Back for Christmas (4 Mar. 1956)

Herbert Carpenter plans to murder his wife Hermione, bury her body in the basement, and then leave on a long business trip.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Francis M. Cockrell (teleplay), John Collier (story)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, John Williams, Isobel Elsom

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
John Williams	...	Herbert Carpenter
Isobel Elsom	...	Hermione Carpenter (as Isabel Elsom)
Arthur Gould-Porter	...	Major Sinclair (as A.E. Gould-Porter)
Lillian Kemble-Cooper	...	Mrs. Sinclair (as Lily Kemble-Cooper)
Gavin Muir	...	Mr. Wallingford
Katherine Warren	...	Mrs. Freda Wallingford
Gerald Hamer	...	Mr. Hewitt
Irene Tedrow	...	Mrs. Hewitt
Ross Ford	...	Butler
Theresa Harris	...	Elsie the Servant
Mollie Glessing	...	Maid

Storyline

Herbert is digging in his basement when his wife Hermione calls him upstairs to eat. She thinks he is making a wine cellar, but he is really planning to kill her and bury her in the basement. At lunch, Hermione goes over all the arrangements she has made for a business trip to California that they are about to take together. Several friends then come over to visit, and after they leave, Herbert looks for the opportunity to put his plan into practice.

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Plot Keywords:

basement | business trip | murder | california | wine cellar | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1956 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Tales of the Unexpected: Back for Christmas (1980)

User Reviews

Ahh! Sunny California!

You know, sometimes it just doesn't pay to murder your wife. We've got this guy who puts up with his wife controlling virtually every aspect of his life. He sees his youth slipping away as she fusses and controls everything. Actually, if one were to step back, she's not all that overbearing. He never tries to simply say, "Enough!" already. We are always suspicious when some guy starts digging in the basement. She does respect his need to build a wine cellar. Of course, he checks his notebook from time to time to see what her dimensions are. She is not a shrew nor does she really smother him. She has a streak of real kindness, so it's hard to be very sympathetic toward him. Well, I won't give the ending away, but suffice it to say that it is her kindness that ultimately comes back to bite him. I think this could have really been improved with a few modifications in her character.