An arrogant detective, Charles Courtney, prides himself on never having committed a single mistake in his long and distinguished career. He keeps a shelf of labeled mementos from each of his cases. On the shelf there is an open space and a blank tag for what Courtney calls "The Perfect Crime". One day a defense lawyer stuns Courtney when he confronts him with evidence that the ...
Mobster Louis "The King" Koster believes that his wife and sole heir is unfaithful. He hires a hit man to kill her for twenty thousand dollars. The hit-man agrees, but he then shoots Koster dead. The hit-man was Marian's lover. Since she will inherit everything, the hit-man decided to go with the better bargain.
Barbie Hallem is a bored rich girl, who drinks too much, parties too much and flirts outrageously with any man she meets. And there's no reason to think she stops at flirting, even though she has a boyfriend. But her boyfriend is a drip. He won't punch out a guy when he sees her kissing him. The dullard even tries to take her home when she gets drunk at a party. What she wants ...
Mary Maloney is a devoted wife and an exceptional housekeeper. One day, her husband, the police chief, announces that he wants a divorce because he has met another woman. Mary is quite angry and kills him with a blow from a frozen leg of lamb. She calls the police and provides and alibi for herself with the story that she'd been out to the store when the murder took place. The ...
Stella Ballister (Patricia Owens) receives the horrifying news that her husband met with an untimely demise while mountain climbing. Newly married, Stella asks for the retrieval of her husband's body - but the task proves impossible when the corpse accidentally falls into a deep crevasse, where no human eyes or hands can reach him. Mark (James Donald), having feelings for Stell...
A look at Alfred Hitchcock's films. The Master of Suspense himself, who is interviewed extensively here, shares stories including his deep-seated fear of policemen, elaborates on the difference between shock and suspense, defines the meaning of "MacGuffin," and discusses his use of storyboarding in designing a film. Clips from many of his greatest films (including "North by Nor...
Dick Cavett spends 90 minutes with legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock in a 1972 interview. Hitch discusses cinema, his life and career, and explains how he pulled off some "ingenious" special effects in his movies. He also discusses actors, screen violence and how he enjoys watching an audience "dipping their toe in the cold water of fear." Included are clips from his fil...
Mr. Brenner makes a down payment on a house. The house's owners, Cissie and Johanna Enright say that they don't want to sell. He threatens them with a lawsuit, but is poisoned. He collapses and the sisters discuss what they should do. Joanna wants to finish him off more poison while Cissie prefers a gun. Brenner revives and pitches on sister against the other. He gets the gun f...
Jonathan Ross examines the life and career of the most celebrated director in the history of cinema, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, in a quest for the British roots of his unique style. Jonathan is a huge fan of the Hollywood legend and finds out what led the son of an East End grocer to embark on a career in the film industry. He visits Gainsborough Studios where Hitchcock secured his ...
