Mail Order Prophet story
Ordinary clerk Grimes starts receiving letters from a mysterious Christiani that seemingly predict the future. His friend George advises caution, but Grimes starts investing money to great success. For Christiani's last tip, Grimes steals office funds to invest in the stock market, and earns enough to retire comfortably even after returning the office money and paying Christiani's share. Afterward, George investigates Christiani and discovers that he is a con man, and the letters were sent out to thousands of people using different predictions; Grimes just happened to receive a correct series of predictions. Directed by: James Neilson. Story by: Antony Ferry, Robert C. Dennis.
9 total · 1 choice · 4 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| con artistry | choice | Mr. Grimes fell victim to a version of the Baltimore Stockbroker postal scam. |
| risk taking vs. playing it safe | major | Should Mr. Grimes continue making increasingly large bets on the received by mail predictions he was receiving until he achieved the financial independence that he so longer for? |
| theft | major | Mr. Grimes pilfered a large number of bonds from the company where he worked with the intention of returning them the next day. |
| what if I caught a glimpse of the future | major | Mr. Grimes was convinced that a mysterious man by the name of Christiani was supplying him with correct prophecies about the future. |
| workplace disgruntlement | major | Mr. Grimes resented his office job and resorted to very risky measures in an effort to become financially independent. |
| law enforcement | minor | A police detective revealed to George that Christiani was a known conman. |
| precognition | minor | Christiani professed to have this ability. |
| suicide | minor | In the intro, Alfred Hitchcock casually told of a business colleague who'd jumped out of an office building window, presumably to his death. Later Mr. Grimes considered taking poison. |
| the sport of boxing | minor | Mr. Grimes watched a boxing match on TV and lamented not having placed a bet. |