Last Request story
While awaiting his execution, inmate Gerry Daniels types a final letter to the newspaper protesting the incompetence of district attorney Bernard Butler. Gerry confesses that he had murdered three other people, but Butler had never suspected him for those incidents; instead Gerry was prosecuted for a murder that he did not commit. The execution is canceled when Butler gets new evidence exonerating Gerry from the incorrect charge, but Gerry's letter has already been posted. Directed by: Paul Henreid. Story by: Helen Fislar Brooks, Joel Murcott.
20 total · 8 major · 12 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| capital punishment | major | Gerry was about to be wrongfully executed. |
| extramarital affair | major | Gerry seduced a woman who spoke about her husband, Harry. Gerry seduced a Doctor Raymond's wife, Sheila. |
| facing one's own execution | major | Gerry was about to be wrongfully executed. |
| ironic twist of fate | major | The story culminated with Gerry's stay of execution coming just after he had confessed to three other murders in a letter. |
| legal occupation | major | District Attorney Butler seemed to be out to get Gerry by one means or another, but, in the end, he worked quickly to stay Gerry's execution when evidence came to light that he was innocent. |
| murder | major | Gerry confessed three murders. He was accused of one murder he didn't commit. |
| the Casanova stereotype | major | We understand that Gerry was a regular Casanova and explained how to exploit women. |
| what if I was accused of a crime that I didn't commit | major | Gerry was on death row and protested his innocence in a letter. |
| blackmail | minor | Gerry blackmailed the Sheila out of $1000. |
| cannibalism | minor | In the intro, Alfred Hitchcock proudly anticipated being the main course at a dinner party. |