The Baby-Blue Expression

This is one of those episodes where you actually want the young woman to get away with murder. But she does an incredibly stupid thing. It's then a race to get back a letter she sent which could get her convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. It's a classic plot played out nicely with obstructions all along the way.

Arthur Hiller (LOVE STORY) directed this campy episode, with all the frills. At the time he was also directing ROUTE 66.

This is a love story gone haywire with a dash of homicide. Beautiful Sarah Marshall (daughter of actor Herbert Marshall) is spot on as the pampered rich young lady who wants to kill her "older" stick in the mud husband, played by Richard Gaines. Gaines is best known for playing the judge on PERRY MASON.

A prime example of how NOT to commit a murder, and I agree, Marshall's character really messes things up. She has to retrieve a letter that basically implicates her and her boy toy in the murder plan. Not original, as there have been a ton of stories all about trying to retrieve a letter -- but under the bizarre circumstances its worth a look.

Hitch was obviously a fan of Sarah Marshall, also born in London. The British stick together. Sarah is laugh out loud fun to watch in this type of dilemma. And will she make it? Wait for the ending.

A diamond in the rough. Written by Helen Neilsen, who also wrote episodes for PERRY MASON.

SEASON 6 EPISODE 12 remastered. 5 dvd box set. Collectors edition.

Cause if Mrs. Barrett is written as being a ditz, Phillip's right behind her.

So we have three main characters for this episode. Mr. And Mrs. Barrett. Mrs. Barrett might be married but she has her attention on Phillip and the feelings are mutal from Phillip's point of view.

Phillip's got a plan to get Mr. Barrett out of the picture. I do think he's got more brains than Mrs. Barrett but he's truly not far behind her. He writes Mrs. Barrett a letter and definitely implicates himself in what will turn out to be Mr. Barrett's murder. He lists a couple of instructions for Mrs. Barrett to follow while all this is going on. He wants Mrs. B to write Mr. B a swarmy letter. This is all very hard on Mrs. B because she doesn't know what swarmy means. She also thought Canada was overseas at the beginning of the episode. The second thing Mrs. B is supposed to do is throw a little get together. Mrs. B finally gets her swarmy letter written and she folds all the pages together (including the letter Phillip sent her!!) and off she goes to the mail box with it.

She gets back and it doesn't take her long to notice she screwed up. Where's Phillip's letter? She realizes it must be in the letter she sent her husband. She has to get her letter back! Her maid's getting canopies made for Mrs. B's get together while Mrs. B makes a mad dash around trying to get her letter back.

She ends up at the post office and she's told that mail's already out. She goes back home and tries to call her husband. She has all the hope that Phillip's plan failed. Nope, her husband isn't there. Needless to say, Mrs. B's got too much on her mind to be into her get together. Is a ray of hope for Mrs. B about to arrive? A man that works at the hotel says Mrs. B's letter came back. Mrs. B didn't put enough postage on the envelope. Mrs. B's hopes are crushed as she's told that he put more postage on the envelope and sent it back off.

I just adore this episode. It's an interesting storyline but I really want to give bonus points to Sarah Marshall (Mrs. Barrett). I loved the airy, ditzy voice she used for the character.

Young Mrs. Barrett (Marshall) has a 100-watt body and a 10-watt brain, but she's also the pampered wife of an older business tycoon (Gaines) who also happens to have a handsome assistant (Walker). Naturally, 3 into 2 won't go, so hubby is not long for this world if only the intellectually-challenged missus can figure out how to mail a letter.

Marshall does a good kittenish version of Marilyn Monroe, and it's amusing to watch her figure out what a "smarmy" letter is like. I'm sort of surprised the screenplay didn't play up retrieving that incriminating letter more than it did. There's real suspense in post office red tape that keeps getting in the way. Nonetheless, her cocktail party diversion is a well acted and humorously scripted hoot with its decadent Manhattan types. No mayhem or chills here, just a good straightforward story topped off by the expected delicious twist.

I am most familiar with Sarah Marshall from one of my favorite TZ episodes, "Little Girl Lost", where she played the girl's mother.

I have also seen her in many other later TV shows, so it was interesting to see her play the "feather-brain", as her lover calls her.

That said, there was over-all very little to this episode after the letter is written.

Perhaps because it was only a half-hour show, less the Alfred Hitchcock wrappers, but the chase after the letter should have been longer.

The party seemed like an after-thought, rather than a part of the lover's plan. Again, perhaps because of the short run time.

Despite these objections, it was still fun to see Sarah Marshall in this role.