Dishonest Frank and Lorna Bramwell visit the home of wealthy, eccentric Monica Laughton, with the intention of robbing her.Dishonest Frank and Lorna Bramwell visit the home of wealthy, eccentric Monica Laughton, with the intention of robbing her.Dishonest Frank and Lorna Bramwell visit the home of wealthy, eccentric Monica Laughton, with the intention of robbing her.
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Featured reviews
Winwood's perfect, her bulging eyes and ditzy manner, a perfect foil for the aggressively greedy Bronson. This was still early in the tough guy's career before his acting style was reduced to a single hard-eyed stare. Happily, he shows here that he does have an acting range. Then too Crane makes the rather slow-thinking wife into a reluctant counterpart to hubby Bronson. In my book, the episode is pitch-perfect Hitch fare, the character elements coming together beautifully, with an ironic closing line that fits perfectly, raising also a boggling subtext about how those now invisible family members became invisible. Anyway, hats off to all involved, and to a Bronson that's seldom seen.
Estelle Winwood is wonderful as a very pleasant but decidedly delusional woman, with the habit of planning imaginary funerals. Charles Bronson and Norma Crane work well together as an unscrupulous couple who hear about her wealth and invade her home, only to find it necessary to respond to a weird and unexpected situation. Bronson is particularly effective in sometimes showing scorn and incredulity towards the elderly woman's delusions, and at other times trying to think along with her, to turn the situation to his advantage.
The story is written and told with careful pacing, and it includes a simple but plausible explanation for everything. The ending is gruesomely ironic, and the main story is framed very neatly by the two visits from the stoic milkman (played by Dabbs Greer), which contain some clever parallels. It's a very offbeat episode, and it would be understandable if it is not to everyone's taste. But for those with a morbid sense of humor, it could prove quite enjoyable.
Tough guy Bronson gets deservedly annoyed by an eccentric lady, wonderfully played by Miss Winwood. This is an amusing foray into macabre humour with the imaginary guests and funeral.
Did you know
- TriviaThe title is the first line of the nursery rhyme about the woman who lived in the shoe.
- GoofsIn the kitchen scene where "Frank" and "Lorna" are eating out of the pan, there are moving shadows on the wall to the left of the screen that are not from the actors.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Alfred Hitchcock: Good evening. I have a request for those of you who are not watching television... Please turn on your set. I'm sure I look much worse in the flamboyant Technicolor of your imagination than I do in the austere black and white of television. Thank you. I'm sure that's much better. Although it may still be one color too many. Black and white are very fitting this evening. As a matter of fact, we considered edging the entire picture in black, but we gave that up. It would have been decidedly unfair to those of you with very small picture tubes, or narrow imaginations. Tonight's fable is about Monday Laughton. A nice little old lady with a penchant for funerals. You shall learn more about Miss Laughton after our sponsor gives this brief but heartfelt eulogy in behalf of his product.
- SoundtracksFuneral March of a Marionette
Written by Charles Gounod
Details
- Runtime
- 30m
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1