Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1.04

Don't Come Back Alive

starring Sidney Blackmer, Virginia Gregg, Robert Emhardt

directed by Robert Stevenson

Frank comes up with a scheme to fool the insurance company. He talks his wife into going into hiding. If she isn't found after seven years she will be declared legally dead and he can collect the insurance money, $25,000. Once he has the money they can reunite and move somewhere else. That's his plan.

Mildred, Frank's wife reluctantly agrees to go along with his scheme. Frank's plan gets off to a bumpy start because Lucy, Mildred's sister, suspects that Frank killed her and reports her suspicions to the police.

The insurance company sends Mr. Kettle (Robert Emhardt), an insurance investigator, around to look into the case. He doesn't find any evidence of foul play but he really gets on Frank's nerves.

Mildred returns unexpectedly just before the seven year period is up. She tells Frank that she has met someone else and that she wants a divorce. She tries to buy him off with $1500 she has saved up over the past seven years. Frank gets enraged and kills her. He buries Mildred's body in the backyard but then Mr. Kettle shows up.

Thoughts

I recognized Robert Emhardt but I wasn't sure what it was that I knew him from. He was in an episode of The Invaders (1.07 Nightmare) that I have seen and in 3:10 to Yuma (1957). This is the first of six episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in which he appeared. He also appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone (1959) and an episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour. 

I didn't recognize Sidney Blackmer but he has been in a couple movies I have seen: High Society (1956) and How to Murder Your Wife (1965). This is the first of two episode of this show in which he appeared. 

I didn't recognize Virginia Gregg but she was in an episode of the Six Million Dollar Man that I watched in the not too distant past, 1.01 Population: Zero. This is the first of four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) in which she appeared. She also appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone (1959) and three episodes of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

This was a good episode. I enjoyed it for the most part but the ending wasn't quite dark enough for me. The hint seems to be that Frank isn't going to get away with it but the ending was too abrupt. It might have worked better for me if Frank had lost it and killed Mr. Kettle. I'm not sure if that would have been approved by the censors.