Tales of the Unexpected 1.09

The Way Up to Heaven

starring Julie Harris, Roland Culver

directed by Simon Langton

Alice Foster worries a great deal about timeliness. Her husband doesn't care so much about it. She is getting ready to fly from London to New York to visit their daughter and granddaughter, without him. Mr. Foster takes his time getting ready for the drive to Heathrow which causes Alice a great deal of anxiety until she decides she's had enough of waiting and tells the taxi driver to take her to the airport without her husband, even though she can hear him calling her name.

Alice returns six weeks later only to find her husband dead in the elevator in their home.

Tales of the Unexpected 1.08

A Dip in the Pool

starring Jack Weston

directed by Michael Ruchner

William Botibol (Jack Weston), a passenger on a cruise ship, spends his last $1000 on what he thinks he is a sure bet. He bets that the ship will travel less than 505 miles over the course of 24 hours, from noon one day to noon the next day. He thinks it is a sure bet because of the stormy weather early in the 24 hour window of time.

Botibol wakes up the next morning and quickly notices that the sea is calm. Worried that he will lose the bet he comes up with a plan to slow the ship down. He jumps over board with the expectation that someone will see him and that the ship will have to turn around to pick him up.

Tales of the Unexpected 1.07

Edward the Conqueror

starring Wendy Hiller, Joseph Cotten

directed by Rodney Bennett

Louisa (Wendy Hiller) takes in a cat, against her husband Edward's (Joseph Cotten) wishes. The manner in which the cat responds to the music she plays on the piano leads her believe that it is the reincarnation of Franz Liszt. Edward isn't convinced by the arguments and evidence that she produces. He takes the cat outside. Louisa thinks he killed it so she kills him, with a large carving knife. The cat returns after Edward is dead.

Tales of the Unexpected 1.06

Neck

starring Joan Collins, Michael Aldridge, John Gielgud, Peter Bowles

directed by Christopher Miles

Sir Basil Tuton (Michael Aldridge) and his wife Natalie (Joan Collins) Turton have a few guests over for the weekend. She cavorts around with the other male guests. Natalia is in mid cavort when she gets her head stuck in a sculpture. Basil's had about enough and takes extreme measure to get her free from his sculpture.

Thoughts

There really wasn't enough to this episode for me to care one way or another how it ended. It was okay but like most of the other episodes of this show it left me shrugging my shoulders.

Tales of the Unexpected 1.05

The Landlady

Billy Weaver moves from London to Bath for his job. He finds a room at a bed and breakfast. The landlady seems very nice but then, after Billy sits down to have tea with her, he starts to notice somethings that don't seem quite right. Her dog and her parrot are both stuffed. The two names on the register before his sound familiar. He swears he's heard them before but he can't remember where or when.

Billy starts to feel tired and overheated. He can barely keep his eyes open. The landlady helps him to his room. She puts him in bed, undresses him and then pulls out her tools.

Tales of the Unexpected 1.04

Lamb to the Slaughter

starring Susan George, Brian Blessed

directed by John Davies

Mary Marney (Susan George) comes home from the local market and finds Patrick, her husband, dead. She calls the police. Detective Sergeant Jack Nolan (Brian Blessed) is in charge of the team that shows up. 

The team of policemen survey the scene and determine that Patrick Marnie must have been killed by a blow to the head. There is no sign of forced entry and no one's fingerprints are found except Mary's and Patrick's.

Mary tells them what she recalls but she doesn't tell them everything. She leaves out the part where Patrick told her that he was leaving her for another woman and the part where she bashed him over the head with a frozen leg of lamb.

She cooks the leg of lamb while the policemen are working. She invites them to have some. They haven't had a chance to eat dinner and are more than happy to dig in.

Tales of the Unexpected 1.03

William and Mary

starring Elaine Stritch, Marius Goring

directed by Donald McWhinnie

William dies. His wife Mary (Elaine Stritch) finds out that his brain has been preserved and is still alive. She learns this when (following instructions William left in his will) she goes to see Doctor Landy (Marius Goring). 

Thoughts

This is the first of two episodes of this show in which Elaine Stritch appeared. Marius Goring also appeared in six episodes of Doctor Who, all of which were part of Evil of the Daleks. 

Tales of the Unexpected 1.02

Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat

starring Julie Harris, Michael Hordern

directed by Simon Langton

Mrs. Bixby goes to see the Colonel, her lover, as she does on a quarterly basis. She tells her husband that she is going to see her Aunt Maude as she does every three months. Her husband suspects nothing. She has a lovely weekend with her lover, the Colonel.

He gifts her a mink coat at the last minute, as she about to catch an airplane. He tells her that it is time for them to end their relationship. The mink coat is a parting gift. She doesn't know what to do with it because it will make her husband suspicious.

Tales of the Unexpected 1.01

The Man from the South

starring José Ferrer, Michael Ontkean

directed by Michael Tuchner

Carlos (José Ferrer) and Tommy (Michael Ontkean) meet by chance in Jamaica. Carlos likes to gamble. He suggests that he is willing to gamble his Jaguar in exchange for the little finger on Tommy's left hand. All Tommy has to do to win the bet is light his lighter 10 consecutive times without fail.

If Tommy successfully completes the bet then he gets the Jaguar but if on any of the ten attempts he fails to light the lighter then Carlos will chop off the little finger on his left hand. Carlos ties down Tommy's left hand on a table with the little finger extended. Tommy uses his right hand to light the lighter.