Conversation Over a Corpse

A pair of sisters decide to play a devious game when the man who bought their house arrives for a visit. They serve up something extra special in their tea and cookies, in order to keep their home in the family.

Enjoyable black comedy that benefits from the three characters. Their acting is great. There's no murder, well only an attempted poisoning, but it's a change from a serious tone.

Another fine episode by Frances Cockrell, who also brought lots of imagination and homicide to BATMAN a decade later.

Carmen Matthews and Dorothy Stickney, two superior stage and film actresses, are appropriately cast as the Enright sisters, about to lose the old homestead. In steps heartless, calculating Mr. Brenner (Ray Collins, just before his PERRY MASON days), ready to take control of the place and literally throw them into the street.

What to do? In the usual Hitchcock style, MURDER 101. He deserved it anyway, right? The thing Hitch must have recommended time again to his writers was to ALWAYS end an arguement with cold blooded murder. At least it spiced things up.

The two spinsters begin deliberations as to the best way to eliminate their guest, and eventually Brenner is sitting paralyzed and at their mercy. Didn't he like the tea and cookies?

Carmen Matthews, a Hitchcock favorite, much like Robert H. Harris, is again perfectly cast as the warm and gentle villain, and the brains of the outfit who is quite the cook. Wait for the ending...

Jules Bricken did a very good job directing this talented trio, and with experience; he also directed several episodes of Boris Karloff's macabre series, THRILLER. In the 60s Bricken produced one of the greatest WW II films ever, THE TRAIN, starring Burt Lancaster.

Best of SEASON 2, remastered Universal dvd box set (2006). These box sets are wonderful, usually containing 4 dvds.

Deliciously done black humor. Aging Enright sisters are about to be put out of the family house by greedy wheeler-dealer Brenner (Collins). But despite their genteel appearance, they're not about to go quietly, at least as long as there's poison in the house. Trouble is ditzy Cissie (Stickney) doesn't like either cruel people or cruel deeds. So she gives Brenner only a half-dose. Now the three face-off in the parlor as Brenner hangs on desperately while the ladies decide how to finish the job.

The episode is strongly reminiscent of Kill With Kindness (Oct., 1956), down to feisty Carmen Mathews as the driving force. This entry, however, is more consistently tongue-in-cheek. Collins makes a good Scrooge, while Stickney manages a tricky part well. The upshot's nicely ironic made so by a clever script that eases subtly into the irony. All in all, it's vintage Hitchcock from the series second season.

The ultra cynical Alfred Hitchcock on introducing the upcoming episode already gives a hint what comes next in dealing with mini-laboratory mixing chemical elements in test tubes, the story is about two sexagenarian old ladies that previously sold their old property to a real state buyer that intent to demolish the old house aiming for property appreciation in near future, oddly enough both are regretting for accepted the business, so the old ladies planning invite the buyer for a tea to poison the older profiteer.

Actually has something underneath concerning the two old ladies, it won't as expose at first glance, the older one Cissie Enright (Dorothy Stickney) seems faltering and rambling, instead the younger one Joanna Enright (Carmen Mathews) that holds the firm purpose to poison the il-fated buyer Mr. Herbert (Ray Collins), the unexpected coming on closing episode, while back with Hitchcock final comments alleging that there's no actors available to play dead people, so he suggests to audience offers themselves for these death's roles, oh my God!!

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First watch: 2025 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

This is entirely tongue in cheek. It involves a couple of elderly sisters. One of them quite dominating and the other rather passive. Enter a man played by Ray Collins (Lt. Tragg from Perry Mason). He wants their property and won't take no for an answer. They decide that they should kill him. The entire episode is a series of efforts to do away with the man while he sits there and listens. He is paralyzed for much of the episode. As time goes along, the sister that seems like the mouse begins to assert herself. It leads to a satisfying conclusion. It's best if you don't take this one too seriously.

The byplay between the two sisters and Collins' pleading are quite comical. I think a great deal of charm comes from the two women's cold bloodedness. They don't seem to care that they are about to murder someone, only how to do it.