Alfred Hitchcock Presents s01e11 Episode Script

Good evening.
I was just constructing a mobile for my living room.
They tell me the foreign hand is becoming less popular these days.
I like it, though.
I'm just old-fashioned, I guess.
But so much for fine art.
This evening we have another in our series of plays designed especially for insomniacs.
Actually, our stories don't cure you of insomnia.
But they do take your mind off your problem by stimulating your imagination and giving you something to think about as you lie there in the dark.
Tonight's story will follow after we give this wakefulness test.
Good morning, Mrs.
Schultz.
Good morning, Mrs.
Santine.
How are you this morning? That's 29 cents.
Well, how do you like the heat? I think maybe heat melt me down a little.
Thank you very much.
Come again.
Goodbye.
I will.
Mr.
Verber, did the baby get over the colic? Oh, yes.
The baby is fine now.
Did his crying bother you? No.
Babies have to cry.
Mrs.
Glovetsky, how are you this morning? Fine.
How's the daughter? Wonderful.
Such a girl.
Mr.
Krane, have you got any more of that nice salami? I think so.
Good.
Harold, will you get Mrs.
Glovetsky some of that salami? And get me a jar of those good sour pickles, will you? Boy, another sizzler, Mrs.
Verber.
Yeah.
What can I do for you? I need a roll of tape.
All right.
That's an awful, nasty bruise.
It's nothing.
I tripped over one of the kids' toys.
They're always leaving them lying about.
That's 19 out of 25.
I was just talking to your husband.
He says your baby is coming along very nicely now.
Yes, fine.
Thanks.
Good morning, Mrs.
Verber.
Mrs.
Krane.
Hi, honey.
I thought you told me you were going to- Didn't I tell you? Did you see that bruise on her face? I knew they had another fight last night.
She said she tripped and fell.
You can believe that if you want to.
But I think he hit her.
I saw Verber walking down the street.
He looked kind of jumpy.
Mrs.
Glovetsky, you got your salami I see.
All right.
That's 84 cents, please.
Thank you very much, Mrs.
Glovetsky.
Come again, please.
Stanley? Yeah.
Do you think he plays around? Verber? Well, everybody says he does.
I don't know why he doesn't just move out and be done with it.
What are we having for dinner? It's too hot to cook.
Is scrapple all right? Scrapple, sure.
Maybe he hangs on for the sake of the children.
That's one school of thought.
Well, give me another reason.
Honey, how do I know? Maybe they like to fight.
There are some people who do.
Besides, it's none of our business.
You wait.
He's going to land her in the hospital one of these days.
Sure.
Don't be late for dinner.
That blasted thing again.
Hello? Just a minute.
I'll see if he's in.
Mr.
Verber, telephone.
Mr.
Verber.
What is it? Telephone for your husband.
Oh.
Thanks.
Just a minute.
Mrs.
Verber, I wish you'd do something about that baby buggy.
I always keep crashing into it.
I don't have anyplace else to leave it.
I can't be dragging it upstairs all the time, can I? I suppose not.
Maybe you can hang a red lantern on it.
Hi, sweetie.
Hi, honey.
Dinner ready? In a minute.
Did you answer the phone? Yeah.
It was for Verber.
I guess he's not home yet.
He came home half an hour ago.
Mrs.
Verber took the call.
Who called him? The President, I guess.
Don't be funny.
Was it a man or a woman? As a matter of fact, it was a woman.
Why? Shut up! That's why.
Boy, remind me never to have my lady friends phone me here.
Shut up and go look after the kids.
You think you're the answer to every woman's prayers.
I could tell them a thing or two.
You're telling the whole neighborhood now.
They ought to try living with you.
One week, that's all.
I'm telling you for the last time, Amelia, stop riding me, or I'll Stanley, it's getting worse.
And your dinner is getting cold.
He threatened her.
I tell you this is serious.
What am I supposed to do about it, sweetie? I don't know.
Come and listen.
I can hear all I want right here.
Did you hear that? He's beating her.
I told you, some people like to fight.
Then they'll kiss and make up.
Stanley, he's killing her.
She'll get in a few of her own in a minute.
Do you hear anything? No.
Thank you.
Come again.
I will.
Bye.
Mr.
Krane, I'd like some candy, please.
Yes, of course, Mrs.
Verber.
What kind? Doesn't matter.
I just got a craving for something sweet.
How about the chocolate-covered cherries Mr.
Verber always buys for you? Yeah, that'll be fine.
Is there anything else, Mrs.
Verber? Yeah, I need something to pack the kids toys in.
If you don't want that carton, I'll just take it along.
You're welcome to it.
It's kind of awkward.
Maybe I'd better carry it out over for you.
