Heart of Gold story
When convicted robber Jackie Blake is released from prison, he is warmly accepted into the home of Martha Collins, mother of Jackie's former cellmate. Jackie has hopes of making a new honest life, but Martha and her other son, Ralph, only took Jackie in because they believe that he has the loot from a previous robbery hidden somewhere. Ralph tries to force Jackie to reveal its whereabouts, and Jackie kills him. Directed by: Robert Stevens. Story by: Henry Slesar, James Cavanagh.
10 total · 7 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| bank robbery | major | People assumed that the recently paroled bank robber Jackie was hiding $150,000 in loot. |
| greed for riches | major | Jackie found out the hard way that Martha had a "heart of gold" when it became apparent that she'd only welcomed him into her home in an effort to get her hands on his $150,000. |
| helping a stranger in need | major | It seemed like Martha exhibited the eponymous character trait when she took the recently paroled Jackie in. |
| hospitality | major | Martha took pains to make Jackie feel at home in her apartment. |
| kindness | major | Martha welcomed the recently paroled bank robbery Jackie into her home out of the goodness of her own heart, or so it seemed. |
| mother and son | major | Martha and her lazy, live at home, go nowhere, adult son Ralph. |
| reintegrating into society | major | Jackie was working to get back on his feet after being released from prison over his role in a bank robbery. |
| alcohol abuse | minor | Both Martha and Jackie remarked about Ralph's excessive drinking. |
| carpentry occupation | minor | In the intro, Alfred Hitchcock showcased various carpentry machines that he had used to upgrade Chippendale furniture into kindling. |
| killing in self-defense | not | Although Jackie ended up killing Ralph in self-defense, there was very little of a decision about it and the whole incident was more like an accident. |