Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat story
Married Mrs. Bixby receives an expensive coat from her lover and wants to keep it without arousing her husband, Dr. Bixby's suspicion. She has the coat pawned and pretends to find the pawn ticket, which she gives to her husband to retrieve the item. However, Mrs. Bixby is dismayed when her husband gives her a small mink stole; Dr. Bixby's nurse has the coat, thus implying that he is having an affair with her. Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock. Story by: Roald Dahl, Halsted Welles.
7 total · 3 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| extramarital affair | major | Mrs. Bixby was having an affair behind her husband Cyril's back. In a surprise twist, it was revealed that her husband, Dr. Bixby, was having an affair with his dental assistant Miss Pulteney. |
| husband and wife | major | The story turns on Dr. Bixby and Mrs. Bixby concealing their respective extramarital affairs from each other. |
| poetic justice | major | Mrs. Bixby cheated and lied to her husband, only to discover that he had cheated and lied to her. |
| coping with getting dumped | minor | Mrs. Bixby was tactfully dumped like a sack of potatoes by her lover. |
| flattery | minor | In his monologue, Alfred Hitchcock outrageously flattered his new sponsors, even though it very nearly made him swallow his own tongue. |
| master and servant | minor | Mrs. Bixby interacted with her maid. |
| medical occupation | minor | Dr. Bixby was happily practicing his chosen profession of dentistry. |