Whodunit (25 Mar. 1956)

Recently deceased mystery writer Alexander Penn Arlington gets permission from the recording angel to relive his last day on earth, so that he can find out who murdered him.

Director:

Francis M. Cockrell

Writers:

Francis M. Cockrell (teleplay), Marian B. Cockrell (teleplay),

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, John Williams, Amanda Blake

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
John Williams	...	Alexander Penn Arlington
Amanda Blake	...	Carol Arlington
Jerry Paris	...	Wally Benson
Philip Coolidge	...	Talbot
Alan Napier	...	Wilfred
Bill Slack	...	Vincent
Ruta Lee	...	Angel
Rudy Robles	...	Horace

Storyline

Recently deceased mystery writer Alexander Arlington appears before the recording angel in heaven. All goes well until he learns that his death was a murder, rather than a heart attack, as he had imagined. He receives permission from the angel to live his last day over again, so that he can find out who killed him. Back in his home, he relives a bitter fight with his assistant, and is certain that the assistant is the murderer. But when his nephew makes some threatening statements, and then he catches a glimpse of his wife warmly kissing a male friend, he starts to realize that almost everyone he knows has a motive for killing him.

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Plot Keywords:

angel | mystery writer | writer | murder | heaven | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 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?

Quotes

Himself - Host: Good evening, fellow necromaniacs. I'm glad so many of you could come. I should explain that the word has nothing to do with necking. I'm awfully sorry. I haven't time to explain it now. You'll just have to look it up in the dictionary.

User Reviews

Entertaining Mini-Mystery With Some Dry British Humor

This entertaining mini-mystery is characterized by its dry British sense of humor, and by the occasional friendly witticisms about the murder mystery genre. John Williams, with his quintessentially British screen persona, was a good choice for the leading role. The script (by two of the show's regular screenwriters) efficiently adapts the original story into the program's format.

Williams plays a recently-deceased mystery writer who bargains with the recording angel, wanting to return to earth to find out who murdered him. The main story is patterned after the classic style of so many popular British-style detective novels, with some lighter touches that fit in with the premise. Williams does a good job of playing the amateur detective, gently parodying the way that such a character might appear in a book.

The main plot is framed by the two scenes in heaven, with Williams and Alan Napier (as the angel). In these scenes, as in the rest of the episode, the humor is understated and ironic, rather than openly funny. The tone is consistent throughout the story, and it works well if you enjoy the style.