Four Star Playhouse 1.13

No Identity

starring David Niven

written by John Bagni, Gwen Bagni

directed by Robert Florey

Mitch Carver meets Tommy, a nine-year-old boy from the local orphanage, while he is fishing. Tommy is thinking of running away. Mitch talks him out of it and spends time with him. Mitch wants to adopt Tommy but his wife Lynn isn't keen on the idea. She tries to talk him out of it but he insists.

Lynn gets pregnant for the first time. Mitch can see that things aren't going well between Lynn and Tommy. He agrees, six months after Tommy comes to live with them, that maybe he should return Tommy to the orphanage.

Mitch goes on a business trip before returning Tommy to the orphanage. Lynn falls down the stairs at home while Mitch is away. Tommy steps up and calls the doctor and Mitch's office. Lynn is so impressed with Tommy's response to the emergency that she changes her mind. She tells Mitch that she wants Tommy to continue living with them.

Thoughts

It wasn't too hard to see where this story was going. Despite it's predictability I thought this episode was well put together and touching enough for me to enjoy it.

Notes

This is the third of 32 episodes of this show that starred David Niven.

Frances Rafferty played the part of Lynn. This is the first of three episodes of this show in which she appeared.

Hugh Beaumont played the part of Father Renaldo, who ran the orphanage. This is the first of five episodes of this show in which he appeared. I know him best from Leave It to Beaver where he played the part of Ward Cleaver. I've also seen him in The Blue Dahlia (1946) in recent years.

Myra Marsh played the part of Mitch's mother. This is the first of two episodes of this show in which she appeared.

Mack Williams played Doctor Evans in this episode. This is the first of three episodes of this show in which he appeared. He appeared in one episode of The Twilight Zone (1959). He had uncredited appearances in a few movies I have seen in recent years including Repeat Performance (1947), Armored Car Robbery (1950), Monkey Business (1952), and The Bigamist (1953).