A wife refuses to let her husband squander away the money from a 133,000-dollar sweepstakes ticket inherited from her first dead spouse, so he plans on killing her.A wife refuses to let her husband squander away the money from a 133,000-dollar sweepstakes ticket inherited from her first dead spouse, so he plans on killing her.A wife refuses to let her husband squander away the money from a 133,000-dollar sweepstakes ticket inherited from her first dead spouse, so he plans on killing her.
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Did you know
- TriviaA major plot point of this story is the Irish Sweepstakes, a national lottery set up by the Republic of Ireland to generate funds for the country's hospital system. As lotteries at that time were still illegal in the U.S., this particular one was quite popular. One thing not mentioned in the story was that United States federal income taxes were still exceedingly high then and that most of the winnings would go to the government and not to Mrs. Archer. She'd be lucky to receive $27,000 out of the $133,000. Still, that amount would be equivalent to about $291,000 in 2024.
- GoofsThe first time Steve plugs in the electric heater in the bathroom, the cord to the wall socket is around the height of his thighs or waist and stretches across the width of the room, but he's able to somehow move back and forth between the bathtub and the mirror on the other side of the room without being impeded by the cord.
- Quotes
[afterword - Hitchcock returns to the greenhouse to see the grown plants]
Alfred Hitchcock: You can see how effective the lamp is.
[picks up a shovel that's grown larger]
Alfred Hitchcock: It looks as though I should turn off the lamp. I shall do so following the following.
[commercial break]
Alfred Hitchcock: I'd better be off in case the lamp does something to me. I'll be back next week with another story. Until then, good night.
- ConnectionsVersion of Suspense: Post Mortem (1949)
- SoundtracksFuneral March of a Marionette
Written by Charles Gounod
Joanna Moore and Steve Forrest play Judy and Steve, a young couple with a problem. Considering the macabre material, this had to be a favorite of Alfred Hitchcock hands down.
It's all about a winning lottery ticket, the legendary Irish Sweepstakes, which back in the day was the forerunner of SUPER Lotto. It seems Judy's husband died rather suddenly and the winning ticket was accidentally buried with him! That's a long, long shot, but you have to give the writers credit for a dark Hitch scenario. True, there have been stories of everyday people being buried with expensive watches, jewelry and the like --but is this couple really gonna' dig the poor guy up?
Possibly... although Steve (well played by Steve Forrest), is not in favor, thinking its rather gruesome... OR is there something else that may bury him? I agree with the last reviewer, this is perhaps one of the darkest roles for Forrest, who usually played good guys in his career, but he makes the most out of this part.
What happens next? That's the fun of it, a very clever story that will hold your attention.
The trivia notes are correct, and may be the biggest joke of all. Back in the 50s, taxes were high, especially on lottery winnings, so the money Judy and Steve would receive, and a hefty part of it, would go to the IRS. But why get into details?
From Season 3, remastered Universal dvd box set. Released 2007.
- tcchelsey
- Oct 12, 2023
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1