Silent Witness story
Professor Donald Mason kills his student, Claudia, when she refuses to end their affair. The only witness is Linda, the baby that Claudia was babysitting at the time. Afterward, every time Linda sees Donald she starts crying, which makes Donald fear that she will identify him once she starts talking. Donald ends up confessing to the police, but it turns out that Linda cries whenever she sees any man. Directed by: Paul Henreid. Story by: Jeanne Barry, Robert C. Dennis.
14 total · 4 major · 10 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| extramarital affair | major | Professor Mason came to regret (to put it lightly) having gotten himself involved with his student, Claudia, behind his wife's back. |
| husband and wife | major | Donald and Nancy Mason and to a much lesser extent their neighbors, the Davidson's. |
| murder | major | Professor Mason killed his student Claudia when she tried to blackmail him. |
| student and teacher romance | major | The story follows Professor Mason's affair with one of his literature class students and its unfortunate aftermath. |
| blackmail | minor | Claudia threatened that she would "smear" Donald and ruin his reputation etc. unless he married her. |
| caring for a baby | minor | There was lots of talk about the baby who, we gather, was teething. |
| choosing between lovers | minor | Donald was torn between his wife and his young mistress whom he was trying to leave. |
| dealing with children | minor | Central to the conclusion was Donald's implausibly poor understanding of how babies' brains work. |
| divorce | minor | Professor Mason outright refused his lover Claudia's demand for him to divorce his wife. |
| infatuation | minor | Professor Mason's student, Claudia, was heal over heels in love with him, and she tried to blackmail him into marrying her. |