De Mortuis story
Aware that their friend Rankin's wife Irene is cheating on him, Wally and Bud draw the same conclusion when they find Irene missing and Rankin sealing up a hole in his basement. Wally and Bud confront Rankin, asking which of Irene's lovers he caught her with, but their assumptions were wrong. When Irene returns home, Rankin kills her for real. Directed by: Robert Stevens. Story by: John Collier, Francis Cockrell.
11 total · 1 choice · 7 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| spouse murder | choice | We are lead to believe that Professor Rankin might have killed and burred his wife in the cellar - then he did. |
| covering up a crime to save a friend | major | Professor Rankin's friends Bud and Wally were prepared to help him cover up his wife's murder. |
| friendship | major | Professor Rankin's friends Bud and Wally were prepared to help him cover up his wife's murder. |
| husband and wife | major | Professor Rankin and his comparatively young wife Irene. |
| loyalty to a friend | major | Bud and Wally professed themselves ready to lie for their friend Professor Rankin. |
| promiscuity | major | Irene was hitting on Professor Rankin's friends, thought Rankin's friends. |
| what if I was accused of a crime that I didn't commit | major | Bud and Wally accused Professor Rankin of murdering his wife. It turned out their accusation was a little premature. |
| young and old romance | major | Professor Rankin mentioned that Irene was much younger than him. |
| animal behavior | minor | Professor Rankin studied rat behavior under malnutrition. |
| romantic infidelity | minor | The idea that Irene could have been unfaithful was refuted in such a way that the possibility became topical. |