Six People, No Music story
Undertaker Arthur Motherwell is shocked when recently-deceased businessman Stanton C. Barryvale briefly wakes up in the funeral parlor to demand that his funeral be simple and cheap. After discussing the matter with his wife, Motherwell decides to follow the instructions of Barryvale's lawyer for a lavish funeral instead. Directed by: Norman Lloyd. Story by: Garson Kanin, Richard Berg.
10 total · 1 choice · 3 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| personal ethical dilemma | choice | At the heart of the story was the unusual circumstances that posed the following dilemma for Arthur: Should he obey the wishes of the talking corpse of Baryvale and have a frugal funeral, or follow the instructions he received from Barryvale's lawyer for a lavish funeral from which he would greatly profit. |
| human occupational activity | major | The story follows the undertaker Arthur as he recounts the events surrounding a most unusual day a the funeral parlor. |
| husband and wife | major | The story was arranged as being told by Arthur to his wife Rhoda during dinner and cleaning up. |
| speculative experience | major | Arthur was confronted with what appeared to be a talking corpse. In his monologue, Alfred Hitchcock was enjoying sideways gravity. |
| boss and employee | minor | Arthur discussed with his employee, Thor, a promise he made five years ago to share a stake in the business. |
| funeral rite | minor | The viewer is shown a 1950s American idea of what a proper funeral arrangement for a man of distinction might be like. |
| legal occupation | minor | Arthur spoke with the late Mr. Barryvale's lawyer over the phone about Mr. Barryvale's funeral arrangements. |
| miserliness | minor | The recently-deceased businessman Mr. Barryvale briefly woke up in a funeral parlor to ensure that he'd be given the cheapest funeral possible. |
| physics | minor | In his monologue, Alfred Hitchcock spoke of gravity. |
| the desire for professional success | minor | The ambitious embalmer Thor was persistent about getting Arthur to follow through on his promise to grant Thor the stake in Arthur's funeral home business that been promised him. |