I can manage it I'm sure.
It's no trouble at all.
I'm going home for lunch in just a minute.
I'll be glad to take it right up.
That's very nice of you, thanks.
Who is it? It's Stanley Krane, Mrs.
Verber.
I brought your carton.
Just leave it by the door, please.
I'm taking a bath.
Mrs.
Verber, telephone.
I can't come out now.
Tell her to say that they'll have to call back later.
All right, Mrs.
Verber.
Mrs.
Verber said to ask them to call back later.
Mrs.
Verber said would you call back later, please? Stanley? Yes, sweetie? Who do you suppose that was? It was Verber's boss.
Lunch ready? Verber didn't go to work today.
He isn't home.
There hasn't been a sign of him all morning.
Seriously, Dorothy, you ought to keep your head out of the air shaft.
Stanley, for heaven's sake! I tell you something's happened.
There hasn't been a peep out of him since that fight last night.
Oh, yes.
That's when he killed his wife.
I don't know who killed who.
Boy, this hot weather is making you lightheaded.
Then where is he? He went to Coney Island.
Or maybe he went to the ball game.
Or he could have gotten a new job or went to see his mother.
There's 100 ordinary, everyday explanations for it.
I hope so.
Your lunch is ready.
So, what were you doing up there? Mrs.
Verber wanted a large carton, so I brought it over for her- A carton? How large? One of those very big ones.
She said she wanted to pack some of the children's toys.
A carton that large would hold a lot of toys.
Would you answer the door? Stanley.
Would you answer the door? Sure, honey.
Right away, baby.
Yes? Board of Health.
I got to inspect the apartment.
Okay.
Come in.
You fellows sure work some funny hours.
Yeah, it's a long day.
But this is the last apartment.
I don't do it now, I got to come all the way back here tomorrow.
Okay, go ahead.
Sorry to bother you, lady.
We keep this place in good shape.
At least my wife does.
Yeah, it's a lot cleaner than the place upstairs.
I'll say that for it.
The Verbers? Yeah.
I didn't see him around.
I think he's been away.
Is it all right if I check the bathroom? Sure.
This way.
You did.
I did not.
Yes, you did.
Mommy! What do you expect to find out there? You never can tell until you look.
What do you mean about Verber being away? Just hasn't been around, that's all.
For how long? Can I see your health inspector's permit? I didn't want to upset your wife.
Sergeant Halloran, Homicide.
A detective.
That's what I thought.
Yeah.
The Board of Health routine worked with Mrs.
Verber.
At least I think it did.
Is it about Verber? Yeah.
We got a phone call that his wife had knocked him off.
Anonymous, I suppose? They always are.
But still, we got to investigate.
Did you find anything up there? Nothing.
How long has it been since you saw him? Three days.
That's the last time we heard them, anyway.
They fight a lot? Yeah.
He was a woman chaser.
Boy, they had a real brawl that last night.
My wife was sure they were killing each other.
That's possible, of course.
Still what could she have done with the body? She doesn't drive a car she says.
That's right.
You can't drag a body out through the streets without somebody noticing it.
That carton.
What carton? What are you talking about? I brought it over to her myself.
Large carton.
She said she wanted to pack some children's toys.
I left it outside her door.
I mean, the apartment was dark and she kept the safety chain on.
I sure didn't see any carton.
Could have been one, of course.
Maybe I ought to take another look.
Any complaints on my housekeeping? No, not at all.
You get a clean bill of health, Mrs.
Krane.
You must have upset Mrs.
Verber.
She just sailed out of here.
Good night.
I'll walk out with you if you like.
Yeah, sure, come along.
You don't think he's still in the apartment, do you? That's what we are going to find out.
The door's probably locked.
They usually are.
How are we going to get in? We'll find a way.
Okay.
This apartment is pretty much the same as yours.
Where would you hide a carton that size? It's too big for closets.
You'd have noticed it in the kitchen.
Did you look back there? I must be getting old.
Still you wouldn't expect to find a corpse lying back of a sofa.
Give me a hand here, will you? Come on.
What do you know? Toys.
Stanley? Yes, sweetie.
Amelia wouldn't let the cleaning woman in the apartment today.
Maybe she can't afford her.
You still think that he just walked out, don't you? Yep.
And he walked out on his job, too.
I answered the telephone today.
It was his boss.
Ben Verber hasn't been to work all week.
Is that so? Amelia hasn't set a foot out of that apartment since you and the detective were there.
What's she doing up there? I wouldn't know about that.
You can stop worrying about Verber.
'Cause he isn't dead.
How do you know? Mrs.
Glovetsky was in the store this morning.
She told me he's staying with his parents.
Wherever they lived.
