayor later awards a posthumous medal to Sergeant Ottermole for killing the reporter, who is thought to have been the strangler! This version of the story was written by L.K. Hoffman.

Two and a half years later, "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" was again adapted for radio, this time for Suspense, where it was broadcast on December 2, 1948. The script was by Ken Crossen and the story is narrated by Sergeant Ottermole himself, played by Claude Rains, whose marvelous voice is used to great effect as he tells the story to the reporter, played by Vincent Price. This time, the murder of Whybrow is followed by the murder of the policeman, skipping the girl's murder altogether. Having Ottermole narrate the story makes it even more shocking when he is revealed as the killer and, as in the story and the 1946 radio version, the sergeant succeeds in killing the reporter. This time, however, the reporter had sent a letter to the newspaper identifying the killer and Sergeant Ottermole is later sentenced to death and hanged. The Suspense adaptation of Burke's story is widely available and may be heard here.

Rhys Williams as Summers, the reporter

The third and final radio adaptation of the story was aired on May 2, 1949, just five months later, on NBC's Radio City Playhouse. This time, the setting was moved from London to New York City, where the borough of Brooklyn is terrorized by the Greenpoint Strangler. This version is the only one to feature the murder of the little girl, as in the original short story, and once again the reporter has a gun and shoots Sergeant Ottermole, killing the strangler but surviving the encounter. Ironically, a $10,000 reward is posted for the killer of the sergeant, so the reporter cannot write the story and admit killing the murderer. Instead, he writes a false story and claims that Ottermole was the strangler's next victim. George Lefferts wrote the script for this version, which may be heard here.

In addition to being the subject of four radio adaptations in the years from 1945 to 1949, "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" was also the subject of some critical acclaim in the immediate post-war years. Ellery Queen included it in the 1946 collection, 101 Years' Entertainment: The Great Detective Stories 1841-1941, and it was selected by Anthony Boucher for inclusion in the 1947 volume, Murder By Experts. In both books, it was referred to as one of the all-time great mystery stories.

Less than two months after the story was adapted for Radio City Playhouse, it made its TV debut on Suspense, in an adaptation credited to Frank Gabrielson and directed by Robert Stevens. This version was aired live on June 28, 1949, and has been lost. The story was aired live for a second time on Suspense on November 28, 1950; this version is also lost and the writer of the teleplay is unknown, so it is not clear if the 1949 script was re-used. This version starred Robert Emhardt, who would later appear on six episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Summers and Ottermole in the London fog

The last adaptation of "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" was filmed for Alfred Hitchcock Presents and has become the definitive version due to its availability and the quality of the production. The teleplay is by Francis Cockrell and the show is directed by Robert Stevens, who also directed the two prior television adaptations for Suspense. The time and place are set by means of a title superimposed on the opening establishing shot; "London 1919," the title reads, and behind it is a foggy scene of the Thames with Big Ben in the background. There is a dissolve to an "Underground" sign and the mobile camera then follows Mr. Whybrow through the foggy East End streets.

Cockrell's first notable addition to the story is the killer's habit of whistling "Greensleeves" just before each murder; the old English tune is haunting and tips the viewer off to imminent danger. Whybrow's walk home and subsequent murder are depicted as in the story and in prior adaptations; director Stevens uses his camera to show the scene from the killer's point of view, as he follows Whybrow home and strangles him when the man opens his front door.

Cockrell introduces a new character in Whybrow's nephew, who is summoned to the house of the murdered couple and questioned. Sergeant Ottermole is in charge of the investigation; Theodore Bikel plays the character with a Scottish accent, marking him as the "other" even amidst his fellow policemen. In the scenes that follow, Cockrell's script follows the prior radio adaptations by bringing the reporter into the story as a character much earlier and having him pester Sergeant Ottermole about the lack of progress in the police investigation.

Stevens stages the second murder evocatively; Cockrell eschews the death of a child and instead has the killer strangle an old woman selling flowers. We know a murder is coming because we hear Ottermole whistling "Greensleeves" again and we see the use of the subjective camera that both provides the killer's point of view and masks his identity. As the flower lady is being strangled, the camera pans up and over to a store window beside her and the word "Palmistry" is written in large letters on the window. Inside the window display, a large model of a hand rotates, reminding the viewer of the hand motif that runs throughout the story.

Cockrell uses dialogue in the scenes that follow to delve into the killer's motive or lack thereof, as the reporter visits the police station and converses with Ottermole and a police constable. The constable suggests that the killer is a foreigner and, while he surely means a Chinaman--London's East End was filled with immigrants from the Far East at that time--the actual killer is a Scotsman, a foreigner who is able to blend in among the British. On another foggy night, the same constable discovers the dead body of a policeman and then the reporter, here named Summers, figures out the identity of the killer and makes the fateful decision to approach Sergeant Ottermole on a foggy night street.

