Alfred Hitchcock Presents Series 1, Episode 36    Robert Stevenson    Ruth Hussey, Vinton Hayworth    03 June 1956    24m 50s    6/10

Mink

Paula Hudson goes to have her fur appraised. She says it was given to her as a gift before handing it to Mr. Roms for evaluation. His assistant remembers that he personally made the fur for another client a month ago and that the fur was reported as stolen. Roms telephones Mrs. Wilson, the woman who originally owned the fur to tell her that it has turned up at the shop and tells her to come down with the police. Paula makes some excuses and leaves abruptly when challenged by Roms, who then instructs his assistant to follow her, which he does to the Clairmount Hotel. Paula attracts the attention of other women who compliment her on her mink. Unfortunately for Paula the other women are Sergeant Bradford who is an undercover police detective and Mrs. Wilson - the woman who claims the mink was stolen from her. Sgt. Bradford asks Paula to show them the lining of the mink, but it does not match the description given by Wilson so Paula is taken to the police station. She confesses that she lied about the fur and that she bought it herself to surprise her husband who is out of town. Sgt. Delaney trips her up with a couple of points she makes in her speech and becomes suspicious of her story so they go to speak to the woman whom Mrs. Wilson claims she purchased the fur from. Dolores Dawn, a young lady with a very sexy put-on voice and an overindulgence of lipstick claims she did not sell Mrs. Wilson the fur stole, nor recalls ever meeting her despite Mrs. Wilson emphatically insisting that she herself did buy the fur from her. Mrs. Wilson takes the cops to talk to the girl at the beauty shop to prove her story, but the girl at the saloon claims not to know anything. A conspiracy is revealed when the girl from the saloon telephones Dolores to get their story straight. Later, after kicking the two detectives out of her house, Paula receives an unexpected visit from an insurance man who offers to pay her $600 for the fur, making her a $200 profit on her initial purchase. Paula refuses and as he is about to leave he reveals that he is in fact Charlie Harper - an acquaintance of the two ladies whom denied any involvement in the case earlier. He begs her to give him back the fur and he offers to get a replacement for her but she stands firm. When her telephone rings and she is distracted, Charlie quickly steals the mink from the closet and leaves the house. Realising her dilemma Paula phones the police to hand herself in but asks that the detective waits for Paula's husband to telephone her at the house first. But just before the husband calls, Sgt. Delaney reveals to Paula that he knows she is innocent and that no charges against her will be made, although......

HITCH'S PROLOGUE: [Hitch is behind bars and using a small hacksaw blade to try and cut his way through one of the bars. The camera then pulls back to reveal a sign which reads DO NOT FEED] "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage. But they help. They help. Actually this my doctor's idea. When he says strict diet, he means strict diet, The saw came in the traditional way. Inside a cake. Have you ever had a piece of calorie-less cake? I should have eaten the saw and used the cake to bludgeon my way out. However, I do not want to concern you with my petty problems but with those with Paula Hudson. Paula was one of those persons who had never spent a day in jail or even been given a parking ticket. Then one day she found herself at the wrong end of the finger of suspicion. You will see Paula's story in a moment. It is called 'Mink' from the fur of the same name." HITCH'S EPILOGUE: "So much for the case of the stolen stole. I think I'll give up my diet. Exercise - that's it! I think I'll take up sports again. I'm quite an athlete you know. I particularly excel in chess, falconry, wife-beating, that sort of thing. Thank you for coming, please call again. Our next visiting hours will be just one week from tonight. Good night"

REVIEW & OPINION X

SPOILERS Surprisingly this has a happy ending, albeit with a strangely confusing last line from the detective.

THE CAST (click any image to enlarge)

Paula Hudson... RUTH HUSSEY Sgt. Delaney... VINTON HAYWORTH Sgt. Bradford... VIVI JANISS Lois... SHEILA BROMLEY Leslie Ronalds... ANTHONY EUSTREL Furrier assistant... PAUL BURNS Dolores Dawn... EUGENIA PAUL Lucille... VEDA ANN BORG Charlie Harper... JAMES McCALLION Mrs. WIlson... MARY JACKSON

GALLERY (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0508200/ [IMDb] This page was last updated on: 29 April 2020