His parents live in Queens.
Where did Mrs.
Glovetsky get her information? I didn't ask her.
From her daughter, probably.
She and Verber are pretty friendly it seems.
I don't believe that.
He wouldn't waste his time on that silly Glovetsky girl.
Anyway, that's where he is.
And he hasn't been murdered.
But, Stanley, that isn't- Let's drop it, shall we? We've made enough trouble over nothing.
Honey, I can't afford to get that kind of reputation.
My business depends on the goodwill of this neighborhood.
Let's mind our own business from now on.
Stanley.
Ben Verber is not at his mother's house in Queens.
I spoke to her.
She said she hasn't seen or heard of Ben all week.
You mean to say you phoned them? Of course I did.
I told you that woman killed him.
Honey, take it easy, sweetheart.
His mother said that Amelia brought the children over there that day after that quarrel, but that she didn't say a thing about Ben.
Well, he can't be dead.
Because there's no way Amelia could get that body out of the building.
And it's not there.
But she did it.
I don't know how.
But she did it.
Stanley, if you don't call the police, I will.
Go on home.
I'll be home in just a minute.
Go.
Hello, Mrs.
Verber.
Would you give me some more of those candies, Mr.
Krane? You've really got a sweet tooth, haven't you? I nibble all the time.
There you are.
Nerves, I guess.
Anything for the children? Milk? The children.
They are with their grandparents this week.
My husband is staying there, his father's been sick.
I won't be needing any milk for a while.
Yes, I heard your husband was away.
Mrs.
Glovetsky mentioned it.
Connect me to Sergeant Halloran, please.
What's up? Thanks for coming over, Sergeant.
I don't know if this is important or not.
But I ought to pass it on to you.
You figured out what she did with the body? I don't know whether there is a body.
But I do know Verber isn't where his wife says he is.
Where is that? At his parents' home in Queens.
She says Verber's there with the children.
The kids are there all right.
But Verber isn't.
Nobody's seen this guy for three days.
That brings us right back where we started.
The guy is missing and maybe he is dead.
But what did she do with the body? It's a lead-pipe cinch that she didn't get it out of the building.
But we know- Wait a minute.
Okay.
She couldn't get it out of the building.
But she could get it out of the apartment.
Is there a vacant apartment here? No.
But there's a basement.
Nobody ever uses it except to tend the furnace.
It would be safe until next fall.
That's all right as far as it goes.
But how could she get him down there? "A corpse is a dead weight", if you'll excuse the expression.
It isn't reasonable to suppose that she could drag a body down two flights- The elevator! That's it.
It's so old and wheezy, nobody ever uses it much.
Let's see if it still works.
Let's look in those trunks.
Here we are.
Stanley, what are you doing down here? Did you find anything? Honey, this is no place for you.
Go back upstairs.
I was scared.
I didn't want to be alone.
There's no need to be scared.
There's nothing here.
Looks like we're wrong again, Mrs.
Krane.
Go on.
What's that up there? I'm always falling over that I looked at it everyday and never saw it.
Because it wasn't there.
How many times I went to answer the phone and crashed into that baby buggy.
He's here.
He was here all the time.
I knew it.
I just knew it.
You better get her upstairs.
Come on, sweetheart.
Let's go upstairs.
You said you were from the Board of Health.
I was afraid of you.
I didn't know why.
I know it's useless.
You're all against me.
You don't care about me.
I'm the woman he married.
Wasn't his fault.
You'd never know he was a married man the way those women kept throwing themselves at him.
They wouldn't leave him alone.
He thought I didn't know.
The Glovetsky girl.
All the rest of them.
It wasn't so bad, really.
We had our fights.
Sometimes, I'd think about getting a divorce.
What happened that night? He was packing his bag.
He went into the bedroom, and he started cramming everything into a suitcase.
He never did know how to pack a bag properly.
"Where do you think you are going?," I said.
"Out of the country," he said.
"South America, maybe.
She's going with me.
"We're finished, you and me.
"I'm going to get a divorce.
" "What about the kids?," I said.
"What about them?," he says, "I can't afford to support them and her, too.
" He couldn't support his own kids on account he had to support her.
That's why I killed him.
It wasn't his fault.
It was yours.
You're the one I should have killed.
You! You were going to take him away from me! He was leaving me for you.
Get her off me.
That was touching ending.
Of course, none of the story really happened.
It was all made up.
Just a tissue of lies out of some writer's head.
For the benefit of those of you who prefer truth to fiction we shall now present some.
Here, before I return, are some unadorned facts.
Presented honestly and candidly and with impartiality and objectivity.
You know, truth maybe stranger than fiction after all.
But tune in again next week when we have a real whopper to tell you.
Good night.