Anyone for Murder? story

ahh2x20 · 1964-03-13

A psychologist plans an assassination in order to get out of his miserable marriage. Directed by: Leo Penn. Story by: Jack Ritchie (short story).

12 total · 3 choice · 7 major · 2 minor

Theme	Level	Motivation
disintegrating romantic relationship	choice	James and Doris' marriage was gradually coming apart. Doris blamed James' inattentiveness. James thought her having a lover was somewhat to blame.
reconciliation	choice	The story conlcuded with James and Doris set their differences aside to defeat the assassin and trick Doris's lover. The viewer is left to assume they reconciled their differences and patched up their hitherto failing marriage.
spouse murder	choice	The title alludes to a psychologist's alleged experiment to determine whether more men or more women are prepared to knock off their spouses, should they be presented with the opportunity to do so without dirtying their own hands. The story progresses to him attempting to murder his own disagreeable wife.
extramarital affair	major	James uncovered that Doris was having an affair with a younger man behind his back.
feeling neglected in a relationship	major	Doris was motivated in part to seek out a lover on account that her psychologist husband was preoccupied with his research.
hitman occupation	major	Robert Johnson revealed himself to be a killer for hire.
husband and wife	major	James and Doris Parkerson.
love kindled by danger	major	It would seem that sharing the mortal peril of being under fire by an assassin caused James and Doris to realize how much they, in fact, cared for each other. The story concluded with a marital reconciliation of sorts.
scientist occupation	major	James was a psychology professor with an interest, allegedly academic, in spouse murder.
the desire for vengeance	major	The revelation that his wife was having an affair made James' blood boil, and he spent the rest of the story plotting his revenge against the man.