And the Desert Shall Blossom story
Elderly cowboys Tom Akins and Ben White are in danger of being taken away from their desert property by the town council. One night, a criminal barges into their cabin and threatens them with a gun, but the cowboys manage to kill him. A month later, when Sheriff Jeff arrives to inspect the property, Akins and White proudly show off a lush rosebush, secretly grown using the criminal's body as fertilizer, thus proving the fertility of their land and allowing them to stay. Directed by: Arthur Hiller. Story by: Loren D. Good, Bernard C. Schoenfeld.
9 total · 5 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| attachment to one's land | major | Tom and Ben were upset at the threat of being evicted from their desert property. |
| facing a home invader | major | Tom and Ben shot dead a wanted criminal who barged into their home and pistol whipped one of them. |
| facing being evicted from one's home | major | Tom and Ben were upset at the threat of being evicted from their desert property by the town council. |
| humans in pairs | major | The old men Tom and Ben were on the verge of being forcibly removed from their old shack and sent off to an home with other old people. |
| the role of the elderly in society | major | Tom and Ben were outraged at the notion that they might be put in a home with other old people, just waiting to die. |
| coping with aging | minor | Remarks were made about Ben and Tom's advanced age, although Ben and Tom seemed none the worse for it. |
| human character stereotype | minor | In his monologue, Alfred Hitchcock pretended to be a Wild West cowboy, and spoke of cattle rustling etc. |
| law enforcement | minor | Sheriff Jeff warned Tom and Ben that they were in danger of being taken away from their desert shack unless they made something of the place. Sheriff Jeff questioned Tom and Ben as to the whereabouts of a wanted criminal. |
| murder | minor | The criminal was wanted for murder, as well as every other crime in the book. |