Post Mortem

Okay entry in the premier series. So what's the deal with Doctor Blackmer and his tweety bird wife Conklin. Looks like the doc has a history of collecting on life insurance policies, at least, according to insurance inspector Coogan. Now Blackmer's married sweet little Conklin after she's collected big on her husband Mead's sudden death. Could it be that Conklin's now in bath-taking sun-lamp danger from her new, greedy hubby. And what's the deal with the sudden big lottery winnings that the dead Mead's entitled to. If only Conklin and Blackmer can find the certificate, they'll collect. But where would the dead Mead have hidden it. Stay tuned.

Suspicions gather early keeping us interested, but the real crux develops later, with a rather surprising climax. It's really the tweety-voiced Conklin that steals the show. She's all fluttery and eager to please, a really unusual presence. Anyway, it's a curiosity-building half-hour, so don't miss it.

This story of Sweepstake ticket, winning ticket, let in a buried man's jacket pocket is very familiar to me, and I am not speaking of the other version of this Cornell Woolrich novel made in the ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS series but of the William Castle's MR SARDONICUS screen play; remember, the story of this man - Guy Rolfe - who digs the grave of his father to get the winning ticket of the Sweepstake and who is then horrified by his father's death smile. Watch it again, if you don't believe me.

The cachet of being based on a story by Cornell Woolrich doesn't justify this ridiculously poor episode of "Suspense", that live TV drama, staged (and kinescoped for posterity) in 1949. It made me feel sorry for audiences exposed to it in those early days of TV.

The dialogue and situations are beyond corny, consistently insulting to one's intelligence. A mystery or suspense piece needs clues and a bit of subtlety, but this one is so obvious at every turn as to suggest self-satire.

The acting is quite poor, again verging on a comedy routine. Sidney Blackmer and Peggy Conklin are embarrassing -one supposes they didn't get the joke.