The Return of Verge Likens story
Verge Likens is a farmer whose father was killed by a crooked politician named Riley McGrath. Verge returns home to avenge his father's death. He manages to get close to Riley by getting hired as an assistant at a barbershop. After asking the barber to run an errand, Verge is alone with Riley and proceeds to lather up the murdering politician for a shave. Verge vividly describes how he is planning to cut Riley's throat. When the barber returns to the barbershop, he finds the door locked. He gets the police, who break down the door. Inside, they find Verge standing over Riley's dead body. Verge has avenged his father's death and he is not guilty of a crime. Riley died of a heart attack. Directed by: Arnold Laven. Story by: James Bridges (teleplay), Davis Grubb (story).
16 total · 1 choice · 5 major · 10 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| the desire for vengeance | choice | Verge becomes obsessed with avenging himself on Riley McGrath, who had killed Verge's father and gotten away with it. |
| brother and brother | major | Vengeful Verge Likens and his meek, dim-witted brother were at the center of the story. |
| coping with the death of a family member | major | The Likens' brother grieved for their father. Riley McGrath briefly lamented his mother's passing from something to do with her having high blood pressure. |
| fear for one's life | major | The story culminated with Riley McGrath, who had a weak ticker, dying from sheer fear while in the barber's chair. |
| killing in self-defense | major | The viewer must ponder whether, or how close, it was that Riley McGrath's decision to shoot the drunken Likens was justified when Likens started spraying him with two beer bottles. Although the act was dismissed as self-defense, several characters visibly had a sour feeling over the affair. |
| obsession | major | Verge Likens became obsessed with avenging his fathers death by killing Riley McGrath, but in such a way that Riley would know why he died and suffer first. Thus Verged attended barber college. |
| attachment to one's land | minor | A drunken Stoney Likens, who was a poor farmer, lost his life confronting a crooked politician who was trying to force him off his plot of land. Stoney got all bent out of shape, and the politician shot him dead in what was determined to be an act of self-defense. |
| coping with having a chronic condition | minor | Riley McGrath had a bad ticker. |
| corruption in society | minor | Riley McGrath was a crooked politician. Because of his importance, witnesses would not testify against him. He bribed a bar keeper after his goon beat up Wilford. |
| father and son | minor | The Likens' brother grieved for their father. |