The one constant with all of the adaptations of "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" is the writers' determination to tinker with the ending. In the version filmed for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Summers confronts Ottermole and the sergeant begins to strangle the reporter, but this time the constable grabs Ottermole from behind and subdues him before he can kill the reporter. Ottermole is handcuffed and led away and Summers is troubled by the sergeant's comments about ideas coming into his hands. The show ends here, with both Ottermole and the reporter surviving the final conflict and without any confusion about the killer's identity.

Torin Thatcher as Constable Johnson

Francis Cockrell's script for "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" differs from those used for radio adaptations in that it relies heavily on dialogue rather than narration to advance the story. He inserts the flower lady in early scenes so the viewer is familiar with her by the time she is killed, and he gives the killer the habit of whistling "Greensleeves" before each murder. Robert Stevens does an outstanding job of direction, creating a foggy London atmosphere that fits the mood of the story perfectly and using subjective camera work to hide the murderer's identity and force the viewer to identify with him by showing the first two killings from his point of view. In short, this episode is a classic example of what the Hitchcock show does best: creating suspense and entertaining the viewer, even when telling a familiar story.

Robert Stevens (1920-1989) worked mostly as a TV director from 1948 to 1987, directing 105 episodes of Suspense from 1949 to 1952 and 49 episodes of the Hitchcock show. He won an Emmy for "The Glass Eye."

Thomas Burke (1886-1945), who wrote the story, was born in London and wrote both novels and short stories, often set in the Limehouse District of London's East End. Three of his stories were adapted for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, including "John Brown's Body."

A.E. Gould-Porter as Whybrow

Sergeant Ottermole is played by Theodore Bikel (1924-2015), who was born in Austria and whose family fled to Palestine in 1938. He began acting on stage in his teens, moved to London in 1945, and finally settled in the U.S. in 1954. He was on screen from 1947 to 2003 and also had a busy career as a folk singer and musician. This was his only appearance on the Hitchcock show, though he also played a memorable role on one episode of The Twilight Zone titled "Four O'Clock."

In the role of Summers, the reporter, is Rhys Williams (1897-1969), an actor who was born in Wales and who made his screen debut in John Ford's How Green Was My Valley (1941). He was on screen until 1970 but this was his only appearance on the Hitchcock show.

The police constable who prevents Ottermole from killing Summers is played by the familiar character actor Torin Thatcher (1905-1981), who was born in India to British parents and who was on screen from 1927 to 1976. In addition to three appearances on the Hitchcock show (including "Bed of Roses"), he was seen on Thriller and Night Gallery and played important parts in Great Expectations (1946) and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958).

Charles Davis

A second reporter is played by Charles Davis (1925-2009), who was born in Ireland and who worked mostly on TV from 1951 to 1987. He was seen on seven episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, including "I Killed the Count," where he plays the long-suffering junior to John Williams's inspector.

In small roles, A.E. Gould-Porter (1905-1987) plays the ill-fated Mr. Whybrow; he was in 10 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, including "The Glass Eye." His wife, who is heard but not seen, is played by Hilda Plowright (1890-1973), who was also in "Banquo's Chair" as the ghost.

"The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" is available on DVD here or may be viewed online here.

Sources:

Athanason, Arthur Nicholas. “Thomas Burke.” Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers, Springer, 2015, pp. 227–230, books.google.com/books?id=_U6vCwAAQBAJ&dq=thomas+burke+in+twentieth+century+crime+and+mystery+writers&source=gbs_navlinks_s.

Burke, Thomas. “The Hands of Mr. Ottermole.” 65 Great Murder Mysteries, edited by Mary Danby, Octopus, 1983, pp. 91–105.

The FictionMags Index, 29 Dec. 2017, www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm.
Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. OTR Pub., 2001.

“The Hands of Mr. Ottermole.” Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 2, episode 32, CBS, 5 May 1957.

“The Hands of Mr. Ottermole.” Molle Mystery Theatre, 21 June 1946.

“The Hands of Mr. Ottermole.” Radio City Playhouse, 2 May 1949.

“The Hands of Mr. Ottermole.” Suspense, 2 Dec. 1948.

IMDb, IMDb.com, 29 Dec. 2017, www.imdb.com.

Nyhagen, Dennis. “Molle' Mystery Theatre [Mystery Theatre] Radio Programs.” The Definitive Molle Mystery Theatre Radio Logs with Geoffrey Barnes, Bernard Lenrow, and Dan Seymour, 30 Dec. 2017, www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/dd2jb-Molle-Mystery-Theatre.html.
Stephensen-Payne, Phil. “Galactic Central.” Galactic Central, philsp.com.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Dec. 2017, www.wikipedia.org.

In two weeks: "The West Warlock Time Capsule," starring Henry Jones!