Four Star Playhouse 1.11

Sound Off, My Love

starring Merle Oberon

written by John Bagni, Gwen Bagni

directed by Robert Florey

Martha is losing her hearing but she hasn't told anyone. She doesn't realize it but other people have already picked up on this fact. She resist's her doctor's suggestion that she start wearing a heading aid. It isn't until after Bill, her husband, almost runs her over in his car, because she couldn't the car engine, that she finally gives in and gets a hearing aid.

Martha soon learns, thanks to the hearing aid, that Bill is having an affair and is planning to kill her. She tries to get away with some help from her friend Betty only to later discover that it is Betty with whom Bill is having the affair. Martha runs off and stays at Betty's cabin. Bill shows up at the cabin ready to finish her off but a bit of luck saves her life.

Thoughts

This wasn't great or perfect but I thought it was pretty good. I think that in large part it came down to Merle Oberon's performance which was very good. It's a shame that the picture quality isn't better because some of the scenes that take place at night are so poorly lit that it made it very hard to see everything that was happening. 

Maybe I should have seen the twist coming but I didn't. I was too locked in to trying to figure out how Martha was going to escape from Bill. This is one of the few episodes of this show that kept my interest from beginning to end.

Notes

This is the first of three episode of this show that starred Merle Oberon. Gordon Oliver played the part of Bill. This is the only episode of this show in which he appeared. Barbara Billingsley played the part of Betty. This is the first of three episodes of this show in which she appeared; both of the other episodes starred David Niven. She appeared in one episode of Amazing Stories (1985). She is best known for playing the part of June Cleaver in Leave It to Beaver and The New Leave It to Beaver.

This is the fourth of 18 episodes that the John and Gwen Bagni wrote. One of the three previous episodes they wrote was 1.09 The Man on the Train. Gwen Bagni also wrote two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and had a hand in writing an episode of Wonder Woman, 1.08 Last of the Two Dollar Bills.